Always pack a candle: a nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin

by Marion McKinnon Crook

In 1962, 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 more rigorous education in the field than she had at university. She helped countless people, made many mistakes, learned to recognize systemic injustice, and even managed to get into a couple of romantic entanglements. Pack a Candle is an unforgettable and eye-opening memoir of one frontline worker's courage, humility, and compassion.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Book Club, Canada, History, Biography, Health

278 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading of Marion's gumption and naivety as she embarked on a career in public health in 1960's BC had me wondering .... how'd she do that!!?? Chapters read like short stories, each one another adventure, a new challenge. Over the course of a year, Marion gains on the job experience and learns to work around bureaucracy to access health care for all, including her indigenous patients. "Racism wasn't something they talked about, it was something they just did."

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this!! For all the headaches there really is something special about rural and remote nursing

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author was a trailblazer! Whenever I read about a strong woman I wonder if I could ever be so brave and resourceful. I loved how each chapter was an adventure. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

[Debi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really got to enjoy reading about the author's new beginnings as a Public Health nurse in Williams Lake, BC. Having grown up in the North Thompson area, living in Vavenby from 3 years old to graduation, I can relate to a lot of her writings!! She did marry Carl, but unfortunately, they divorced. I wonder why?

[Jenna Pilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed comparing her experience to how nursing is today. I also moved up north from the Fraser Valley for my first year after nursing school so this was fun to revisit my experiences and the feelings of a whole different kind of health care.

[Britt N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. I wish all non-fiction was this easy to read 😆 Great stories, can't wait to start the next one.

[Bianca Busch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool to learn about her experiences, although a little boring at times.

[Krista Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was sad to be reminded of the systemic injustices that occurred in BC in the 1960s but it was sadly quite prevalent and a reality. On a more positive note, as a public health RN, reading another RN’s perspective about rural public health nursing was very fascinating. I loved the author’s storytelling and she wrote with such wit and humility. Marion was a great nurse and I loved the boldness and courage she had standing up to the many injustices she encountered. She strongly advocated for her patients and she cared deeply about the communities she visited. I highly recommend this book! I think I’ll read the sequel too!

[Danika Dool · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a refreshing read. It was an honest, heartfelt, un-glamorous memoir from a public health nurse in the Chilcotin during the tail end of the TB epidemic. I really enjoyed hearing her take on the racism at the time and her experience teaching about birth control to new mothers. It was familiar and foreign at the same time. I had no expectations going into this one but found myself crying, laughing, and telling my roommate all about it as I went because some of the author’s experiences are absolutely nuts.

[Alana Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brave and strong nurse. You can really see how passionate she was about nursing, making a change and advocating for her patients. So brave and courageous to take on remote nursing in the BC’s Cariboo region. Especially with it being in 1962 without the methods of communication that we have in today’s generation, I couldn’t imagine facing a lot of what she did. I look forward to reading the next book and reading how many more lives she helped as a public health nurse in areas that needed it most🤍

[Niki Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Marion’s first year as a nurse in Williams lake and some other small cariboo towns in the 1960’s. She grew up in Vancouver area and took her first job up in Williams Lake! I found it hard to put down and super interesting. She was a great advocate for her patients and did a ton for the community. While shopping in 100 mile this week I saw she wrote a sequel! So of course I bought that too!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read about a young, new nurse who wants to do her best to support her patients in the wilds of the Cariboo. As Marion finds her way I was interested her work to encompass mental health, reproductive rights and advocating for social change in the 1960s.

[Bree C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Marion's work in communities I have travelled through, and it was interesting to hear bits about nursing in the 1960s. I loved her spirit and her willingness to advocate and push back against injustice and systemic gaps. Thanks, Marion!

[Caroline Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read about a book that takes place in the place you’re living. Marion is a badass 👩‍⚕️

[Betty Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable, nostalgic read for me. It resonated with me as it begins in the year I was born, very close to the town where I grew up.

