Customer Reviews

True Cow Tales: Literary Sketches and Stories by Farmers, Ranchers, and Dairy Princesses

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True Cow Tales has stirred up happy memories from my childhood, and of people who are no longer with me, but were such an important part of my life. I think that says a lot about the book.

Let me start by saying that I do not live on a dairy farm. I have never lived on a dairy farm. But I do have a connection. Don't we all, though, really? Doesn't everyone have some connection to the world of farming, if we go back far enough in history? I would be willing to bet that the majority of our ancestors, those brave hearty folks who made their way across the prairies, were farmers. As for me, my connection goes back to my grandparents. Both of my parents and their multiple brothers and sisters grew up on farms in Minnesota, farms which continue on to this day, passed on through the generations.

My own memories of summer stays at my grandparents' and uncle's farm are so sweet and are some of the best of my whole life. I can still remember that satisfying feeling of completing a hard-day's work, pulling weeds out of the soybeans, painting barns, or working in the garden. This was sweaty, honest, sometimes very dirty work, but boy oh boy did I ever sleep well those nights, and food never tasted so good afterwards. How about those wonderful fresh vegetables served at dinner every night, fresh applesauce, strawberries, freshly baked bread, all in a big kitchen full of people.

And then there were the stories, so many stories to be told. The kind of stories that you can hear only if you sit quietly and listen. Because the storytellers are not always the most boisterous of people, sometimes they are soft-spoken. This is what I see while reading the stories in True Cow Tales. It brings me back almost 40 years to my grandma's kitchen and the red and white checked tablecloth. This is not just a book with a bunch of stories about cows (though it certainly is full of stories about cows!) What makes each story special is the storyteller. I am sure that these are all tales that were told, time and time again, around those farmhouse kitchen tables. Tales told by good, solid, hard-working life-loving people, to their kids, grandkids, friends, and now to all of us. Perhaps we can't pull up a chair at any of their kitchen tables and listen to the stories first-hand, but we can hear the stories by opening the book to any page at all and starting to read.

Why not take a break from this world of computers, IPODs, cell phones, TV and all of the other plug-ins of modern daily life, and delve into some stories about a way of life that truly was our heritage? What could be more wholesome to the core than a story about good honest hard work and beloved animals? And what animals are more sweet and yet so understated than cows? They exude gentleness and giving, though I do understand that they are not pushovers--I have heard stories told by my uncles about being kicked by certain unhappy cows... ouch.

What a great book to share with family and friends who have roots in the world of farming! Or for those who don't - what a fun way to learn more about it! I can think of a bunch of people in my (large) extended family that would enjoy the stories very much. Thank you C.R. Lindemer for putting together this book full of warmth, memories, and charming True Cow Tales.

I loved this book. I grew up on a farm and still help my Dad with his cattle operation so many of these stories brought back great memories. Dad will be selling out in the next few years and I will miss the cattle so you can bet I will reread this book.

Beef, milk, cheese, cows are a big part of one's life even if one is a city slicker. "True Cow Tales: Literary Sketches and Stories by Farmers, Ranchers, and Dairy Princesses" tells the story of cows and the people who manage them. Exciting and unique, it beats the myth that all cowhands do is milk cows and lead so called boring lives. With plenty of excitement and strangeness in these tales, "True Cow Tales" is a top pick and very highly recommended.

The writiing styles in any anthology are mixed. "True Cow Tales" is no exception. Some of the writers show true professionalism, while others are still developing. However, even inexperienced writers have good stories to tell, so you will surely enjoy "True Cow Tales," especially if you have an agricultural background. You will smile at the mix of personalities in featured cows. I also enjoyed the section about Dairy Princesses with their likenesses carved in real butter at the Minnesota State fair. What a thrill it was for those who earned their unusual title.
"True Cow Tales" is C. R. Lindemer's first attempt at editing and publishing an anthology. Her own story is exceptionally well written, and the entire book shows promise of more and better things to come. I look forward to a sequel, and I do believe there will be one.

"Cows are the foster mother of the human race," Wis­consin's Governor William Dempster Hoard once said. He even had a notice posted in his barn: "Remember that this is the Home of Mothers. Treat each cow as a Mother should be treated."

True Cow Tales is a very authentic collection of stories from a variety of authors - several of whom are Wisconsinites. It's filled with all sorts of down-home lore and encounters that only a farmer or a farm-kid would gather from day-to-day experience, but usually not share with anyone except friends and family. Editor, Christine Lindemer is one of those insiders who has managed to collect a set of well-written and engaging narratives from the farm that reveal many of those small secrets contained within the hearts of rural America.

The book is a collection of stories by 40 farmers, ranchers, and dairy princesses across the U.S. and Canada. It includes a short chapter of `cow poetry,' some photos and a number of illustrations. But after reading True Cow Tales, I am struck by the fact that this book also contains snapshots of a time that no longer seems to exist.

The works of several Wisonconsinites, including poet August Derleth, are included in the book. A man from Watertown, WI, has two stories in the book. A woman from Edgerton, WI, has a wonderful poem in the anthology.

Stories like Diane Popenhagen's "Roland's `Sugar'" deliver a powerful picture of rural life, up before the sun when the cold cuts through multiple layers of well-worn work clothes, walking methodically to the barn, getting those frozen fingers revived by warmth of hand-milking a herd of cows. The warm memories and the tragedies are all here, some farms lost, some trophies won.

This book should be required reading for every newcomer who migrates from the city to live in once-rural Door County. There was a time not that long ago when these stories were the daily occurrences taking place up and down the county highways of the peninsula. Now, sad to say, this book is a historical collection of fading artifacts - ones that should indeed be remembered.

This original review first appeared in Door County Style Magazine online at [...] of which I am the editor and publisher.

A rich, lively array of real adventures with cows and other farm creatures in the true, personal voices of dairy farmers, ranchers, their spouses, children, friends, relatives, neighbors, and dairy princesses. In fact, we sometimes hear the cows' voices as well! Genuine stories--some funny, some sad, some exciting, some surprising, some outrageous--but all genuine, all true tales--as the title says. This book is a fine tribute to American dairy farms, hard-working farm families, and the fascinating culture of cows.

I read this book and promptly bought it for fellow farm-raised friends! It is like sitting with a cup of coffee at the kitchen table and listening to Grandpa tell stories of the farm. Even if not from a farm, you will enjoy the tales of so many that are tied to the wonderful world of cows. The author did a nice job of pulling it all together in this fun book.