Goat Song by Brad Kessler
Click to find at a library near you!
The notion of pastoral life is, for many, nonexistent. Modern conveniences have taught children that milk comes from a carton and bread comes in a bag. Farmland is quickly being gobbled up and regurgitated as suburban sprawl. Few take notice. But others feel a pull to return to a simpler lifestyle—one that has existed for millennia.
Brad Kessler recounts his return to the herding lifestyle of our ancestors in his poetic book Goat Song: A Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and the Art of Making Cheese (2009). Just as the subtitle says, Kessler writes of his adventures raising goats with the ultimate goal of making fresh, raw cheeses. But the book’s scope extends way beyond livestock.
Humans domesticated animals thousands of years ago for a steady source of food. As a result, praise and reference to these animals is deeply integrated into our language. Kessler discusses the many idioms, modern words, and literary references rooted in pastoral life with goats. For those who have only known urban life, Kessler’s book is an important history lesson. No wonder so many feel a pull to connect with the land by raising livestock or growing their own food—intimately knowing what sustains them.
I read this one recently and it is fantastic. Thanks for getting the word out about this gem! (LOVE your site)
This is a little off topic for this website, but Brad Kessler is also the author of the beautiful novel Birds in Fall. I recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed Goat Song. He won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for this book, and with good reason.
David,
This had to be my BEST read in 2010–I’m tardy in letting you know how much I enjoyed it. My neighbors would most likely not care for goats in my small surburban backyard (and the city would be aghast!)but I’m ready. I felt like I was in Brad Kessler’s head when it came to marveling at those goats.
Thanks so much for the recommend.
from your enchanting review i ordered this book and now hold it in my hands. i’m only 3 chapters in an i’m dreading the fact that this book will eventually come to an end!
thank you so much for the recommendation. a goat lover myself, it is speaking to the song in my heart.