Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

An engaging and articulate read and a highly recommended addition
"Days On The Family Farm: From The Golden Age Through The Great Depression" by Carrie A. Meyer (who grew up on an Illinois farm and went on to teach economics at George Mason University) is a memoir based history of life on a Midwestern farm from the beginning of the twentieth century to World War II as recorded in a daily chronicle kept by farm wife May Lyford Davis. The result is an entertaining and informative 'window into time' through which is revealed an American yesteryear when May and her husband Elmo experienced life on a farm through two decades of prosperity, the bleak years of the Great Depression, and the impact of two World Wars upon their Midwestern farming community of friends and neighbors. Articulate, detailed, personable, "Days On The Family Farm" is the story of a farmer's life marked by description of what was bought and sold, the evolution of farming practices and technologies from horse drawn plows to tractors, what was planted and harvested, temperatures and rainfall, births an deaths, even the impact of wind on the work of farming. Simply stated, "Days On The Family Farm" is an engaging and articulate read and a highly recommended addition to any personal or community library collection. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a concise, yet complete handbook for starting a successful organic farm based on the community-supported agriculture concept. Written for farmers and non-farmers alike, the books illustrates how “two middle-aged novices” are making a decent living on less than two acres of land. Bob and Bonnie found few resources applicable to their situation when they began researching making their farm dream a reality and the book originally stemmed from their own desire to help others by sharing universal guidelines on small farm start-ups. The model explained in the book is an updated version of the diverse market gardens/farms found throughout recorded history. Not just a theory book, it details specific tools, techniques and how-to information. The Gregsons share sound advice, along with specific tools, marketing techniques, and planning guidelines, such as start up requirements, business plan basics, the importance of value-added products, choosing the best equipment and supplies, and more. The core of their operation, the subscription system, is examined in detail, with sound recommendations and guidelines for implementation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Location dependent
Aside from its wonderful inspirational value, the book is valuable mostly if you live in the right location to start such a project.This should be noted up front because if you live in a poor economic area where people can't afford subscriptions, you will not be able to make a go of it as it is described.Living in the Seattle area as the writers did, where many people appreciate organic foods and have the means to afford them, will of course make a better place for such a farm then let's say the backwoods somewhere where people have a hard time making ends meet.My point being that your location weighs heavily on the success of your organic farm. The potential buyer needs to know this before purchasing this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great source of North Carolina recipes
Having been the state's Commissioner of Agriculture for 36 years, Jim Graham knows more about North Carolina food than anyone else. During these past 36 years the state has moved from a land of small family farms to one dominated by industrial and technologically advanced cities. This gave Mr. Graham the idea of publishing a book of recipes of the cherished country cooking from the state's past for the NC urban dwellers of today.

The recipes were gathered from all over the state by NC Cooperative Extension and the NC Farm Bureau as a tribute to this great man and his contribution to the rural residents of North Carolina. The true authors are the residents of the state who submitted their favorite recipes. Jim Graham wrote the Introduction and submitted one recipe to the anthology, his mom's Brunswick Stew. Many of the entries include notes by the contributors that give them a truly personal touch. Proceeds from the book's sales go to the James A. Graham Scholars Endowment at N.C. State University.

If you have one North Carolina cookbook in your kitchen, this should be it. Now that the small towns of the state are hosts to fast food restaurants, and rural citizens spend hours commuting to city jobs, this book will long preserve a fading heritage for future generations. It is a labor of love to be cherished by anyone who loves North Carolina foods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful Recipes
This cookbook has it all.
I have enjoyed the recipes since 1978, and
would recommend this book to anyone who
enjoys great food. ... Read more

Book Description
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life." -Chinese Proverb

Buy this book for the price of a good fish dinner and learn how to make the business of fishing (or any other business) your own. You'll be able to eat for a lifetime and, when the right time comes, you'll have something of value to sell or leave to your children to fight over. During uncertain economic times, invest in a sure thing - invest in yourself! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great man, great speaker, great book!!!
I am new to the Business Brokerage arena and have recently joined a business broker association that Ed Pendarvis is a member of too.I have heard him speak multiple times and he provides humor, logic and experience each time.He is a wealth of knowledge.I just got my book and flipped it open and began reading and it too provides that same humor, logic and experience.This is a great read!If you are a Business Broker, or plan on buying or selling a business, your library isn't complete without this book.Ed Pendarvis is a legend in Business Brokerage and his vast experience is captured on these pages.Buy it!You won't regret it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

