Arctic Homestead Audiobook By Norma Cobb, Charles W. Sasser cover art

Arctic Homestead

The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Arctic Homestead

By: Norma Cobb, Charles W. Sasser
Narrated by: Emily Beresford
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

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
Adventure Travel Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Alaska Homesteading Travel Memoir True Adventure

What listeners say about Arctic Homestead

Highly rated for:

Gripping Adventure Story Compelling Family Journey Gripping Narration Detailed Wilderness Struggles
Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    199
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    152
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    16
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    186
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narration was hard to take

The story was good and worthy, but would have been far better reading it than listening to it. There was so much emphatic drama on almost every word and I kept thinking how it was way too much. There was a lot of events happening continuously, but I can’t imagine the author putting that kind of drama into each sentence.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story! If you love the outdoors and adventure, you’re in for a treat.

This story was terrific. If you’re into all the outdoorsy, wilderness adventure stuff, hunting, survival, overcoming adversity, this will be great for you!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

What a great story about something I always wanted to do. Excellent detail. Thank you for the intriguing story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

Loved the story. Only think I didn't like was the last 5 minutes where she talks about how everyone raises their kids wrong because they aren't raised like she raised hers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic. Narration

The story was so well written and narrated that I felt every minute of the struggle danger and heart ache

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I learn a lot it was a good story will writing out

wow the writer made the people came alive with wow they did things and how the story play out

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW Norma, just wow!

Such an amazing story of the last pioneers! What incredibly strong and resilient people, you weren't wrong about the sad direction or country has gone in. You are an inspiration, we may not be able to homestead like that these days, but we can learn to be self sufficient and live off grid. You guys are just... awesome. Thanks for sharing your story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!