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Biography & Autobiography Medical

Always Pack a Candle

A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin

by (author) Marion McKinnon Crook

Publisher
Heritage House Publishing
Initial publish date
May 2021
Category
Medical, Women, Post-Confederation (1867-)
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781772033632
    Publish Date
    May 2021
    List Price
    $11.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781772033625
    Publish Date
    May 2021
    List Price
    $22.95

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Description

Winner, BC Historical Federation's Community History Book Award 2021

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.

About the author

Marion McKinnon Crook is a nurse, an educator, and the author of more than fifteen books, including the bestselling Always Pack a Candle, which won the BC Historical Federation;s Community History Book Award. In addition to her nursing degree, McKinnon Crook holds a master's in liberal studies and a PhD in education. Now a full-time writer, she lives on BC's Sunshine Coast with her dog and cat, who hate each other. For more information, visit marioncrookauthor.com.

Marion McKinnon Crook's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, BC Historical Federation Community History Book

Editorial Reviews

"At its core, history is about storytelling ... Crook effectively employs a literary style that kept me engaged through the entire memoir." —Sean Graham, host, History Slam Podcast

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