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reading, catching up
Mar. 27th, 2011 09:06 amI finished "Farmer Boy" last week. I vaguely recall that I didn't like this book as a kid. Upon rereading it, I might have some insight as to why. The story starts out rough. The first part of it is told as if it's the frist day of school, but the reader keeps getting insight that the main character wouldn't have on the first day of school. The hodge podge of single day linear view with overall impression doesn't read well. It's a bad start.
I think the other thing that is less appealing about following this family is that they are relatively rich. The Ingalls family is perfect but poor, which makes life into a struggle for survival. The Wilder family are relatively well off. The feeling in this book is that of boundless plenty. Without a bit of salt, the sugar becomes overwhelming.
As someone who has lived on a working farm with mechanization, I have some inkling of what it might take to run a good sized farm without mechanization. I find it hard to believe that there were no farm hands present on what was a good sized farm. How would a farmer have time to train six growing horses while doing all the things that were required to keep fields, fences, barns, and house maintained? With just two young boys to help on a daily basis, it doesn't seem possible that a single man could maintain a farm with that much diversity, but I could be wrong.
11. Laura Ingalls Wilder "Farmer Boy"
I finished Jeanette Walls' "The Glass Castle" on Thursday night I think. I really liked this book. It's the story of her growing up with crazy parents. She writes with pithy humor in relating the lighter incidents. On the darkest parts she writes with a matter of fact tone, usually accompanied by understatement. Rex Walls liked to say, "If it don't kill you it'll make you stronger." Well, these kids got plenty strong plenty fast. I found reading this book to be an amazing experience.
12. Jeanette Walls "The Glass Castle"
I think the other thing that is less appealing about following this family is that they are relatively rich. The Ingalls family is perfect but poor, which makes life into a struggle for survival. The Wilder family are relatively well off. The feeling in this book is that of boundless plenty. Without a bit of salt, the sugar becomes overwhelming.
As someone who has lived on a working farm with mechanization, I have some inkling of what it might take to run a good sized farm without mechanization. I find it hard to believe that there were no farm hands present on what was a good sized farm. How would a farmer have time to train six growing horses while doing all the things that were required to keep fields, fences, barns, and house maintained? With just two young boys to help on a daily basis, it doesn't seem possible that a single man could maintain a farm with that much diversity, but I could be wrong.
11. Laura Ingalls Wilder "Farmer Boy"
I finished Jeanette Walls' "The Glass Castle" on Thursday night I think. I really liked this book. It's the story of her growing up with crazy parents. She writes with pithy humor in relating the lighter incidents. On the darkest parts she writes with a matter of fact tone, usually accompanied by understatement. Rex Walls liked to say, "If it don't kill you it'll make you stronger." Well, these kids got plenty strong plenty fast. I found reading this book to be an amazing experience.
12. Jeanette Walls "The Glass Castle"