An excellent view into the life of a small-scale family farm
Author David Masumoto has written an excellent vignette into the year in a life of a small-scale, family farmer. His passion for his life's work, his connection to the land, and his strong family values are so clearly evident in his writing. I think a lot of readers will be envious of the life he describes. I share many of his views on the value of small family farms and the need to focus on how food should taste. Masumoto's book will reonsate deeply with those of us who know what it means to be curious about how something grows, who look forward to the first ripe peach or melon of the year, who prefer to make things from scratch and sit down with all our kids at dinner.

epitaph for a peach
wonderful. when you read this work you can actually feel the soil, smell the grass, and taste the fruit. a greeat read

Not so much an epitaph, but a love letter to the land
I feel a connection with David Masumoto. Not that I've met him or anything - in fact, there's a good chance I never will (although I keep hoping that one summer day I can make it over to his farm to pick peaches). No, this feeling is based on an impression that we have both fought the same fight over different things, for the same reasons. It is also because he writes so poignantly about a landscape I grew up in.Mr. Masumoto is an organic farmer in the valley of California, and his story is becoming more and more familiar to me as I see this way of life disappearing across the country.

A third generation Japanese American peach and grape farmer, David Masumoto inherited the family orchard from his father. He also had the heritage of his childhood memories of how that particular peach variety, Sun Crest, tasted and ran with juice unlike the pretty red baseballs that have passed for today's supermarket peach varieties.Mr. M wanted to show the world how delightful an old-fashioned peach could be.

When he took over his father's farm, he resolved to not only continue growing his Sun Crests, but to do it organically. This would prove challenging in our day and age of cheap, quick fixes; moreover, it would test his strongly felt ideals.The land needed to heal and replenish itself after years of chemical fertilizers and toxic pest control methods. Masumoto had to take his example from research on other organic farming practices, planting wildflowers to encourage beneficial insect life and sowing "green manure" crops to act as natural mulch and compost. All this took time, patience, and faith that his hard work would eventually pay off.

Epitaph for a Peach is rich in sensory descriptions, philosophy, and nostalgic flashbacks. It is a picture of the way a farmer's life is connected to the seasons, capricious weather patterns, and changing market conditions. Not incidentally, Masumoto also teaches about the obscure history of Japanese farmers in the Valley - something that even I, native to Fresno, had little idea of. Reading this book was a slow, thoughtful experience much in the same manner that one slows down to savor a rich fruit. Recommended to anybody interested in history, growing food, or the vanishing California landscape.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

The Struggle Continues
I live somewhat north of the area Mr. Masumoto writes about - where the San Francisco Bay Area Suburbs collide with the San Joaquin Farmlands.The Peach and Cherry Orchards and the Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Strawberries are currently holding their own - but like Mr. Masumoto's Peaches and Grapes, only tenuously, and with great courage.If you would like to understand not only how these people live, but who and why they are, you should read this book. It is both beautifully written and thought provoking.

Epitaph for a Peach
It is rare to read a book where the author works miracles with his hands and his words.I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys non-fiction but finds it dry, without humanity.David Mas Masumoto is anything but dry.His land may be at times, but his poetic prose is anything but.His relationship with his family, his family's farm and nature is a rare combination.I highly recommend this read. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

The lost art of farming
I think the book was wonderful and its so sad, that, probably in a hundred more years the only place you will see a farm will be in the Smithsonian.

I have farmed a small farm of 3oo acres and the pictures brought back wonderful memories of hard work and dedication to the soil. The layout of the book is great and just so real you could touch it. A very good read for anyone who loves the outdoors and good honest labor

The Farm Book that sure brings back great memories
I must admit, The American Family Farm is one great book on farm memoriesand agricultural science. I only bought it because I have a big inteerestin farming, and if you do, this a book that you won't be able to put down! ... Read more

Book Description
A raccoon real estate agent is showing his animal clientsfamilies of finches and foxes, deer and ducksthe woods, fields, and pond of Old Mill Farm. At the same time, a human realtor is trying to find a suitable house for a human family. Cabin on a mountaintop? Vine-smothered cottage? Mobile home on the prairie? None of those will do, and finally the tired realtor suggests one last possibility a tumbledown property called . . . Old Mill Farm. Lively verse and funny, endearing art transport the reader to an intriguing variety of locations and make this quest both entertaining and satisfying. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Perfect!
This is a beautifully written, delightful, and heartwarming book with a captivating rhythm that is both fun to read, and to hear.I enjoyed it so much, I'm keeping it at my home to read to my grandchildren when they visit!Thank you to both author and illustrator!
Most sincerely,Bonnie Garrison

Babies like this, too
This is the favorite book of my 15-month-old grandson.He chooses it from his shelf-full of books for reading each day...and sometimes multiple times a day.His father reports that his son seems to love the rhythm of the words read aloud, as well as the pictures of the animals, even though he's too young to understand the meaning of the story, which is delightful for older children. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Every Farm Tells A Story
I loved this book on American farm life! It is well-written, interesting and one of the best on this subject, in my opinion. I have just ordered several other of Jerry Apps books.

The heart and soul of family farm life half-a-century ago.
Jerry Apps magnificently captures the heart and soul of growing up on a small family farm in EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY.His youth was spent in rural central Wisconsin half-a-century ago, but the character of the culture he writes about was not unlike that of much of rural Middle America in those times.The book is based on his Ma's journal accounting of all the family's expenses and revenues through the years, but the anecdotes take you back to all the stories behind those numbers.Apps shares with us how all the entries were, indeed, more than just numbers - they had meaning and context in the bigger picture of what farm life was all about.In a comfortable and enjoyable style, he tells stories of family values, the hard times and good times, the honest dealings and fair play that caused most farm kids back then to grow up with integrity and a solid work ethic.EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY is a great read, but it's much more than just nostalgia.In a personal and sometimes almost poetic way, it documents a significant part of our country's historical heritage.

Excellent!Great for anyone that grew up on a farm.
I really injoyed this book, laughed out loud several times.I really enjoyed all the old farm ads also. Great picture of how farming used to be.

An inviting chronicle of changes in farming over the decades
Farm values and management can offer many lessons, especially when told through humor, as Jerry Apps demonstrates in Every Farm Tells A Story; A Tale Of Family Farm Values. Tucked into an inviting chronicle of changes in farming over the decades and resulting changes in values and methods, readers receive a fine blend of business savvy, history, and humor lending to light, easy reading.

A wonderful nostalgic romp, a letter to my cousins.
I have just come across a book you all should read: it is called EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY, A TALE OF FAMILY FARM VALUES, by JERRY APPS. it is published by Voyageur Press and is a wonderful story about growing up on a farm near Wild Rose Wisconsin in Washara County in the north central part of the state. As most of you know, Cousin Tom Larson and I spent a number of summers on theBergum farm north of Wheeler in Dunn County; and almost everything that Jerry Apps describes in the book is something we did with Uncle Nelmer (who Tom and I still consider the greatest man in the world) and Aunt Selma (our second mother) and Kon and Stanley on that farm: threshing, making wood, cultivating, feeding chickens, stripping cows; old fashioned crank telephones, freeshows, feed mills--everything. The book is illustrated with period advertisments. This is a brilliant nostalgic journey. It's a neat
companion to my own The Reunion. But all of you should take a trip in EVERY FARM. this is a story that speaks to those of us who have had anything to do with farm life. it's a wonderful book for all my cousins and for all of us.

Steven Fortney
Author ofThe Reunion.
... Read more

Amazon.com
Everyone loves potluck parties. Recognizing this, Tamara Weiss offers Potluck at Midnight Farm, a collection of 130 potluck recipes contributed by her friends and neighbors in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The island is home not only to Midnight Farm, the gift shop Weiss owns with Carly Simon, but also to cooks whose recipes strike just the right relaxed yet sophisticated note. Their dishes, from Lighthouse Lasagna and Grilled Striped Bass with Wasabi and Ginger to Roasted Pecan Coffee Cake and Diane Sawyer's Cherry Pie, are easy-to-do crowd pleasers. Cooks interested in recipes for a wide range of informal gatherings--from backyard dinners to bring-your-own picnics--will find the book a valuable culinary resource.

"I am an organizer," says Weiss, and to prove it she offers useful tips for successful potluck events. (Pick a main course to give to food-bringing guests; direction is an obvious but often overlooked example.) The recipes are arranged by season and include menus like the one featuring Coriander Chicken, Beetroot Salad, Grilled Striped Bass with Papaya-Lime Sauce, and Fresh Fruit Tart, among other dishes. Other menus are equally appealing. With 190 color photos of the gatherings in various island locales, tips, and a foreword by Carly Simon, the book is a can't-miss guide to informal entertaining. --Arthur BoehmBook Description
Potlucks are the friendliest of gatherings. As guests take part in the festivities, sharing their contributions—a dish of pasta, a bottle of wine, a bunch of wildflowers—they share a bit of themselves. Author Tamara Weiss knows this well. A self-described “organizer, assembler, and table setter,” she has all the qualities of the consummate host, as well as years of experience attending and planning potlucks. In Potluck at Midnight Farm, Tamara has captured a year of potlucks on Martha’s Vineyard, from brunches in a backyard garden to grill fests at twilight beside the sea. Each season brings together new faces, old friends, beautiful settings, and great food.

Collected here are more than a hundred recipes from Tamara and her guests, plus gorgeous photographs of the parties, so you too can share in the celebrations and garner ideas to create your own inspired gatherings. These dishes, at once lovely and hearty, are offered by people from all walks of life, from the island teacher to the world-famous celebrity. Each recipe is personalized with a brief anecdote of how the dish came about or why it has become such a party staple. All are wonderfully delicious. There are foods for every season and occasion: Mary Steenburgen’s Corn Spoon Pudding, Daphne’s Fried Chicken (which Bill Styron has served to Bill Clinton), and Grilled Corn Guacamole. Plus superb salads, like Tamara’s Summer Salad, with greens, sugar snap peas, mangoes, and sunflower seeds, and desserts to rave about: Lambert’s Cove Lemon Tea Cake, Judy Belushi Pisano’s Georgia Peaches with Raspberry Sauce, and the ultimate Butterscotch Brownies.

Potluck at Midnight Farm celebrates with charm and class the perfect companionship of food and entertaining, and welcomes readers just as if they were guests. And Tamara gives you all the advice and inspiration you need to send you running to organize your own spectacular potlucks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Why buy a martha's vineyard book if you don't get martha's vineyard??!!
I read the reviews and had to grin. Martha's vineyard has a groove,..a flow all it's own,..and it is what it is. If you don't get Martha's Vineyard,..then I can understand why alot of people don't get the book. I was bothered by the celebrity comments,..because on the island everyone mixes with everyone,...leather faced fisherman,..the town bar fixtures and awesome characters and yes even the celebrities. Good book for those who love the island, and get the mind set.

Simply a beautiful book!
This book was given to me as a hostess gift during our first cocktail party (Ina Garten and Barefoot Contessa inspired) from a friend who knows that I love all things New England, especially Cape Cod and the Islands.

The photographs are delicious in and of themselves, even inspiring a few unusual bouquets of flowers and eclectic ideas for table settings.There are a few recipes that seem unappealing to me, but that is true of any book. An author simply cannot please everyone!For the most part I have found these recipes to have different and creative twists on many favorite flavors.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the "magical" element of the Vineyard as well as its' celebrity life.This is certainly not a book for those who want to throw hot dogs on the grill behind a split -evel home - not that there is anything wrong with that!It is for those who want to add an element of style to their backyard picnic behind that same split-level home.Potluck at Midnight Farm is about doing things with grace, that is, a Vineyard-style grace.

Simply a beautiful book!
This book was given to me as a hostess gift during our first cocktail party (Ina Garten and Barefoot Contessa inspired) from a friend who knows that I love all things New England, especially Cape Cod and the Islands.

The photographs are delicious in and of themselves, even inspiring a few unusual bouquets of flowers and eclectic ideas for table settings.There are a few recipes that seem unappealing to me, but that is true of any book. An author simply cannot please everyone!For the most part I have found these recipes to have different and creative twists on many favorite flavors.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the "magical" element of the Vineyard as well as its' celebrity life.This is certainly not a book for those who want to throw hot dogs on the grill behind a split -evel home - not that there is anything wrong with that!It is for those who want to add an element of style to their backyard picnic behind that same split-level home.Potluck at Midnight Farm is about doing things with grace, that is, a Vineyard-style grace.

