http://www.kmuw.org/index.php/book/coop_a_year_of_poultry_pigs_and_parenting_by_michael_perry_harper/
"Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and
Parenting" by Michael Perry (HarperCollins, 9780061240430, $25.99)
In his fourth book of creative
non-fiction entitled "Coop: A Year of Poultry Pigs and Parenting," Michael
Perry affirms the goodness and ridiculousness of modern life. Whether he is
wrestling pigs or moon gazing in winter, Perry melts the icy chill off our
hearts and make us snort with laughter. His honest observations detail the
wonder and burden of farm life.
In one instance, for example, Perry
is moved by a miraculous birth and stops to reflect: "After a night of
birthing sheep, one breech," he writes, "...we return to the house. The
frozen air is bell-jar still. The sky is deep black, the stars pressing down
brilliantly all around, and I am reminded that we are not beneath the
constellations, but among them."
Raising some pigs for slaughter,
Perry, a loving father, does not give into sentimentality. He says: "I
delight as usual in having Amy as my co-pilot. Bombing down a country road
in a pickup truck with my daughter has become one of the single joys of
fatherhood. Throw a couple of dead pigs in the back and you've got yourself
a Hallmark card on wheels."
If ever there were a book of pigs,
parent and poultry to read, "Coop" is it. Accept no imitations!
Review by
Sarah Bagby, May
14, 2009
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