Between Rock and a Hard Place - by Maggie Anderson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This is a gripping and brutally honest memoir
of love and loss that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first
page to the last.

-Elise Atchison, author of Crazy
Mountain.

The mountains of Montana are big and wild, as was their love, their life, and their struggle.

Maggie and Rock lived a big life, replete with backcountry horse camping deep into the mountains of Montana, snow boarding, farming and travel. When Rock is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, Maggie must learn how to care for him as his health fades and they seek alternative medical solutions. This is her first-hand account of living with that trauma, what methods they explored, what worked, and what didn't. It's also a story of profound love and loss with the power of adventure, wilderness and heartbreak. This is a brutally honest approach, and Anderson holds no punches when it comes time to express her true emotions in the face of great hardship.

This book shines a bright light on the power of being alive, and the strength it takes to support the people we love--through the good and the bad times.

Review Quotes

"When her larger-than-life,
high-adventure, and high-adrenaline husband, Rockey, is diagnosed with
Parkinson's, their life of wilderness trekking and backcountry sports gives way
to one of hospitals, treatments, and medical bureaucracy. Their love for each
other, though put to the test, guides them to the very end. Beyond the tears
this book may foster in readers, its joy of life and power of love will remain." -Big Sky Journal

"As fine a Montana memoir as I've read in a long time . . . Maggie's courage is as strong as her heart. I can't wait for more from this writer."

--Doug Peacock, author of Was it Worth it?, American Academy of Arts and Letters Award winner

"Love is wild. Love is grand. Love is sweeping and
intoxicating. And love is hard, perhaps never harder than when you're watching
the vessel that holds it slip inexorably into the vast and frothing sea. In
this bracing memoir, Maggie Anderson takes the full measure of love--where it
comes from, how it pumps the blood, and, heartbreakingly, how she clung to it,
alone, as her beloved Rockey left her by increments, caught in an illness that
couldn't be turned back or moderated, only endured. And endured, Maggie did, to
the other side of something she never wanted, finding out what else love is.
It's making a place for yourself in the corners where time and tide toss you,
insisting on life beyond the wreckage."

--Craig Lancaster, author of And It Will Be a Beautiful
Life (Winner of the 2022 High Plains Book Award)

"This book will help you pay closer attention to the beauty of being alive--from the grand adventures to the shaky moments, to the microscopic details that bring strangeness and wonder, to the love and the pain. It will greatly enhance your sense of value for life."

--Dazar Frihet, author of Young but Free

"Between Rock and a Hard Place pulls no punches in
describing the harrowing physical and emotional toll a debilitating disease
takes on both victim and caretaker. Anderson's take is wry, stoic, and at times,
laugh-out-loud funny. A compelling read."

--Gwen Florio, author of Silent Hearts

"Maggie Anderson's powerful memoir Between
Rock and a Hard Place reads like a thriller, taking us on a roller
coaster ride of hope and despair as Maggie and her husband Rockey journey from
the heaven of Montana's rugged backcountry to the hell of Rockey's increasingly
disabling Parkinson's Disease. As Rockey slowly loses his body and mind to the
disease, and his behavior is warped by pain and desperation, Maggie remains by
his side, his steadfast companion and fierce advocate who navigates this
sinking ship with strength, grace, and a generosity of spirit that is truly inspirational.
This is a gripping and brutally honest memoir of love and loss that will keep
you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last."

--Elise Atchison, author of Crazy
Mountain

"A work of great strength, honesty, and compassion. This is an important book and you will be better equipped for life after reading it."

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About the Author

Maggie Anderson lives in a beautiful valley in Montana. She continues to hike with her dogs and explore the backcountry with her horse. She is thriving.