Between Rock and a Hard Place: A Memoir

“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.” —Daniel J. Rice, author of The Unpeopled Season