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A review by rrrnay
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Michael Perry
4.0
This is the third book from Michael Perry on life and love in northern Wisconsin. In this installment, we follow as he and his new family move from Main Street in New Auburn (Nobbern to the locals) to the farm where his now pregnant wife grew up. In "Coop", he takes us through their first year on the farm, acquiring pigs and chickens, planting a garden, the birth of their second child. Among the joys and sorrows of raising chickens and being a family, he intersperses his own reminiscences his childhood on the family farm.
Where Perry excels, is his ability to combine self-truths, self-deprecation and goofy humor into stories that not only entertain, but also touch on the struggles that many of us have with modern life. He worries about how to teach his daughter, Amy, strong values of work and family without doing too much "damage" in the process. He hopes that she will remember times spent together as happy, and not as time spent with "Grumpy Old Mike". When their second child is born, Perry is able to convey both deep emotion and tenderness without resorting to syrupy hyperbole. He deals with family tragedy with a deft hand as well, and while he writes with restraint, the grief running below the surface is palpable.
"Coop" is more serious than his previous books, but he has become a husband, father, pig and chicken farmer, and so, for those of us who have become responsible for more than just ourselves, this isn't unexpected. Perry's musings on his own childhood and his reverence for his parents are a great touchstone for those of us who grew up in the days before iPods and cell phones. Perry's unique take on modern self-reliance and thrift is a great tonic when read against the background of today's economy and excesses.
Coop is not without humor. He brings us the story of a chicken named “Little Miss Shake-n-Bake” and lets us in on the inside joke that he secretly hopes his friend, Mills, will finish building the coop without him.
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In Perry's first two autobiographical works Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a time and Truck: A Love Story, we followed his return to his hometown of New Auburn (Nobbern to locals) after an absence of 12 years. He joins the volunteer fire department and relearns his hometown .
In his 2nd book, Truck: A Love Story. We followed Perry through the restoration of his beloved International Harvester pickup and his courtship with the woman (and her child) that would eventually become his wife.
Where Perry excels, is his ability to combine self-truths, self-deprecation and goofy humor into stories that not only entertain, but also touch on the struggles that many of us have with modern life. He worries about how to teach his daughter, Amy, strong values of work and family without doing too much "damage" in the process. He hopes that she will remember times spent together as happy, and not as time spent with "Grumpy Old Mike". When their second child is born, Perry is able to convey both deep emotion and tenderness without resorting to syrupy hyperbole. He deals with family tragedy with a deft hand as well, and while he writes with restraint, the grief running below the surface is palpable.
"Coop" is more serious than his previous books, but he has become a husband, father, pig and chicken farmer, and so, for those of us who have become responsible for more than just ourselves, this isn't unexpected. Perry's musings on his own childhood and his reverence for his parents are a great touchstone for those of us who grew up in the days before iPods and cell phones. Perry's unique take on modern self-reliance and thrift is a great tonic when read against the background of today's economy and excesses.
Coop is not without humor. He brings us the story of a chicken named “Little Miss Shake-n-Bake” and lets us in on the inside joke that he secretly hopes his friend, Mills, will finish building the coop without him.
----
In Perry's first two autobiographical works Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a time and Truck: A Love Story, we followed his return to his hometown of New Auburn (Nobbern to locals) after an absence of 12 years. He joins the volunteer fire department and relearns his hometown .
In his 2nd book, Truck: A Love Story. We followed Perry through the restoration of his beloved International Harvester pickup and his courtship with the woman (and her child) that would eventually become his wife.