Lighthouse Chronicles: Twenty Years on the Lights

Lori A. Dunn is a ESL teacher, instructional designer, and freelance
writer in New Westminster, B.C.

Flo Anderson’s memoir recounts the hardships and pleasures of living
in a series of working lighthouses along the B.C. coast. Extended over a
20-year period, the family’s postings ranged from the frozen Green
Island (where the family endured meagre fuel and blizzards with 80-knot
winds) to the wonderland of Race Rocks, now a protected ecosystem
because of the incredible variety of marine life around the islands.
Through inclement weather and political maneuvrings, the family had to
provide its own schooling, entertainment, and emergency care.

In addition to the stories of difficulties, there are astounding
stories of encounters with wildlife (including nesting birds, whales,
and sea lions). The book includes a not-so-subtle political message as
well; Anderson questions the government’s insistence on closing the
lighthouses. Her book is interesting, informative, and definitely
entertaining.