Particularize Containing Books A Day No Pigs Would Die (A Day No Pigs Would Die #1)
| Title | : | A Day No Pigs Would Die (A Day No Pigs Would Die #1) |
| Author | : | Robert Newton Peck |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 160 pages |
| Published | : | December 12th 1972 by Knopf (first published 1972) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Young Adult. Classics. Historical. Historical Fiction. Childrens. Academic. School |
Robert Newton Peck
Hardcover | Pages: 160 pages Rating: 3.55 | 9080 Users | 846 Reviews
Rendition In Pursuance Of Books A Day No Pigs Would Die (A Day No Pigs Would Die #1)
Out of a rare American tradition, sweet as hay, grounded in the gentle austerities of the Book of Shaker, and in the Universal countryman's acceptance of birth, death, and the hard work of wresting a life from the land comes this haunting novel of a Vermont farm boyhood.In the daily round of his thirteenth year, as the seasons turn and the farm is tended, the boy—whose time is the only-yesterday of Calvin Coolidge, whose people are the Plain People living without "frills" in the Shaker Way—becomes a man.
That is all, and it is everything. The boy is mauled by Apron, the neighbor's ailing cow whom he helps, alone, to give birth. The grateful farmer brings him a gift—a newborn pig. His father at first demurs ("We thank you, Brother Tanner," said Papa, "but it's not the Shaker Way to take frills for being neighborly. All that Robert done was what any farmer would do for another") but is persuaded. Rob keeps the pig, names her, and gives her his devotion... He wrestles with grammar in the schoolhouse. He hears rumors of sin. He is taken—at last—to the Rutland Fair. He broadens his heart to make room even for Baptists. And when his father, who can neither read nor cipher, whose hands are bloodied by his trade, whose wisdom and mastery of country things are bred in the bone, entrusts Rob with his final secret, the boy makes the sacrifice that completes his passage into manhood.
All is told with quiet humor and simplicity. Here are lives lived by earthy reason—in a novel that, like a hoedown country fiddler's tune, rings at the same time with both poignancy and cheer.
Identify Books In Favor Of A Day No Pigs Would Die (A Day No Pigs Would Die #1)
| Original Title: | A Day No Pigs Would Die |
| ISBN: | 0394482352 (ISBN13: 9780394482354) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | A Day No Pigs Would Die #1 |
| Setting: | Pennsylvania(United States) |
Rating Containing Books A Day No Pigs Would Die (A Day No Pigs Would Die #1)
Ratings: 3.55 From 9080 Users | 846 ReviewsJudgment Containing Books A Day No Pigs Would Die (A Day No Pigs Would Die #1)
A Day No Pigs Would Die is a book about a Shaker boy, Robert Peck, growing up in Vermont in a poor family. He skips school, and while playing hookie, comes upon a neighbor's cow in the woods who is struggling to give birth. Robert helps the calf be born, but also discovers that the cow is struggling to breathe because of something in its throat, which he manages to remove (turns out to be a goiter), saving its life. Out of gratitude, the neighbor gives Robert a baby pig, that Robert comes dearlyI am amazed at many of the negative opinions regarding this book. It is very well written, the author balances humor with realism and emotional content. Although there are some disturbing scenes, they are not fictional violence, but a part of the life of the time and place. My book club read this as adults and many of them were more upset at the scenes than the students who read the book. Sometimes as adults we seem to read more into things than children do. Weasling the dogs was very hard for
I wasn't sure if I should put this on my "memoirs" shelf as well, as Robert Peck uses his own name, along with those of his father, mother, etc... However, it's catagorized as "historical fiction." Any thoughts on this anyone?I haven't read this book since high school and junior high school, but thought I would pick it up again because, well because it's been so long.I found the dialogue in chapter three very similar to Robert Frost 's poem The Mending Wall Yes, good fences make good
{A farmer's heart is rabbit soft, And a farmer's eyes are blue.But a farmer's eyes are eagle fierce And look a man right through.} Set in the Calvin Coolidge white house years (around the Great Depression, for any dummies like me) A Day No Pigs Would Die stories Rob Peck, the author's fictional take on himself as a child, and his family's 'stead in rural Learning, Vermont. "I am not heartsick, because I am rich and they are poor.""We're not rich, Papa. We're...""Yes we are, boy. We have one
"A Farmer's heart is rabbit soft, and a farmer's eyes are blue.But a farmer's eyes are eagle fierceand look a man right through."That's what caught my attention. It has a powerful beginning and it sums up what the book is all about. I loved reading this book, because everything is told from the perspective of a child-who turns thirteen after his Father's death. Their neighbor, Mr. Tanner tells him at thirteen is when a boy becomes a man, and he yearns for his Father love and guidance, but all
I didn't read this book as a young adult, but I recently read it as an old adult. This is one sad story. It could also go on the "I had to face the death of my beloved pet" shelf with Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows . At least the kids who loved those dogs didn't have to eat them.
Although overall I enjoyed the book, I felt it would be somewhat challenging for younger readers. Pinkys rape scene is quite brutal, and although there is some truth to the grotesquerie of animal husbandry- I found it a bit gruesome. Also there is quite a bit of sexism, which I found unpleasant, especially in the assumption that Pinky will be better now that she has been raped. Also the Shaker values are historically inaccurate in many ways rendering the text useless to a history class.
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