A Remarkable Story about Life in Bush Alaska

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Melissa Cook spent twenty years living and teaching in remote Alaska.  She is now an award-winning author of her memoir The Call of the Last Frontier. Melissa has MS and authors her blog MSsymptoms.me.  I just finished reading her book and want to tell you what I think:

Read it! You’ll be glad you did.

I have MS and took a 16-day land and sea tour of Alaska some years ago. My visiting experience is miniscule compared to this admirable memoir of Cook’s life in the Last Frontier. Our luxury cruise ship navigated an horrific 2-day storm with 90 mph winds off the coast of Ketchikan. To read about what it took to live through similar winds and constant rains in the bush is unimaginable.

Visiting Alaska was wondrous, but Melissa’s personal account of living there is extraordinary through her eyes, words, senses, and thoughts.  There is little more I can add to other reviews of her book on Amazon, BookBub, and Goodreads.  Brave isn’t a big enough word to describe her “adventure” as she refers to it. I have grit, but not this much.

The only thing I wonder about is the extent MS really had on her; I think she downplayed its true impact on her physically, mentally, and emotionally. Nevertheless, her strength and resilience to survive the Alaskan bush with MS is remarkable.

Melissa now lives in Wyoming and documents her current adventures on her You Tube channel, Wyoming Jeepers. (I’ll stick with cruises!)

If you read Melissa Cook’s book, be sure to write a review telling her what you think.

Debbie Petrina
Author of Managing MS 
Moderator, MultipleSclerosis.net 

1 thought on “A Remarkable Story about Life in Bush Alaska”

  1. Thank you for writing an excellent review of my story. An author must balance their need to tell the whole story against the reader’s experience because, in the end, the reader comes first.

    I believe in a positive attitude and count my many blessings daily. I had a friend diagnosed with breast cancer in her sixth month of pregnancy at the same time I received my MS diagnosis—she didn’t make it. I think of her often, especially when my life is challenging, because I’m still here and have had the opportunity to raise my family and watch my grandchildren grow up. I live every day to the fullest extent possible, whatever that might be.

    Thank you again! I appreciate your time in reading and writing about my story.

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