Cry Wolf: A Political Fable (Paperback)

by Paul Lake (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lake writes vividly and characterizes shrewdly, producing an anti-immigration fable more polished than Orwell's anti-Communist satire."  —Booklist

"What seems, at first, a gentle fable about farm animals who enjoy a kind of ordered liberty, turns quickly into a grim allegory about man's dark impulse toward the collective."  —Laurie Morrow, political columnist, The Montpelier Bridge

"A charming and chilling fable that underscores the fragility of a world achieved with great difficulty and so easily undone by good intentions gone awry."  —The Reverend John Newhaus, editor in chief, First Things

"In the great tradition of George Orwell's Animal Farm. I can only hope that it will be as widely read and will be as powerful an influence as was Orwell's masterpiece in awakening civilization to its present deadly peril."  —American Spectator

"The inner logic of Cry Wolf is just right. Cleverly devised and well developed."  —Chronicles magazine

"John Lennon sang 'Imagine there's no countries, and no religions, too'. In his superb limpid allegory, Paul Lake imagines these very things with terrifying precision."  —Les Murray, poet and winner, TS Eliot Award

Product Description

A powerful tale about America’s place in the world during these volatile times and a warning about the inherent dangers of unregulated immigration and identity politics, this playful narrative tells the story of the animals of Green Pastures Farm. When the farm’s owner dies, the domesticated animals learn to tend the farm themselves and live in harmony, based on their basic tenets of “No Trespassing” and equality for all farm animals. The farm’s balance and peace is irrevocably shaken when a wounded doe is allowed into the farm enclosure and is followed by an influx of other wild animals who threaten not only the farm’s hard-earned winter food supply, but the very ideals on which Green Pastures Farm was founded.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Benbella Books (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933771429
• ISBN-13: 978-1933771427
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #675,759 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lyrical Condemnation of Politically Correct Thought., June 16, 2008

By	Ginger "noanimalfarm" (Lakewood, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

Cry Wolf by Paul Lake is an astonishing book. Not only is it an unflinching look at the destructive nature of political correctness but it also offers the reader a lyrical story telling experience.

In the tradition of Animal Farm, Lake's story unfolds on a peaceful farm that has passed into the care of domestic animals after the death of the human owner. The animals cooperate to solve the problems of sowing and reaping, defense, education, and the creation of a rule of law.

The first law is that of No Trespassing. Fences are maintained and dogs patrol the borders to keep out wild animals that would kill the farm residents or destroy the vital crops. When the animals make a compassionate decision to provide temporary refuge to a wounded doe, they take the first unthinking step toward the destruction of everything they hold dear.

Cry Wolf examines a number of issues that are eroding our ability to think clearly and reasonably. The stifling imposition of politically correct speech, the reframing of issues, the post modern attachment to ethical relativism, and the descent into tribalism through ethnicity are only a few of the issues woven through Lake's haunting story.

You will not only see the teachers, the politicians, the academics, the judges, and the activists in Lake's book - you will see yourself. That sight may be clearer and harsher than you have been used to seeing in a very long time.

Cry Wolf will have you mulling over the creeping suppression of free speech that is slowly crushing dissent in the United States. It will surprise you with its insights into all too human character. It will entrance you with its prose and characters. It will greatly disturb you. It will do what good books always do - it will make you think.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Animal Farm for our Day and Time, December 19, 2008

By	Jason Carter "Retired Navy officer, bibliophi... (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As other reviewers have noted, this is the Animal Farm of our day. The book is certainly equal to the task. Cry Wolf is both as observant and as entertaining as Orwell's classic. And for 21st century Americans, it is more penetrating, as the evils it reveals are closer to our gates than the Communism that Orwell combatted.

This is one of those books that I lend out freely and intend to buy several copies to give away.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A warning about novelty and exploitation, October 12, 2008

By	__ Alessandro __ (New York City) - See all my reviews

In 1945, George Orwell published Animal Farm, a satirical allegory of Communism -- or more specifically, of Soviet Totalitarianism. The book was received with wide acclaim, and it has endured as an essential part of education (and of high-school English or History reading lists) to this day.

In the venerable tradition of Orwell's masterpiece comes Cry Wolf, by Paul Lake. Here, the enemy is not Communism, but Pluralism, or at least pluralism as it has the potential to become if not reigned in by rationality, discretion and common sense.

Without giving away the twists-and-turns which make the novel a fast-paced and gut-wrenching read, allow me to describe the plot as follows: We are introduced to Green Pastures Farm some time after its human owners have passed away, unbeknownst to other humans. The farm animals, used to domesticity and the way of farm life, come to the realization that maintaining the farm is in their best interest -- That is, by dividing chores, planting seeds, harvesting crops, saving food for winter, etc., they ensure the continued prosperity to which they've become accustomed. Most importantly, the animals realize that their own safety and survival is dependent upon one thing above all: maintaining the integrity of the fence surrounding the farm, patrolling its borders, and ensuring that no wild animals from the neighboring forest trespass on the farm.

Things change one day when a wounded deer is discovered, having taken refuge on the farm from the wild beasts that pursued her. While initially viewed with suspicion, the animals consent that an exception to the No Trespassing law can be made for a charitable case such as this.

After her recovery, the doe returns to the wild. But her presence on the farm set a legal precedent that opens up the farm's borders to immigration and myriad new ethical, legal, economic and societal challenges. In 224 pages, we are brought on a whirlwind tour of isolationism and globalized economies; illegal immigration, migrant workers and cheap labor; naturalization processes and propositions for general amnesty; racism, oppression, political correctness, affirmative action and reverse-discrimination; secularism, relativism, obsession with novelty, post-modernism, deconstructionism, libertarianism; and ultimately, terrorism and anarchy.

As another reviewer aptly put it, "you will not only see the teachers, the politicians, the academics, the judges, and the activists in Lake's book -- you will see yourself." This is the most troubling part of all. In the beginning of the book, you will find yourself sympathetic to some lines of argument, only to find where (if left unchecked) it inevitably leads. At the end of the book, you will feel hurt and betrayed, disappointed and disillusioned, and uncertain of how to fix what went wrong. But the scariest part of all is the moment you come to the realization that our present-day society exists as the farm does approximately 2/3 of the way through the book.

And so we are left with the question: What do we do to prevent the natural progression from occurring? Are the wheels of destruction already set in motion? Do we humans stand a better chance at resisting our natural instincts? Or if left to our own tendencies, are we all wild beasts at heart?

Highly recommended read, especially in these troubled times.