The bestselling author Marion McKinnon Crook discusses her recent memoir Always On Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living (Heritage House, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Always on Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living by Marion McKinnon Crook (Heritage House, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Always on Call

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Marion McKinnon Crook is the author of Always On Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living. It was published this past spring, and has remained on the bestsellers list since. It’s a sequel to Always Pack A Candle, and they’re marvelous insights into the life of a public health nurse in rural British Columbia in the 1970s. Marion joins me now to talk about this book, and about what it was like for her and her family in the Cariboo, a vast rural territory that quickly becomes home to her husband Carl, their three young children, and the many farm animals they have. It’s not without its challenges as we read in the book, as Marion also has to oversee a small staff of rural public health nurses. She encounters runaway patients, needle-phobic hockey players, and stories of abuse and neglect. It’s also the 1970s and we see some social progress, especially for women. Marion McKinnon Crook is a nurse, educator, and author of over twenty-five books. Along with her nursing degree, she has a master’s in liberal arts, and a PhD in education. She is also the author of the British Book Tour mystery series under the name of Emma Dakin. Visit www.marioncrookauthor.com for more. The book is published by Heritage House. We taped this interview in mid June 2024, with Marion joining me from Gibsons, British Columbia. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marion McKinnon Crook; Dr. Crook, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (20.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS