Customer Reviews

Farm Kid: Tales of Growing Up in Rural America

5 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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A fifth-generation, Plover Wisconsin potato farmer, and author of many a short stories and books on rural life, Justin Isherwood continues his gentle, humor laced stories in Farm Kid: Tales Of Growing Up In Rural America. The reader is treated to sixty-three wonderfully told and entertaining short stories that have the full flavor of a yarn that evokes memories and nostalgia in equal proportions. These are original stories that provide little "windows in time" revealing the romance, spirit, adventure, insights, and occasional frustrations of growing up on a farm. A true delight, Farm Kid is the perfect book for a browsy afternoon and will prove a popular addition to any family or community library collection. Also very highly recommended are Justin Isherwood's previous short story collections: The Book Of Plough; Christmas Stories & The Story Chair; and The Farm West Of Mars.

I'm a farm kid who grew up at the same time and in almost the same place as author Justin Isherwood (it was in the 1950s but in Lind Township, half-a-county to the east of his homestead in Plover). That's close enough that you can trust me when I tell you that Isherwood truly captures the history and the character of that time and place. His stories in FARM KID: TALES OF GROWING UP IN RURAL AMERICA are right-on vignettes of small farm life around this part of the country half-a-century ago. The independent spirit of the family farmer from back then is a big part of the heart and soul of these stories.

In addition to being informative and memory-evoking, Isherwood's affable and good-humored style makes for a very entertaining read. His storytelling moves quickly and with a voice that's wonderfully engaging. There's an edge to his commentary, but it's sincere and insightful, and not at all heavy-handed or preachy. It's quite reminiscent of the same type of experience you get from a Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, only it's all about what was happening on the family farm some fifty years ago. Indeed, Justin Isherwood's outlook on the American character and culture is not unlike that of Mark Twain himself, it's just focused up river and a hundred years later.

Also recommended: BOOK OF PLOUGH by Justin Isherwood, IN A PICKLE: A FAMILY FARM STORY by Jerry Apps.

I don't think this book is very well written, and I don't get his humor.