Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet [Paperback]

John McCormack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 1997

In 1963, just three years out of veterinary school, Dr. John McCormack moved his wife and kids to Choctaw County, Alabama, to start his first practice. Choctaw folk never had a licensed vet before, and, with few exceptions, they welcomed the red-headed doctor and the tireless care he gave their animals.

Fields and Pastures New is the heartwarming story of young Dr. McCormack's first years in this deeply rural country, where mule-drawn wagons still bumped down dirt roads . . . where the local barbershop was the best place to catch up on the news . . . and where nobody ever let Doc forget his most embarrassing moments.

"I am proud to say that my closest friendships, outside my family, have been with my clients," Dr. McCormack writes. "I hope readers will get to know some of the workings of the small family farm, and how these down-to-earth people confront their hardships and disappointments with so much good humor."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?In 1963, McCormack and his wife and children moved to Butler, Alabama, so he could begin his career as the first and only veterinarian of Choctaw County. The people had previously relied on Carney Sam Jenkins, the unofficial and untrained dispenser of superstition and old wives' remedies. Readers will be captivated by the doctor, his family, and the characters who inhabit and enliven the community with their humanity, eccentricities, and enormous goodwill. Many of the stories are hilarious, but the kicks, bruises, and the administering of horse-sized laxatives may be funnier to read about than experience. Love of family, townspeople, and their animals shines through this readable, lively book by an author with a good ear for dialogue and a fine sense of place. Readers will doubtless demand further adventures of this American soulmate of James Herriot.?Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library,
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

McCormack describes some of his cases during his first year as the only veterinarian in a rural Alabama county. While each chapter revolves around a specific patient's treatment, he also weaves around each case his reflections on the rural South in the 1960s, with descriptions of the local culture and individual residents, the countryside, the roads, and the houses. The warm personalities as well as the superstitions, folk remedies, and foibles of the people are clearly evident and add greatly to the enjoyment and educational value of the book. For popular collections.?A. Louis Shor, DVM, Veterinary Consultant, Mt. Laurel, N.J.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449225364
• ISBN-13: 978-0449225363
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Next Best Thing Than Being There Assisting Dr. McCormack, May 26, 2001

By 

S. Kelley (Cleveland,Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet (Paperback)

I own the hardback copy of this book...actually I have owned it for a few years now. It is one of those books that become a literary treasure in your bookcase. I was so hooked on this book when I first got it, I read it from cover to cover in one day...I just couldn't put it down!

Dr. McCormack in the US can be likened to James Herriott of England. His stories of animals that he treated and the start of his career in the 1960's makes the reader feel they are right along side him assisting in whatever procedure needs to be done to his animal patient.

I am a person of great compassion for animals and as a reader, I was truly appreciative that the love and compassion that Dr. McCormack has for his animal patients shines through to the reader's soul. I laughed with this book..I have cried with this book...I have pulled for the sick animal in this book...I have rooted Dr. McCormack through as he treated tough cases in this book.

There are books about animals and then there are the special books about animals because the respect, compassion from the writer is there and the animal patients become real as one reads along the journey in the book.

If you are a James Herriott fan or an animal lover who is a reader, I highly, and I stress highly, suggest getting this book and reading it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for any Home Library!, September 21, 1999

By 

Maureen M. Lee ([e-mail]) (Broken Bow, Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet (Paperback)

I bought this book several years ago from a book club. I've read it several times a year since then and each time I read it I can't put it down. Would be a fantastic book for students of any grade/age level, or something to read to the sight-impaired at your local nursing home!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master Story Teller, June 15, 2005

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet (Audio Cassette)

This book relates some of McCormack's adventures as the new vet in a southern country town during the early 1960s. McCormack grew up on a farm in Tennessee. His college roommate, a pre-vet major, interested him in veterinary science. Once he earned his veterinary degree and had a few years of experience under his belt, he set off in search of a town where he could hang up his shingle with an independent veterinary practice. At the time, Butler, Alabama had no licensed vet, so it seemed like a reasonable place for a new vet to make a start. In this book, McCormack describes the characters he met, both human and bovine, during that first year in Butler.

McCormack is a master storyteller. With his careful choice of words, he conveys the character of the place with all its color. While chatting with some locals at a general store, McCormack quipped he went into veterinary rather than human medicine because he didn't like dealing with people. But he tells us that this is absolutely not true-if there's one skill that a vet must have above all others, it's the ability to deal with people, to understand their needs and character. In this book, McCormack regales us with tales of how he came to learn this lesson.