Rating: 
Summary: Great story that puts a little perspective on life.
Review: I just finished reading this book. I will definitely tell all my friends about it. I loved reading about the triumphs and setbacks that this family encountered. They have survived something that most people would not even try. I really don't want to know about day to day life. I don't want to read a diary. I like adventure. I find it funny that most everyone that rated this book under 4 stars did so because they did not like Norma Cobb's attitude. They have judged her in the same way they accused Norma Cobb of judging other people. When I finished, I thought wow she was rough on people. But once I thought about it, she was that way because of society and that is why she wanted to leave society behind. Don't let their opinion of the author sway you from this great story. Yes she only talks about the drama but I have read many factual accounts of adventures only to be bored to the point that it takes forever to get through the book. I enjoyed the stories. Norma Cobb paints a great picture. And if things are a little over dramatized, that okay - when I have a good story to tell, I do the same. It helps paint the picture. She does not fill the pages with history or trivia. I like the way she describes her family. One reader suggests that they felt Norma describes Les' girls as useless. I cound not disagree more - three of the five children were very young during this period. Thus their involvement in the adventure is more one of being taken care of. Let's be realistic - their contributions were more on a day to day basis and I never felt she viewed them as useless. Read this book and decide for yourself. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the truth?
Review: I live in Alaska and have been trying to find someone that knows Les and Norma Cobb so I can unravel this book. I didn't come to Alaska until 1999 and was, indeed, treated badly and even less than lawfully by a few individuals. So I was ready to belive Ms. Cobb when she told of the betrayal by those she trusted in the less civilized time of almost 30 years ago. But--I began to wonder. Ms. Cobb over and again believes that EVERYONE was intent on betraying her. I never see any doubt in her mind that some of these things were accidents. That was bolstered by her going out of her way to describe Susan Butcher as ugly (she is not) and constantly referring to their assistant's dog as "his sissy dog." Geez, the dog wasn't a Yorkie, it was an Irish Setter. While her children are always referred to as hard working, her husbands children are only described as useless. As for holding a gun on an assistant that worked for them and driving him off land that he worked for--hmmm? And I never noticed that she paid for the land as promised. WHile hectoring others about living off the government or breaking the law--she describes how they broke the homesteading law by hiring help. Her husband's vigilantism is certainly over the top. He blew up someone's cabin! He put a bear in a bus and then filled it with unknowing pipeline employees. Geez, what a good ole boy. The book was good if you read with a grain of salt. Norma and Les--not so sure I want to meet them.
Rating: 
Summary: Homesteading adventure with an edge.
Review: I read this book because I have always had an interest in the lives of those who choose to live in the wilderness. Louise Dickinson Rich (We Took to the Woods) and Deanna Kawatski (Wilderness Mother) come to mind. Norma Cobb's account of her family's homesteading in Alaska is very readable but unlike these other books, her writer's focus is on the high drama of their lives rather than an account of their daily life. I came away wondering if some of that drama (and it's one drama after another) was self induced. Norma and Les Cobb seem to be awfully shrewd judges of character, but unfortunately after the fact. There are several incidents where she feels they are 'ripped off' or worse by people they encounter. After a while I started to find her guilty of what she was accusing those people of; blaming someone else for their problems. I came away from this book feeling that Norma Cobb has little patience for anyone she deems less perfect than herself. I do not deny that their life in remote Alaska is a challenge few could rise to and her book is a gripping account of that life, but there is an edge to her story that left me wondering if anyone but God could meet her standards for a neighbor.
Rating: 
Summary: Tried hard to like this book...
Review: I really tried to get through this, but the pontificating, pious tone was just too much! If you want to read something about living WITH your environment, rather than trashing it as seemed to be the dominant theme in this, try any by Nick Jans,or Richard Nelson.
Rating:
Summary: Tried hard to like this book...
Review: I really tried to get through this, but the pontificating, pious tone was just too much! If you want to read something about living WITH your environment, rather than trashing it as seemed to be the dominant theme in this, try any by Nick Jans,or Richard Nelson.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, the Wonders of Nature and Mankind!
