Abraham Markem was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in the Korean War and happily returned to his native Montana amid the small town's celebration of the returning of their honored war hero. They built a house for him' and he married soon after and had twin sons. Life was perfect for the Markems until his sons enlisted and died in the Vietnam war, and his wife was tragically attacked and killed by a pack of wolves amid the beauty of the Montana wilderness area. An old man now, he wanted to end his life in grand style until he happened upon a strange white dog that was trapped in a raccoon trap. The dog was not like any other and soon Abe was rejuvenated as the dog's astounding gifts amazed everyone and gave him a reason to continue his most amazing life.

By shedding light on Montana's first women homesteaders--determined 19th- and early 20th-century pioneers--Carter reveals inspiring stories filled with joy, tragedy, and redemption.

Based on the hand-written memoir of Fred Van Blaricom, this true story recounts a life of hardship and hope in the Montana Territory during the late 1800s. Told in Fred’s affable voice and rich with historical detail, A Hard Won Life is a coming-of-age story packed with adventures and grounded in the remarkable lives of the earliest homesteaders—men and women—of the Lower Yellowstone. Meet young Teddy Roosevelt, famed buffalo hunter Vic Smith, saloon owners, devious outlaws, and persistent sheriffs. Working as a cowboy, young Freddie broke horses, helped catch a horsethief, survived the cattle-killing winter of 1886, and at age ten rode alone 100 miles to work a season on a ranch in the Dakota Territories. Fred’s was a life of struggle against many obstacles, but he overcame them or abided them with no complaint. As he himself put it: “The hero was throwed, but the horse was tamed.” Meticulously researched and superbly written, A Hard Won Life is a tale of bravery, determination, and one boy’s embodiment of the spirit of Montana.

Includes extraordinary sessions.