Customer Reviews

Lessons Learned on the Farm

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This is a story, set primarily in the 1950s and 60s, of a close-knit, deeply religious, farm family in Michigan. It describes the growth of a farm from a couple of workhorses to a modern dairy farm. Through the author's use of simple anecdotes, the reader becomes a part of her family-sharing in the joys, challenges, and crises that come its way. Although I grew up in the country surrounded by farmers, I never really appreciated the sacrifices and rewards of farming until I read this book. It is both informative and nostalgic.

For anyone who's ever wished they'd grown up on a farm, especially folks raised in the "urban jungle," like me, this fascinating memoir is a delight to read.
Dolislager, et al, carries us back to a time when life truly was simpler -- sort of. Farm work was hard! Not only is this a nostalgia trip par excellance, but an informative, detailed record about what really goes on on the farm.With all the memoirs out their today, I can't recall one in which I daydreamed myself into a barn for a cow-milking, or atop a tractor, although I'm not sure I would have had the stamina that the Porter family exhibited.
If, as Dolislager says, "farming is the same as gambling," then her family was tough enough to win. At the heart of this book are the good old-fashioned values of home and church which we hope never disappear, and a mother who was the centerpiece of stability. And for the other "mother," the Porters fought and cooperated with Mother Nature, human nature, and lived with random tragedy: Phyllis's polio, the loss of a brother's hand, and a horrible house fire. Yet, one gets the feeling that this family is indomnitable!
The photos in this memoir put you back in time--and there are many of them, as well as farm receipts, kids' report cards, and local newspaper clippings. In these days of intransience and worry over terrorism, I found "Lessons Learned on the Farm" a respite and an escape from my daily world, plus a thorough account of how life really was...then.

What a delight it was to be reminded of everyday life in the 50's and 60's in a farming community. Maybe it DOESN'T require a "village" to raise a child....a township seems to have done the job just fine in the case of the Porter children. The contributions of extended family, neighbors, churches, teachers, doctors and friends were shown to be the treasures that they truly are in this down-to-earth memoir. I wish the children of today could experience the life of hard work, self esteem, generosity, faith, respect and love that I read about on these pages.

How easy it is to forget where we came from and what shaped our lives. Phyllis Dolislager plows up the fields of the past and germinates in our minds and hearts the roots of upbringing and the effect it has on our lives. For so many, a life in touch with "the ground" that moved slow enough to influence an individual has eluded us. Read this and count yourself enriched or cheated...depending on your upbringing. Use the lessons to instill in your present life and the lives of those you are responsible for ways to re-align with meaning.

I loved the book!