• Arctic Homestead

  • The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds
  • By: Norma Cobb, Charles W. Sasser
  • Narrated by: Emily Beresford
  • Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (232 ratings)

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Arctic Homestead  By  cover art

Arctic Homestead

By: Norma Cobb, Charles W. Sasser
Narrated by: Emily Beresford
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Publisher's summary

In 1973, Norma Cobb, her husband Lester, and their five children pulled up stakes in the lower 48 and headed north to Alaska to follow a pioneer dream of claiming land under the Homestead Act. The only land available lay north of Fairbanks near the Arctic Circle where grizzlies outnumbered humans 20 to one.

In addition to fierce winters and predatory animals, the Alaskan frontier drew the more unsavory elements of society's fringes. From the beginning, the Cobbs found themselves pitted in a life or death feud with unscrupulous neighbors who would rob from new settlers, attempt to burn them out, shoot them, and jump their claim.

The Cobbs were chechakos, tenderfeet, in a lost land that consumed even toughened settlers. Everything, including their "civilized" past, conspired to defeat them. They constructed a cabin and the first snow collapsed the roof. They built too close to the creek and spring breakup threatened to flood them out. Bears prowled the nearby woods, stalking the children, and Lester Cobb would leave for months at a time in search of work. But through it all, they survived on the strength of Norma Cobb - a woman whose love for her family knew no bounds and whose courage in the face of mortal danger is an inspiration to us all. Arctic Homestead is her story.

©2000 Norma Cobb and Charles Sasser (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Arctic Homestead

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good book highly recommend it .

I loved the story all the details of life in the wild Alaska the families struggles and strengths. Narration could of been better but you did get use to it

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story about real Alaskan pioneers

Good story about real Alaskan pioneers, how much effort they needed to survive in wilderness, and finally to get successful in gold mining.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • mj
  • 11-12-21

Good Story; bad narration

Warning: the narration of this decent story renders it almost unlistenable. There were some intermittent tones and cadence that I wish there had been more of. But the hard nasal drive in the narrator’s style was uncomfortable to listen to and distracted from the story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, reading performance could be better

Great story about the last pioneer woman in Alaska, wish the reading performance was better.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable Story

Some Alaska facts are exaggerated and distorted, but I like the basic message of belief in God and hard work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating read

Great detailed story, of the will to live as you wish
Hard to put down

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

I loved this book! It was very entertaining and to listen to what the family went through - well most people myself included would have packed up and headed home.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story!!

The woman reading was horrendous. She has such a harsh voice and severe inflections. I almost couldn’t get through the book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Liked more than I thought

When I first started listening to this book I wasn't to keen on it. I soon found myself no being able to stop listening. I spent the the first 11 years of my life growing up in Alaska, and I could relate to some of her anecdotes. It took me only 2 days to devour the book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

makes me want to go to Alaska!

Very interesting and entertaining story that I enjoyed. However the narrator was a little annoying.

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1 person found this helpful