This is not the Vineyard
The New York Times was right: This book makes the Vineyard look like "a minimal-security prison for the criminally self-absorbed". There are so many better Vineyard-based cookbooks (like The Martha's Vineyard Cookbook--out now in its 3rd edition!)

The recipes are so-so but the text you have to wade through to get to them will ruin your appetite.

fun to own but you dont need to have
i bought the book because i have spent 25 years going to martha's vineyard--the book is inspiring because it makes you want to have a potluck party at your own home--but dont buy it simply for the recipes--they are fine--buy it because its a fun addition to your collection and inspires you to celebrate family and friends-- and martha's vineyard--
the author's friends (whom she touts as a very eclectic group) happen to include all of the island's celebs---which does make it fun to look at the pics and read their recipes-- ... Read more

Book Description
At five o'clock every morning and five o'clock every evening the fifty-five cows on the Steidinger farm are milked. Milking is one of the dozens of chores, day in and day out, that are part of life for a farm family. But it's not all work; there is the satisfaction of self-sufficiency and a life lived independently for Dennis and Jane Steidinger and their eight children. Telling the SteidingersÔ story in both words and spirited photographs, Raymond Bial portrays a way of life and the individual lives of the members of this farm family. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

An anthology of truly engaging and nostalgic stories
100 Years Of Vintage Farm Tractors is an anthology of truly engaging and nostalgic stories dedicated to the tractor farming of yesteryear. Included are pieces by Justin Isherwood (horse vs. tractor farming), Bill Holm (our faith in machinery); Hamlin Garland (threshing days), Patricia Penton Leimbach (a farmwife's view of tractors), Loren Paine (tractors as "man things"), Jerry Apps (homemade tractors), and Orlan Skare (the agony and the ecstasy of tractor seats), William Upson Hazlett ("Super Salesman Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor). Enthusiastically recommended for tractor fans, farm equipment enthusiasts, and students of American agricultural history, 100 Years Of Vintage Farm Tractors is illustrated throughout its 160 pages by one hundred color photographs of vintage tractors, plus black and white period photos. ... Read more

Book Description
Now available in paperback, Kevin O'Neill's highly praised study of rural Ireland in the years leading up to the "Great Hunger" of the 1840s explicates the social, economic, and demographic conditions of the era. He argues that overpopulation and deprivation were inextricably linked to a third variable-the rapid economic development of rural Ireland that was shaped by British interests. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A groundbreaking study.
This is a demanding, scholarly book, but one which anyone interested in the historical causes of the Irish Famine should read.O'Neill focuses on a parish in Co. Cavan which has incredibly complete records, allowing him to portray the true nature of landholding and tenancy in the century before the Famine.In doing so, he counters some of the myths on both sides of the question about who was responsible for a potato blight becoming the killer of millions. The statistical information can be daunting, but the use O'Neill makes of it is eye-opening. ... Read more

Book Description
Making hay has always been hard work, just about the hardest work on a farm. In The Haymakers, Steven R. Hoffbeck chronicles the story of five different farm families in five different eras over a span of 150 years. A history of farming in microcosm, Hoffbeck relates how the work of cultivating hay has changed over the last century and a half—a story not just about grass, alfalfa, and clover, but also about sweat and fears, toil and loss.

One of the unique aspects of the book is that the fifth family that Hoffbeck chronicles is his own. Born into a farming family in southwestern Minnesota, Hoffbeck grew up working alongside his father and brothers and remembers, with rich detail, the sweat and toil of laboring on the farm. Throughout the book there is an undercurrent of danger and loss—as farmers struggled to tend their land under difficult circumstances, and as that work became more mechanized and conse-quently more dangerous. In the most heartfelt sections of the book, Hoffbeck writes of losing both his father and his oldest brother in separate farming accidents. As he writes, "wound around my memo-ries of summers haying with my dad and my brothers are deeper threads of mourning. Danger, both natural and mechanical, is woven into the fabric of farmwork." He also writes about his own feelings of guilt about leaving the family farm for a career as a teacher and historian.