Review: I was so excited to read this book. I found myself holding it white knuckled at times, becoming part of the many excursions this family experienced. Through the many barriers placed in front of them, as well as the descriptions of wondrous scenery, I became enthralled and thoroughly taken in by this family's adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly well-told story; spine-tingling tale
Review: I've been enthralled with the 'North Country' for quite some time; mainly Minnesota and Canada. After spending a summer in Northern Minnesota as a child, I felt I would make it back some day...hopefully to stay or at least build a vacation home. I'm not shy about sharing this 'dream' with close friends so it came as no surprise when a buddy of mine suggested I read ARCTIC HOMESTEAD before I became too giddy about the North. Norma and Les Cobb came together in a second marriage for both, with the added baggage of 5 children between them. In an effort to make a life for themselves and their childre, they decided to leave the Lower 48 behind and claim a homestead in Canada. Along the way, they found out only a Canadian citizen could file for homestead in Canada at that time. Undeterred, they soon determined that Alaska still had homestead provisions so they set their sights for Alaska, a home and a new life. Norma and Les find their previously unseen homestead just south of the Arctic Circle. Thus begins their story of striving to beat the homestead clock of improving the land and creating commerce within 5 years of filing the homestead papers. Along the way, they face one of their sons being accidentally shot, a derelict (and former friend) attempting to kill Les, coming face-to-face with black and grizzly bears, dealing with the Bushman (a/k/a Bigfoot), prospecting for gold, holding off ravenous wolves, and, of course, last but certainly not least, the indomitable cold and snow. Through it all, Norma and Les persevere and overcome each challenge faced. This factual novel was written by Mr. Sasser, a very gifted storyteller, the source document of which was Norma's journal. Norma maintained enough detail to allow Mr. Sasser to write an extremely complete and entertaining novel. It cannot be said that the veracity of Norma's recollections are without challenge. Ken Nelson, who Norma speaks of in Chapters 66 and 67, wrote a review of the hardback version of ARCTIC HOMESTEAD. Mr. Nelson is quite candid regarding his version of the events versus those told by Norma/Mr. Sasser. The biggest discrepancy revolves around the health of Sid's (the oldest Cobb son) dogs entrusted to Mr. Nelson when the Cobb family flew to Colorado to visit Les's ailing father. This certainly creates some uncertainty as to veracity and credence but nevertheless, this book is still a winner regardless the actual chronology of events. The Cobbs still live in their small homestead in Minook Vally, AK and even have a website promoting their big game/fishing guide services ...Anyone interested in the last true frontier should immediately pick up a copy of ARCTIC HOMESTEAD. Again, regardless your views of Norma, Les and their children, this book reads incredibly easy and totally engrossing. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: the last of the pioneers
Review: if you thought that the last of the "true pioneer" tales had been told before the 1900's you should read this modern day story of a woman and her family who yearns for their own piece of land to call home. although it starts out more like the Joads in "grapes of wrath", this true story holds you with amazing adventure as well as the warmth of the family facing the harshness of poverty and severity of Alaska's wilderness. although a cautionary tale for anyone who has shared Norma Cobb's dreams, it is ultimately a tale of the triumph of the human spirit, and a testimony of her faith in God.i found their encounters with the "hairy man" to be convincing, you might too.
Rating:
Summary: The last pioneer woman
Review: If you want to know what it might be like to take responsibility for your own life, then read this book. Norma and Les Cobb left Colorado in 1973 to start a new life in Canada because they believed that life could be better away from the cities and they had heard that land was free for the taking. It turned out that the free land was in Alaska, not Canada and it wasn't exactly free - it required hard labor and fortitude that is not often found in people. This is an inspiring book, whether you dream of leaving it all behind or whether you just want to hear how other people have lived the life they chose and made the best of it. Norma has strong opinions about hunting, freedom and personal responsibility. Don't let that turn you off from reading the book! It might just help you see another side of the arguments. This is the best book I've read so far this year.
Rating:
Summary: The last pioneer woman
Review: If you want to know what it might be like to take responsibility for your own life, then read this book. Norma and Les Cobb left Colorado in 1973 to start a new life in Canada because they believed that life could be better away from the cities and they had heard that land was free for the taking. It turned out that the free land was in Alaska, not Canada and it wasn't exactly free - it required hard labor and fortitude that is not often found in people. This is an inspiring book, whether you dream of leaving it all behind or whether you just want to hear how other people have lived the life they chose and made the best of it. Norma has strong opinions about hunting, freedom and personal responsibility. Don't let that turn you off from reading the book! It might just help you see another side of the arguments. This is the best book I've read so far this year.
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