[jo w. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5– now this one really is for all the nursing girlies 💪🏼

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1962, a young women newly graduated from the Public Health program arrives in Williams Lake eager to begin her career in the vast wide open space. She was assigned a huge 9300 square kilometer region, visiting new mothers, organizing well baby and immunization clinics. She found she learned as much from her patients as she had learned during her 4 year university course.

She learns the weather in the Cariboo has it's challenges and learns first hand what she can and can not do in that formidable environment.

I can't believe she was that knowledgeable and diplomatic during those first few years of her career but I'm sure a lot of what she related in the story were experiences that occurred over a longer period of time. The author does state that while the book supposedly covers only her first year on the job, it actually covered several. A fascinating read.

[Brittany Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of adventure. A joy for Healthcare workers to read!

[Yasmin Zeidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's books like this that remind me how dull life could've been without reading. What could I have ever known about being a nurse in northern BC in the early 60s? Writing was pretty good. Marion is hilarious. I was truly entertained.

I learned a lot from this! I don't have many glaring critiques but whenever she'd talk about indigenous people, and the ways in which they are subject to a restricting/dehumanizing healthcare system, I just felt like something was missing. This could've been just my understanding, but in some of her writing, it almost sounded like she was discovering racism for the first time (which it could've been to some extent, maybe she hasn't had extensive field practice to actually know fractured communities are under the healthcare system). It annoyed me a bit. But I don't hold that critique with too much weight, because her actions speak so much louder. Especially because I know she's held so many communities together. She was bold and strong headed. I think it's also admirable that she highlighted the grief that lives with you when you hold so much responsibility over literal lives. Actual beating hearts. I could never.

This was really good


Siri play Epiphany by Taylor Swift

[Echo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really into the premise but I couldn’t make any emotional connection to the author or any of the characters. The writing felt lacking in depth and it felt more like I was reading a list of tasks. Many of these tasks were quite interesting, but where it really fell apart for me was the conflicts presented in the novel, especially the reflections on colonialism and anti-indigenous racism in the context of public health. It felt like the author needed to see herself as “one of the good ones” right from the get go and this limited her depth of reflection substantially. The main take away being “I don’t understand why other people were so racist ” felt lukewarm and like a missed opportunity for deeper reflection on the power she held. Good intentions matter but systemically it’s common knowledge that our agencies of public health enacted control, surveillance and harm on indigenous people.

I know this is a lot to expect from a memoir but the preface gave the impression that this was going to be discussed.

[Vontel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging book! Kept me reading until finished. I think it would be enlightening & entertaining for people from all kinds of backgrounds and worlds. I worked in rural public health & home care in the southern prairie areas of Saskatchewan in the early to mid-70's, and many parts of her stories resonated with me. However, my public health area was not as huge as the Chilcotin area, although it was possible to have close calls in the Saskatchewan prairies, too, in the pre-cell phone days.

I did end up teaching nursing in lower mainland university programs in BC during the later part of my career. I look forward to reading further writing (and hopefully more adventures/memoirs/historical fiction) published by Marion Crook.

November 2023 notes: I chose this book as the selection for the book club meeting I'm hosting. The author has a second book being published in 2024; looking forward to reading it, too.

[Sharon Summerfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I loved this book. Having spent time in the Cariboo and returned to the area over the years it was like a walk down memory lane. Truly Marion was an unsung hero and such an amazing advocate for all the patients and the community. I loved this book so much I shared it was a dear friend who as a teacher in the area in the 1970s and 1980s who is now close to 90. She also loved Always pack a candle and is going to forward it on to a friend who also a nurse in the area in the 1970s and 1980s.

Beautiful book. I think it would be a great read for anyone who wants to learn about our history and those who went up again the government for take a stand on the rights, especially for all the First Nations in the area, both status and non-status. Amazing stories. Made my heart smile.

[Colleen Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Left me wanting more! More about her life and her stories about patients!

[Caitlin Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

One newly minted public health nurse. Her trusty government-issue Chevy II. The middle of winter, travelling British Columbia's vast Cariboo-Chilcotin to reach remote communities beyond Williams Lake. 1963. In that 9,300-square-kilometre territory, what could go wrong? Turns out, ice and snow on the roads lurked as a constant menace. Marion's descriptions of her near-misses on the highway kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story; my go-to consolation being the fact of the book - she must have survived that mishap!

