Cry Wolf

Cry Wolf: A Political Fable by Paul Lake, 215 pages

After the farmer died, the animals of Green Pastures Farm managed to keep things going.  It wasn't always easy - they couldn't reach the fruit on the higher branches of the trees, and the mouths of lambs proved to be poor substitutes for hands when it comes to milking cows - but the community managed to come together under the Laws left by the farmer and not only survive, but thrive, even defeating an invading bear.  Until, that is, more sympathetic outsiders present themselves, and the clever owl uses the magic of words to bring down the laws and plunge the farm into a spiral of chaos from which it may not recover.

Cry Wolf is a straightforward reimagining of Animal Farm, not only updated for the 21st century - as if such a thing was necessary - but with a revised set of anthropological assumptions, so that it bears little more than a conceptual resemblance to Orwell's original.  Where it does more deeply echo Orwell is in Lake's awareness of the power of words, particularly as they are defined and redefined so that they become tools for confusion rather than communication, and in the ease with which slogans can evoke the power of sentiment to overthrow reason.  What Lake most memorably adds is his exposure of late modern decadence, particularly the unwarranted conviction that a very precarious situation is, in fact, the natural state of things, the unmerited confidence that any disruptions are merely manageable exceptions, and the baseless belief that there are no higher desires than comfort and peace.

Running with Sherman: A Donkey with the Heart of a Hero

 Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall  352 pages

Fans of James Herriott’s “All Creatures Great and Small” series will love this tale of courage and strength.

When writer and jogger Christopher McDougall learned that one of his neighbors in rural Pennsylvania was a animal hoarder and needed money, he didn’t hesitate to purchase a donkey. He was, however, unprepared for the abuse the little gray donkey had suffered. “Its fur was crusted with dung, turning his white belly black. In places the fur had been torn away, revealing raw skin almost certainly infested with parasites. He was barrel-shaped and bloated from poor feed and his mouth was a mess, with one tooth so rotten it fell right out when touched. Worst of all was his hooves, so monstrously overgrown they looked like witch’s claws.”

Hooves this bad are usually a death sentence for a donkey. But the McDougall family could tell beneath that battered body was an intelligent creature that seemed to want to live. They named him Sherman, after the songwriting Sherman brothers from the movie, “Saving Mr. Banks.”

Another neighbor, Tanya, pitched in to help the McDougall’s turn Sherman around. The most important thing, she told the family of four,  he needed once he was clean, well-fed and learned to walk after his hooves were fixed, was a purpose. Donkeys need a reason to live…they need a job to do. Christopher decided that Sherman’s “job” would be to run with him as he trained for marathons.

This book covers one year in the life of Sherman and the McDougall’s. It’s the story of how he became best friends with a goat named Lawrence and trained, along with his other new friends Flower and Matilda, for entering the burro racing competition help every year in Colorado. As McDougall takes readers on his adventure, it’s laugh out loud funny and heartrendingly sad. Fortunately, the laughter outweighs with sad.  Readers get an inside peek at the nature and mind of a donkey…how they can be led and be a leader..and of course how stubborn they can be. After reading this wonderful story, I would love to have a donkey, but I think it may be too smart for me. “Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Holy Cow!

Holy Cow! By David Duchovney   206 pages

I thought the least I could do is read a book from one of my displays and I could use some humor after the recent reads, so I was drawn to the premise of the story:

Elsie Bovary and her best friend Mallory are living life as only contented cows can, until they decide to sneak out one night and flirt with the bulls. Elsie, however, is drawn to the light of the Box God inside the farmhouse, where she watches the gory details of meat processing, and finally understands where her mother disappeared to. She resolves to escape her inevitable fate by running away to India, where cows are revered and thus safe from harm. There are no secrets in a close-knit community and soon Jerry and Tom have convinced Elsie that escape is their only means of self-preservation. Jerry, or Shalom as he calls himself after his recent conversion to Judaism, wants to be in Israel among his ‘people’, who have an aversion to all things pig-related, so he will be safe from slaughter. Tom, the anorexic turkey in light of pending Thanksgiving, aims to live in Turkey, where surely turkeys are esteemed and not eaten. Does the trio make it to their desired destinations?

I’d love to say I recommend the book, but it is just too … in so many ways. There are many laugh-out-loud phrases, which is to be expected in a story narrated by a cow and all expressions are of the teenaged-bovine variety. But these inane moments are interspersed with some deep personal views about human maltreatment of animals; not that I disagree with the author’s opinion, but the preachy parts deter from the silliness of the story. The writing style, although intended to reflect the immaturity of the narrator, is awkward and grating throughout, just annoying enough to make you reconsider finishing the book. 

Posted By:  Regina C. 

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, 184 pages

Charlotte is a terribly intelligent spider- she can read and spell words into her web.  Which, for some reason, she takes upon herself to do in order to save the life of young Wilbur, a very cute little pig who really wants a friend.  By spelling such phrases as "Some Pig" into her web, the farmers and the whole town come to appreciate the young pig.  And at its heart, this is a story about coming to terms with death as being a part of life, and as such, it's a rare and welcome work in the juvenile canon.

But... you guys.  You guys!! I know this is not a popular thing to say, but I found this book problematic.  Like... what's Wilbur's deal?  He spends the entire book being adorable, but absolutely helpless- the only way he makes it past page 1 is by being saved by young Fern, and the rest of the book is a series of saves by other strong females relegated to the background, culminating in being saved by a smart, well-educated spider who WRITES HUMAN ENGLISH WORDS INTO A WEB.  But the PIG is the one who is seen as spectacular! There is a total of one character who notes that the spider is the extraordinary one- Mrs. Zuckerman- and she is promptly ignored.  And I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone else who made it a lifetime without reading this, but Charlotte dies happily because she has saved Wilbur and got to have a bunch of baby spiders.  Also, take my advice and don't make that last point loudly at a baby shower because everyone there will give you a death glare or cough awkwardly and it will get really quiet and you will feel like a terrible person.