"Two Old Women" book review

here is one familiar blue, green and brown paperback I can never pass up if I come across it while browsing the aisles of a second hand store, no matter how many copies I have purchased before. Eventually, just the right person comes to mind who would enjoy reading this timeless, soul-satisfying tale.

In Two Old Women by Velma Wallis, the Gwich'in people of the Athabaskan tribes face starvation from the harsh winter of the polar north. To improve the odds of survival for the rest of the group, the chief decides to abandon two women, 75 and 80 years old, who had both become physically dependent on their younger tribespeople.

On their own, the banished women are forced to rely on half-forgotten skills and each other for survival. With only a hachet and untanned elk skin, they set off. To survive, the two elderly women begin trapping small animals along the journey, their skills improving with each effort.

Eventually, they reach a river valley where they set up a winter camp, living off of squirrels, rabbit, muskrat and beaver. Somehow, they even manage to survive the harsh winter, despite their physical infirmities and having become accustomed to meeting their needs through the help of much younger, stronger members of the tribe.

I won't give away the ending here. Just be assured the book works on several levels, respects the people in its pages and its readers, and can be enjoyed by young children and adults alike.