In the long-awaited sequel to Always Pack a Candle, intrepid public health nurse Marion Crook juggles marriage, children, and a vast array of patients and cases in rural British Columbia in the 1970s. It has been over a decade since Marion Crook arrived in the Cariboo for her first job out of nursing school. The vast rural territory that once left her awestruck now feels like home, as she embraces life on the ranch with her husband, Carl, three young children, and numerous farm animals. But things are far from idyllic. Overseeing a small staff of irrepressible nurses serving a public health district the size of a small country brings new challenges every day. From runaway patients and needle-phobic hockey players to cultural misunderstandings and heartbreaking cases of abuse and neglect, Marion never knows what is coming next. The 1970s bring signs of social progress as women gain more autonomy and the region grows more culturally diverse. Yet, old prejudices persist, and Marion must fight for her patients, as well as for her adopted son. Recounted with warmth, compassion, and riveting detail, Always On Call is a fascinating portrait of the hectic life of a rural nurse and highlights the importance of the helping professions.
The true story of an adventurous young nurse who provided much-needed health care to the rural communities of the Cariboo-Chilcotin in the 1960s. In 1963, newly minted public health nurse Marion McKinnon arrived in the small community of Williams Lake in BC's Cariboo region. Armed with more confidence than experience, she got into her government-issued Chevy—packed with immunization supplies, baby scales, and emergency drugs—and headed out into her 9,300-square-kilometre territory, inhabited by ranchers; mill workers; and many vulnerable men, women, and children who were at risk of falling through the cracks of Canada's social welfare system. At twenty-two, a naïve yet enthusiastic Marion relied entirely on her academic knowledge and her common sense. She doled out birth control and parenting advice to women who had far more life experience than she. She routinely dealt with condescending doctors and dismissive or openly belligerent patients. She immunized school children en masse and made home visits to impoverished communities. She drove out into the vast countryside in freezing temperatures, with only a candle, antifreeze, chains, and chocolate bars as emergency equipment. In one year, Marion received a rigorous education in the field. She helped countless people, made many mistakes, learned to recognize systemic injustice, and even managed to get into a couple of romantic entanglements. Always Pack a Candle is an unforgettable and eye-opening memoir of one frontline worker's courage, humility, and compassion.
The act of adopting children, and the processes and politics around it, have changed drastically in recent decades, mostly for the better. Still, many prospective adoptive parents remain bewildered or apprehensive, and those who have adopted find themselves struggling in ways they hadn't anticipated. Thicker Than Blood is a comprehensive yet down-to-earth look at adoptive parenting in the twenty-first century. Author Marion Crook's family includes two adopted sons; in her experience, adoptive parents need to acquire skills, knowledge, and a good sense of humor in order to deal with the emotional upheavals of raising adopted children. The book looks at all facets of adoption, including its dark history over the past one hundred years when it was seen as a lower-class option for desperate parents, or when children were taken from single mothers against their will. Today, adoption is much more open-minded?LGBT adoptive parents and adoptive single parents are now commonplace?yet challenges linger, from adoptive children suffering from PTSD to those dealing with issues of anger and abandonment. Crook gently takes adoptive parents through the process of adoption from childhood to adulthood, helping to demystify the experience with compassion and reassurance. Meticulously researched but refreshingly free of academic jargon, Thicker Than Blood will enlighten and empower adoptive parents and those who work with adopted children alike. Marion Crook is the author of twenty-one previous books which include novels and nonfiction for both adults and young people, on such subjects as women's health, teen suicide, and body image.
Being a teenager in today's complex world is a difficult enough task, but adopted teens have a unique struggle; to discover their identity and a sense of belonging and place in the world, which often means coming to terms with their past. The Face...
Judgement at Stoney Creek has been released in a new edition of an aboriginal studies classic; an engrossing look at the investigation into the hit-and-run death of Coreen Thomas, a young Native woman in her ninth month of pregnancy, at the wheels of a car driven by a young white man in central BC. The resulting inquest into what might have been just another small-town tragedy turned into an inquiry of racial tensions, both implicit and explicit, that surfaced not only on country back roads but in the courtroom as well, revealing a dual system of justice that treated whites and aboriginals differently. First published in 1990, Judgement at Stoney Creek has been hailed for its moving and deeply personal depiction of a controversial subject that continues to make news today - how the justice system has failed Canada's aboriginal people. This new edition includes a new preface by the author, who returns to the area to discover how much racial relations, and the relationship between Natives and the justice system, have changed.
“Prime source material, readable reporting of the day-by-day observations, preoccupations, and ideas of an Arizonan in 1870. . . . Marion, editor of the Arizona Miner in Prescott, details the inspection trip on which he accompanied General Stoneman and others. His little book, widely read in Arizona at the time, remains, says Donald Powell, ‘one of the best and least known such accounts from this period.’ . . . The book is notable for its descriptions of the frontier forts, the mesquite forests of southern Arizona valleys, and the adobe town of Tucson with its population of 3,000. . . . This well-edited volume . . . is a welcome addition to the Western shelf.”—Southern California Quarterly “A valuable and well written document, now made available to the general public and enhanced by the addition of an introduction and notes by Mr. Powell. . . . the publication will be of value to serious students of Arizona history.”—Journal of Arizona History
Uncover Scotland’s dark side in the brilliant Detective Clare Mackay series. Includes See Them Run, which was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2020, and the next two books; In Plain Sight and Lies to Tell. See Them Run: On the night of a wedding celebration, one guest meets a grisly end when he’s killed in a hit-and-run. A card bearing the number ‘5’ has been placed on the victim’s chest. DI Clare Mackay, who recently moved from Glasgow to join the St Andrews force, leads the investigation. The following night another victim is struck down and a number ‘4’ card is at the scene. Clare and her team realise they’re against the clock to find a killer stalking the streets of the picturesque Scottish town. To prevent further deaths, the police have to uncover the link between the victims. But those involved have a lot more at stake than first meets the eye. If Clare wants to solve the case she must face her own past and discover the deepest secrets of the victims – and the killer. In Plain Sight: When a baby girl is snatched from the crowd of spectators at a fun run, the local police have a major investigation on their hands. DI Clare Mackay and her team are in a race against the clock when they learn that the child has a potentially fatal medical condition. As Clare investigates she realises this victim wasn’t selected at random. Someone knows who took the baby girl, and why. But will they reveal their secrets before it’s too late? Lies to Tell: Early one morning DI Clare Mackay receives a message from her boss DCI Alastair Gibson telling her to meet him in secret. She does as he asks and is taken from St Andrews to a secure location in the remote Scottish hills. There, she is introduced to ethical hacker Gayle Crichton and told about a critical security breach coming from inside Police Scotland. Clare is sworn to secrecy and must conceal Gayle’s identity from colleagues until the source is found. Clare already has her hands full keeping a key witness under protection and investigating the murder of a university student. When a friend of the victim is found preparing to jump off the Tay Road Bridge it is clear he is terrified of someone. But who? Clare realises too late that she has trusted the wrong person. As her misplaced faith proves a danger to herself and others, Clare must fight tooth and nail to protect those she cares about and see justice done. A page-turning crime thriller series perfect for fans of Alex Gray, D. K. Hood and Rachel Amphlett. Praise for Marion Todd ‘A satisfying Scotch mystery.’ The Times Crime Club Pick of the Week ‘A fifth outing for agreeable Scottish detective DI Clare Mackay proves Dundee-based Todd is becoming a master of the Tartan Noir genre.’ Daily Mail ‘The latest in this series from the brilliant Marion Todd is just as nail-biting and tense as her fans have come to expect. A police procedural with lashings of thrills and kills, along with plenty of good humour.’ The Sun ‘Suspense loaded from start to finish – Marion Todd couldn’t have delighted us more.’ I AM IN PRINT magazine ‘Marion Todd’s welcome addition to the genre feels like a breath of fresh, tartan noir air.’ Scottish Field ‘Beautifully written... Characters and plot are superb. Would highly recommend to all.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘One of my favourite police procedural series.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Marion Todd... is a gifted storyteller who can provide readers with thrills, sophistication and a story packed with substance. A very highly recommended five star read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
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