I really enjoyed the play-by-play of this inexperienced health care worker set loose on her first assignment as the one person who holds it all together for ordinary people with ordinary health care needs in an extraordinary territory. Marion's voice as the level-headed nurse who makes snap decisions in sometimes complex family matters and wise solutions to cultural and government obstacles is constantly fascinating. She's the front-line worker you want to have in the room when there's any doubt. Strict, practical and disciplined, No-nonsense is her middle name. Yet, what stays with you is her empathy and good heart, as well as the feeling of community she coalesces with this lovely memoir.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me. It was a well written memoir by a public health nurse who worked her first job in the wilds of Williams Lake in the early sixties, a full ten years before the start of my career. It was written quite recently by this author who now has an illustrious and admirable nursing and academic career under her belt. I did some inward eye rolling at her occasional disparaging remarks about the inferiority of hospital trained nurses as compared to “degree” nurses. We all had our own opinions based on our experiences, that is a fact. She of course has the benefit of hindsite as far as the bigotedness of rural society, and the harms inflicted upon an entire segment of society by individuals and the governing bodies at the time. This book succeeded in making the oppression of indigenous peoples real for me, by telling stories of her personal experiences, and fleshing out the people involved. I’m hoping there’ll be a follow up book, as I’d like to read more of her adventures.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nurse newly graduated starts working as a public health nurse in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Her working area is a vast area of the Cariboo. There are many interesting stories of fighting bureaucracy, incompetence and prejudice against the native population. I love how she stands up to all of these to the benefit of her clients. The story is also about her growing attachment and life with Carl, a young rancher and her introduction to the close-nit rural range community. She travels far and wide on sometimes on dangerous winter roads to attend her clinics and individual visits. The books is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her year in the Cariboo. I can relate somewhat as I have travelled through the area and dated a nurse whose experience might have been similar (though a couple of decades later).

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1963, Marion, a newly graduated public health nurse from Vancouver, began her career in BC’s Cariboo region. It was a completely different experience and culture from her Vancouver past. She soon learned to rely on her medical knowledge and intuition to cope with the challenges of public health nursing. Her nursing role required travelling to isolated areas along challenging roads in inclement weather, inoculating children during school visits, giving parenting advice to new mothers, and a multitude of other unexpected roles. Her writing flows smoothly and the interesting manner in which she writes kept me spellbound and wanting to read more. This is a memoir well worth reading.

[melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was an interesting book about public health nursing in small town bc in the 1960s that somehow had me interested the entire way - it highlights things that i expected about being a public health nurse, but also things i didn't think would be as much as a concern as they were (road conditions). i love how progressive marion was for the early 60s as well. seeing the growth in just one year is impressive, but at the same time i feel like this was a huge decision that you have to be insanely confident to do as a brand new grad. i'm not sure i could have done something like that with no experience!! now, sure (if i could drive). also makes me really think about all the avenues of nursing.

[Trudy Jaskela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading about nurses' experiences. This book did not disappoint. The author also included very interesting anecdotes about her personal life.

Author, a newly graduated RN took a job, centered in Wiliams Lake BC. Her territory, as a public health nurse, included the Cariboo and Chilcotin areas of BC, a territory as large as England (I believe this is what the author noted). Bitterly cold winters, mud, snow and ice. Meals in the bars of local hotels.

When describing people she met, frequently made a comment on their weight!!!!!.

[Kassandra (paperback.library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from my Dad for Christmas, and I really enjoyed it. I'm not one for biographies, but this one really piqued my interest as I used to live in the area that it is written in. I also work as a registered nurse, therefore, it was interesting to see how nursing was in rural areas. We learn in school that the first types of nursing was community nurses, and it was really a founding baseline for nursing. Marion was sometimes the only face that some families saw for months at a time. The impacts she had on families was profound, and it gave me pride in being a nurse.