Hoffbeck also seeks to document and preserve the commonplace methods of haymaking, information about haying that might otherwise be lost to posterity. He describes the tools and the methods of haymaking as well as the relentless demands of the farm. Using diaries, agricultural guidebooks and personal interviews, the folkways of cutting, raking, and harvesting hay have been recordedin these chapters. Both a chronicle of the daily rhythms of farm work and a moving elegy for a vanishing way of life, the book is not so much about agricultural history as it is about family history, personal history—how farm families survive, even persevere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The Fragrance of Hay
"The Haymakers" is beautifully written.Hoffbeck begins with the story of his own family and engages the emotions of his readers from the start. The experiences of the five families are intricately woven together and create an accurate picture of haymaking in Minnesota. "The Haymakers" explores the technical aspects of making hay and also the sweat and tears that went into the process.It provides a look into the lives of several haymaking families in different regions and different time periods. The stories of the five families are gripping and Hoffbeck's personal story is tragic."The Haymakers" is captivating and tells a historical story well worth reading.

Great Book,
I have read this book twice. The first time was for Dr. Hoffbecks American History class and the 2nd time was for my American Studies class on the Midwest. Dr. Hoffbeck is a wonderful professor and the way he writes is as if you are in the classroom with him. I've done the very laberous job of making hay. When I read this book only someone who has done it like Dr. Hoffbeck while growing up can capture what it is like to have done this work. If anyone out there is enrolled at MSU Moorhead I urge you to take a history class with Dr, Hoffbeck.

A Little Known Gem of a Book

Dr. Steven Hoffbeck's fast-moving book is about haying, or the process of putting up of hay, to feed farm animals through the long winter months. This is an unusual topic and if the book were only about haying techniques, it would have little interest except to farming historians, but the book is more than haying, much more. "The Haymakers" is about the struggles and triumphs of real people dealing with the joys and many heartrendering difficulties of farm life. Dr. Hoffbeck takes the reader through 100 years of haymaking by describing and telling us the personal chronicles of 5 farm families.

Haymaking methods are described, from the simple yet laborious scythe-harvest method through the making of large round and small square bales by machine. I found the evolution of haymaking facinating in itself, and it gave me an appreciaton of what farm familes have to go through to "get in the hay". For without hay, there is no winter feed for the many farm animals; and without farm animals, there is no farm.

As any farmer will tell you, close calls and accidents are unfortunately all too frequent on the farm. Dr. Hoffbeck shares his experiences of losing his own father, and then tragically his brother, all due to accidents on the home farm. I was touched by the way Dr. Hoffbeck writes about these tremendous losses, and one can feel his pain, anguish, and loss through his words.

Dr. Hoffbeck also clearly explains the farm crisis American farmers face today, that of debt, the trend to larger and larger farms, and the slow but steady passing of the small American homestead farm. Not having been raised, or even associated with the travails of farming life, I found his explanation quite enlightening. When he describes the crushing debt load that farmers take on to survive and modernize their farms, I can almost feel the weight of that debt on my shoulders as well. It is easy to understand the economic problems farmers face after reading this book.

If you are looking for fast adventure, high suspense, or international intrigue, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for a book that delves into the farming lives of our pioneers, our grandfathers and grandmothers, and our uncles and aunts, then this book will touch your mind and your heart. It will give you an everlasting appreciation of the hard toil that our independent and strong-willed ancestors faced on a daily basis. I highly recommend it.

The Haymakers:A Chronicle of Five Farm Families
This is a wonderful and well written book that will capitivateand hold your attention to the very last page.Readers of all generations would enjoy this book.The book is about haymaking, but also so much more.The illustrations and pictures help you to envision life on the farm.I will anxiously await his next book.

