Montaigne in Barn Boots - by Michael Perry (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The beloved memoirist and bestselling author of Population: 485 reflects on the lessons he's learned from his unlikely alter ego, French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne.

"The journey began on a gurney," writes Michael Perry, describing the debilitating kidney stone that led him to discover the essays of Michel de Montaigne. Reading the philosopher in a manner he equates to chickens pecking at scraps--including those eye-blinking moments when the bird gobbles something too big to swallow--Perry attempts to learn what he can (good and bad) about himself as compared to a long-dead French nobleman who began speaking Latin at the age of two, went to college instead of kindergarten, worked for kings, and once had an audience with the Pope. Perry "matriculated as a barn-booted bumpkin who still marks a second-place finish in the sixth-grade spelling bee as an intellectual pinnacle . . . and once said hello to Merle Haggard on a golf cart."

Written in a spirit of exploration rather than declaration, Montaigne in Barn Boots is a down-to-earth (how do you pronounce that last name?) look into the ideas of a philosopher "ensconced in a castle tower overlooking his vineyard," channeled by a midwestern American writing "in a room above the garage overlooking a disused pig pen." Whether grabbing an electrified fence, fighting fires, failing to fix a truck, or feeding chickens, Perry draws on each experience to explore subjects as diverse as faith, race, sex, aromatherapy, and Prince. But he also champions academics and aesthetics, in a book that ultimately emerges as a sincere, unflinching look at the vital need to be a better person and citizen.

From the Back Cover

"The journey began on a gurney," writes Michael Perry, describing the debilitating kidney stone that led him to discover the essays of Michel de Montaigne. Reading the philosopher in a manner he equates to chickens pecking at scraps--including those eye-blinking moments when the bird gobbles something too big to swallow--the bestselling humorist embarks on a journey to glean what he can about life from the long-dead French nobleman.

Written in a spirit of exploration rather than declaration, Montaigne in Barn Boots is a down-to-earth (how do you pronounce that last name?) look into the ideas of a philosopher who "composed essays while ensconced in a castle tower overlooking his vineyard" channeled by a Midwestern American writing "in a room above the garage overlooking a disused pig pen." Whether grabbing an electrified fencer, fighting fires, failing to fix a truck, or feeding chickens, Perry blends his personal experiences with Montaigne's illuminating essays to write his own poignant (and hilarious) meditations on human nature. The result is a sincere, unflinching look at the vital need to be a better person and citizen in our modern world.

Review Quotes

"The two writers are clearly long-lost comrades, separated by centuries. Perry reflects, 'The guy would write about anything'--which will remind readers of Perry himself, tackling issues with sincerity and humor, analyzing life, and evolving from self-exploration to self-improvement. 'You read Montaigne, you feel like you have a friend.' Perry's readers will say the same of him." - Booklist
"Readers will laugh out loud frequently while taking in this very funny memoir, as this reviewer did, yet it's a profound laughter, the kind that gets you thinking.... One couldn't hope for a better introduction to the work of Perry or Montaigne." - Library Journal, starred review
"Perry's refreshing candor, the essence of the personal essay, serves him well.... 'You read Montaigne, you feel like you have a friend, ' writes the author, and so readers are likely to feel about Perry." - Kirkus
"Of the recent books extolling and commending French essayist Michel de Montaigne, Michael Perry's new one might be the Montaignest." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Perry's poignant, balanced, achingly funny prose is more than an ode to or critique of Michel De Montaigne. Instead, Perry uses the original essays to better understand his own life and bring a bit more humanity to an increasingly divisive world." - Los Angeles Review of Books
"A wonderful blend of Dave Berry-esque humor and E.B. White's reflective essays.... Don't be fooled by Perry's 'aw shucks' demeanor. He dives deep into not only the works of the 16th century French nobleman-essayist, but also into his translators, devotees and critics, flipping through each and finding the humor and wisdom for consideration in each encounter." - Lincoln Journal Star