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A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece
A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska The Story of Hannah Breece
Author: Hannah Breece
When Hannah Breece came to Alaska in 1904, it was a remote lawless wilderness of prospectors, murderous bootleggers, tribal chiefs, and Russian priests. She spent fourteen years educating Athabascans, Aleuts, Inuits, and Russians with the stubborn generosity of a born teacher and the clarity of an original and independent mind. Jane Jacobs, Hann...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780679776338
ISBN-10: 0679776338
Publication Date: 1/28/1997
Pages: 336
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 24

3.8 stars, based on 24 ratings
Publisher: Vintage
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece on + 191 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
this was an excellent book. It was well written and tells of the adventures of Hannah when she went to Alaska to teach school. Considering that was in the early 20th century it is amazing that a lady alone would do such a thing. Well worth the read.
reviewed A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A very interesting book about a single, middle-aged woman who taught in Alaska in the early 1900s.
nana23 avatar reviewed A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece on + 243 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
great book about a teacher in Alaska during the times that Alaske was a "remote, savage wilderness"
PatchesMom avatar reviewed A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece on + 91 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Alaska in the early part of the last century interest me a lot. The difficulties & obstacles earlier citizens had to transferse can be heartbreaking but were necessary to accomplish all the wonders Alaska now is. The work of early educaters was tremendous endeavors. They did their work very well.
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pj-s-bookcorner avatar reviewed A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece on + 885 more book reviews
Hannah Breece's great niece put together this engaging account of her aunt's life and experiences in Early Alaska. Great insight into the life of the native Alaskans and the hardships of life in that time period.

From Library Journal:
Hannah Breece was an extraordinary woman who traveled to Alaska when she was 45 years old and taught Aleuts, Kenais, Athabaskans, and Eskimos from 1904 to 1918. While other women planned their retirement, Breece scaled cliffs, outran forest fires, and traveled in kayaks. Her long skirts and petticoats never slowed her down. Breece's story depicts the early days in Alaska, when travel was difficult to perilous. She was radical in her teaching, believing education should be enjoyable and avoiding the strict discipline her colleagues employed. Her story reflects on other Alaskan pioneers, namely, Sheldon Jackson and Dr. Henry O. Schlaben. The editor, Breece's niece, visited where Breece taught and describes what the places look like today. Numerous photographs dot the volume, and the book is well indexed, with numerous notes.
reviewed A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska : The Story of Hannah Breece on + 628 more book reviews
Excellent true story about HnnahBreece, one of the very first white teachers in Alaska in the early 1900"s. That she went there at the age of 45 only increased the respect she earned for all her travails. Of course, the treatment of the native Alaskans, Eskimos and Aleuts was abominable, much as how we treated the Native American population in the States and Canada, and probably world for other indigenous peoples. She was Christian and very much a prohibitionist particularly seeing the horrible toll of alcohol on the local natives. What made her most outstanding was how much she actually cared about the natives and their culture and always definded their rights.


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