Fields Without Dreams : Defending the Agrarian Ideal (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In the beginning here there was nothing..." (more)
Key Phrases: raisin crash, raisin cooperative, tule pond, Rhys Burton, Rollin Buckler, Valley Girl (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Classicist, professor, and farmer Hanson chronicles the decline of small-scale agriculture in the Central Valley of California. He takes his classics seriously, likening the raisin farmers of Modesto to Aeschylus' ideal virtuous man, who "did not wish to seem just, but to be so." He takes modern cultural dictates less seriously: "Is it not odd," he writes, "to rise at dawn with Japanese-, Mexican-, Pakistani-, Armenian-, and Portuguese-American farmers and then be lectured at noonday 40 miles away on campus about cultural sensitivity and the need for 'diversity' by the affluent white denizens of an exclusive, tree-studded suburb?" Hanson relates the life stories of his farmer neighbors, writing that their way of life will likely soon disappear, thanks in part to a federal system of agricultural subsidies that favors large-scale, industrial farm corporations over individual "yeomen." This is a sobering and eye-opening book.

From Publishers Weekly

We are in the penultimate stage of the death of agrarianism, says the author, a fifth-generation vine and fruit grower. Hanson (The Other Greeks) has written an eloquent and bitter elegy for the American family farm. For more than a century, his family has grown grapes (for raisins) and plums in California's San Joaquin Valley. In 1983, the raisin market crashed, marking the start of an ongoing agricultural depression. Hanson relates here the grim story of his and his neighbors' experiences. He is deeply concerned about the cultural and historical ramifications of eliminating the family farm, reminding us that the origins of Western civilization and democracy arose from a vibrant agrarianism. He charges that the American people no longer care how they get their food, as long as it is fresh, firm and cheap. To stem the decline of the family farm, the author calls for regulation of commodity brokerages, property and irrigation taxes based on size and presence of owners and elimination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Copyright 1996 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: 320 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (March 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684835703
• ISBN-13: 978-0684835709
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fields Without Dreams, March 21, 2004

By	Alison Burke (Herndon VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must respond, although a bit late, to the review posted in Dec. '99 by "a reader": "As we read this book it became clear that Professor Hansen's uniformly negative opinions of the people who now support themselves as professional farmers are truly clouded by his amateur status as a farmer. The sad thing is that he does not see that himself. In case you are wondering, his profession is, after all, that of College professor."

Clearly the "reader" did not read Mr. Hanson's book carefully enough. As a nearby resident of his town of Selma, I can attest to Mr. Hanson's personal and family legacy of professional farming. He is by no means "an amateur farmer." Instead, he has worked on his family farm more than full time since his pre-teens, and supported his family doing so.

The difficulties Hanson encountered as a farmer were common to the ventures of his particular crops. In addition, his acceptance of a university position at Cal. State Fresno was mainly a way to keep food on the table after the raisin crash. I wish this reviewer had read the book more carefully before tossing out major criticisms.

As an outsider to farming, although my uncle is a cattle farmer in Wisconsin, I developed a passionate respect for farming after reading Fields Without Dreams. Hanson's overriding point, I think, is to emphasize the character and toughness required of farmers in any age. His book is particularly timely because, as he notes, "Family farmers are noble, but vanishing stewards of ancient ground."

Hanson also makes an important statement about farming--that its myth of simplicity and quaintness is unfounded. While capitalism overtakes the family farm in favor of agribusiness, just like it has many other American businesses, what is disappearing along with the family farm is an honorable society we'll never see again. I am glad Hanson is around to capture this moment for us.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, engaging, impressive., October 23, 2000

By	"lwandapang" (USA) - See all my reviews

A wonderful read. Hanson sweeps the reader up into the the high stakes game, the espirt d'corps of the family farm, the teeter-totter hazards of weather and market demands, the changing fortunes of agrarian culture. A magnificent achievement. One of my favorite books of the last decade.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get a real perspective on farming-the good & the bad..., August 24, 2005

By	DMB "bona fide bibliomaniac" - See all my reviews

book of great impact. A realistic view into the challenges and demands of mono-cultural farming. If you want/need to understand the reality of farming and challenge your 'romantic' ideals, this book will provide that awakening and more. Most importantly, it leaves with you a clear sense of the honest influence fostered by an agrarian lifestyle - folks with integrity and values, least of which - fortitude and faith.