A lyrical testament
The previous readers already praised this book so beautifully in their reviews that I don't know if I can improve on what has already been said, other than to say that I found this to be a very moving and lyrical testament to a vanishing way of life--the family farm. I loved Hoffbeck's detailed descriptions of the five farm families, ranging from early settlers to his own experience, and I thought he very masterfully combined factual details with personal revelations and insight. Extremely illuminating. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Review of "Mim and the KLAN
Nicely illustrated by Quaker graphic designer, Susanna Peebles Combs, Mim and the KLAN contains twenty chapters of three to five pages each. Set in the author's home of Wabash County, Indiana in 1969, detailed descriptions of rural family farm life invoke memories of a radically different American life style. The teen-age main characters, Mim and her cousin Karen, are children of a Quaker farming family, and so their lives and conversations revolve around experience of farms, animals, extended family and their Quaker Meeting. The skeletal story of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana laced into the main story line creates a sharply conflicting value system to the rural Quakers. "I [Mim] told Karen what Grampa and Grams had told me. 'The Klan was here in Indiana - not just the South. And it was here in our county - even among our church members.' I thought we were past all that bigotry - prejudice." "Karen, I am ashamed to say this is a state that still [1969] harbors prejudice." (page 21). The story then moves smartly along, yet retains its integrity and homespun character.
Karen cans strawberries and Mim raises animals for show (4-H) at the Indiana State Fair while a parallel story finds the Klan, the Quaker Meeting and public institutions, both at county and state levels in mutual support of one another.Strange bedfellows indeed; William Penn's "Holy Experiment" failure in 17th century Pennsylvania illustrated the incongruity of Quaker values and the moral inversion of politics, but for the Klan to have gained credibility and support in a Quaker Meeting is truly remarkable. Mim does some library research about the Klan and uncovers rather embarrassing facts about their Quaker Meeting and a mob lynching of two black men a generation ago. But the Klan=s tentacles reach down through the generations, and a close family friend agonizing through serious self-examination in a context of typical Quaker sympathy, trust and cooperative association highlights the starkly contrasting values.
A new friend, Jonathan, a young African-American man and expert harness race driver, is introduced by scenes at the State Fair, while Mim and Karen challenge contemporary stereotypes and the harsh consequences of prejudicial thinking that dominate public thought. Quaker values, and Klan values which still permeate society today, conflict directly in the final chapters where Mim and Karen make assumptions about Jonathan radically different than the police.
Thematically, there are dimensions of value systems that make the book appealing to reflective people of any age.Quaker communities implicitly assume that we are spiritual beings on a human journey, and so embrace trust, sympathy and mutual support for one another. The Quaker commitment to living in community, caring for others and grounding their spiritual guidance in the form of questions (The Queries) make it natural to extend community to other people without judgment. The Ku Klux Klan on the other hand, prides itself on ethnic superiority, mindless antagonism and hatred expressed in intimidation and murder - the polar opposite of community (pages 88 - 92).Precedence for such moral inversion is as old as history itself (Isaiah 5:20), and remains with us in the form of 'market morality', 'growth and progress', 'ethnic cleansing' and other popular political and business euphemisms. The Quaker community in the story, and in reality, is in sharp contrast to political, 'market' values where mutual adversity and competition replace cooperative association; predatory economics replaces sympathy, and contractual penalty replaces trust.
Cynthia Stanley Russell's book is rich with implied questions for discussion among young people. It would work well in youth discussion groups in which each participant has read the book at least once, and enters the discussion with questions well prepared. It is also a suitable reading for university classes in ethics, Indiana history and sociology.Mim and the Klan has a nice flow, well integrated themes and is grounded in a fertile history. There are many questions elicited by this book, and thoughtful adults who look past the surface structure will find a deep, rich significance for their own lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Design High quality as is the writing
The subject matter in this book is handled well, engaging and is well written.I was put off by a lack of an index as I was using the book for research but was glad for the endnotes and reference material mentioned.Great book on midwest farm culture.
One interesting point to note as a graphic designer I was impressed creative dust jacket on this book which featured a half fold on the front cover and folded out to reveal a map. The quality of design should be noted, usually history books of this type have appalling design.

Excellent Portrayal of Rural Life
Hildebrand's book is some of the best literary nonfiction I've read.His characters are well-developed.Because of that, the reader is drawn into the farm and, ultimately, its plight.This book does an excellent job of depicting rural life.It's very true to life (which is good, since it's nonfiction).EXCELLENT BOOK, highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

"This Old Farm" brings back memories
I loved the book, "This Old Farm". The memories it brought back to me are some that I had forgotten for many years.The writers of"This Old Farm" knew exactly what they were talking about. Icould smell the odors, see the colors, feel the grass, hear the sputter ofthe tractors and machines.It brought tears to my eyes as it brought backmemories of my life on a farm while I was growing up.

Excellent book of farm memories
The pictures alone make this book a "must have" for anyone who grew up on a farm.It brings back warm fuzzy memories. ... Read more