BOOK REVIEWS Courtesy of Beaverdale Books
‘Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting’
By Michael Perry
Harpercollins
5/1/09
$25.99
352 pp
Author Michael Perry is on a role. His memoirs “Population 485” and “Truck: A Love Story” have enjoyed bestseller status, and multiple honors and awards. His latest memoir “Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting” recently scooped up the Midwest Booksellers 2009 Award for Best Non-Fiction.
I’ve been listening to my co-workers sing Perry’s praises for three years. After laughing through his speech at a recent conference with tears rolling down my cheeks, I decided that even though I’m strictly a fiction girl, I simply had to read his work.
Perry was raised on a Wisconsin farm amidst a large, rambling family. He and his new wife Anneliese have a dream of living simply, gardening and raising chickens. So, they pack up Anneliese’s daughter Amy and move to a farm. As he begins to prepare for his own livestock and for impending fatherhood (Anneliese is also expecting a baby), Perry’s memories take him back to milking cows, sheering sheep and stacking firewood with his own father. One story in particular recounts the high-entertainment of waiting for the artificial inseminator to come to the farm. Reading this excerpt to my stepfather, who is a farmer, had him nodding with understanding and then rolling with laughter.
Perry also recounts the quiet, satisfying moments, often working in the dark with his dad. Perry has the talent to poignantly capture tender feelings and relate heart-felt moments with grace in addition to the laugh-out-loud humor. CV — Review by Laura Flaugher
