About this item
Highlights
- Howard Kohn's The Last Farmer is a memoir of his father's last seasons working the Michigan farm where they both were raised.
- About the Author: Howard Kohn is a former senior editor of Rolling Stone and the author of Who Killed Karen Silkwood?
- 288 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, General
Description
About the Book
The Last Farmer is a beautiful and timely account of the farm crisis in America, as seen through the struggles of a Michigan family. "An intense and disturbing personal journey".--New York Times Book Review.Book Synopsis
Howard Kohn's The Last Farmer is a memoir of his father's last seasons working the Michigan farm where they both were raised. It is a place that Kohn, a former editor at Rolling Stone, has left many times but keeps coming back to.Fredrick Kohn farmed the family homestead in the Saginaw Valley since his return from World War II. After forty years, with advancing age, failing health, bad weather, falling prices, pesky oil drillers, creeping suburban sprawl, and the exodus of his children, he starts to wonder if maybe the time has come to stop. The habits of a lifetime of hard work and economy are not easy to give up. Nor are the independence, the small gratifications, and the countless responsibilities that are the traditional farmer's lot.
The Last Farmer is a rare story of a father's determination and adaptation, a son's realizations about his father, and a family's love for the land that leads to understanding rather than tragedy.
Review Quotes
"A stunning portrait. . . . Kohn went looking for one story--his father's--only to find his own."--Chicago Tribune
"Full of achingly intense insights. And it's beautifully written."--Chicago Sun Times
"What makes this book soar. . . . is its scrupulous specificity, details so gritty one can feel the soil between one's toes, and the deeply felt story of a prodigal son's evolving relationship with his father."--WashingtonPost Book World
About the Author
Howard Kohn is a former senior editor of Rolling Stone and the author of Who Killed Karen Silkwood?