Trauma Farm - A Rebel History of Rural Life

Winner of the Writers’ Trust of Canada Non-fiction Prize An Amazon Top 100 Book for 2009 A Times Literary Supplement Top 100 Book for 2009 A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book for 2009 An irreverent and illuminating journey through a day in the life of the affectionately named Trauma Farm, with numerous side trips into the natural history of farming. Beginning naked in darkness, Brian Brett moves from the tending of livestock, poultry, orchards, gardens, machinery, and fields to the social intricacies of rural communities and, finally, to an encounter with a magnificent deer in the silver moonlight of a magical farm field. Brett understands both tall tales and rigorous science as he explores the small mixed farm-meditating on the perfection of the egg and the nature of soil while also offering a scathing critique of agribusiness and the horror of modern slaughterhouses. Whether discussing the uses and misuses of gates, examining the energy of seeds, or bantering with his family, farm hands, and neighbours, he remains aware of the miracles of life, birth, and death that confront the rural world every day. Trauma Farm tells a story that's poetic, passionate, practical, and frequently hilarious, providing an unforgettable portrait of one farm and our separation from the natural world, as well as a common-sense analysis of rural life. Brian Brett is the author of Uproar's Your Only Music--a Globe and Mail Book of the Year--and several books of poetry. His journalism has appeared in major Canadian newspapers including the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and the Vancouver Sun. He lives on Trauma Farm on Salt Spring Island, B.C. Beginning Naked In The Darkness, Brian Brett Takes Us On A Journey Through A Summer's Day That Also Tells The Story Of His Affectionately Named Trauma Farm - Exploring The Garden, Orchards, Fields, The Mysteries Of Livestock And Poultry, The Social Intricacies Of Rural Communities - And Eventually Encounters A Magnificent Deer In The Silver Moonlight Of A Magical Pasture. Both A Memoir And A Natural History Of The Small Mixed Farm, This Eighteen-year-long Day Travels Forward And Backward In Time, Taking Us All The Way From Babylon To Globalization And Demonstrating The Importance Of Both Tall Tales And Rigorous Science As Brett Contemplates The Perfection Of The Egg And The Nature Of Soil Or Offers A Scathing Critique Of Agribusiness And The Modern Slaughterhouse. Whether Discussing The Uses And Misuses Of Gates, Examining The Energy Of Seeds, Or Bantering With His Family And Neighbours, Brett Remains Aware Of The Miracles Of Life, Birth, And Death And The Ecological Paradoxes That Confront The Rural World Every Day.--jacket. Overture -- 1. Grey Hour, The Bird God -- 2. Morning Is A Community -- 3. Fowl Play -- 4. Breakfasts Forever -- 5. Walking The Land -- 6. Living Inside The Soil -- 7. Running Dogs And Fellow Travellers -- 8. Taking Stock -- 9. More Stock -- 10. Fruit Of The Wood -- 11. Who's For Lunch? -- 12. Seeds Of The Day -- 13. Stop And Look -- 14. One More For The Birds (and Their Friends) -- 15. Pest Control Syndrome -- 16. Grace At Work -- 17. Fence Builders And Tool Users -- 18. This Nature Of The Absurd -- 19. Dinner Like A Bell -- 20. Tour Is Good For The Digestion -- 21. Regulating A Rebellious Universe -- 22. Local Living, Local Communities -- 23. Last Roundup -- 24. Creatures Of The Night. Brian Brett. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 368-373). The acclaimed author transforms a single day on his small farm into a “gorgeously thoughtful meditation on the natural world” and our place in it ( Vancouver Sun ). The acclaimed poet and author Brian Brett takes readers on an irreverent and illuminating journey through a day in the life of his small island farm in British Columbia, affectionately named Trauma Farm. With fascinating ruminations on everything from the natural history of farming to the horrors of industrial slaughterhouses, Brett’s day of tending to his farm becomes a Joycean epic of agrarian life. Brett moves from the tending of livestock, poultry, orchards, gardens, machinery, and fields to the social intricacies of rural communities and, finally, to an encounter with a magnificent deer in the silver moonlight of a magical field. Brett understands both tall tales and rigorous science as he explores the small mixed farm—meditating on the perfection of the egg and the nature of soil while also offering a scathing critique of agribusiness. Whether discussing the uses and misuses of gates, examining the energy of seeds, or bantering with his family, farm hands, and neighbors, Brett remains aware of the miracles of life, birth, and death that confront the rural world every day. Trauma Farm was a 2009 book of the year in the Times Literary Supplement and the Globe & Mail, and winner of Writers’ Trust Canadian Non-Fiction Prize. An irreverent and illuminating journey through a day in the life of writer and poet Brian brett, as he tends a small island farm on Salt Spring Island, affectionately named Trauma Farm, with numerous side trips into the natural history of farming. Brian Brett moves from the tending of livestock, poultry, orchards, gardens, machinery, and fields to the social intricacies of rural communities and, finally, to an encounter with a magnificent deer in the silver moonlight of a magical farm field. Brett understands both tall tales and rigorous science as he explores the small mixed farmmeditating on the perfection of the egg and the nature of soil while also offering a scathing critique of agribusiness and the horror of modern slaughterhouses. Whether discussing the uses and misuses of gates, examining the energy of seeds, or bantering with his family, farm hands, and neighbours, he remains aware of the miracles of life, birth, and death that confront the rural world every day. Trauma Farm tells a story that is passionate, practical, and frequently hilarious, providing an unforgettable portrait of one farm and our separation from the natural world, as well as a common-sense analysis of rural life. Brian Brett’s farm on Salt Spring Island is affectionately known as Trauma Farm. There, he raises chickens, pigs, cows, sheep, and goats, tends an extensive orchard and vegetable garden, concocts fabulous meals from the bounties of the farm, and has various misadventures. This funny and thought-provoking memoir traces one day on Trauma Farm. In it, Brett explores the natural history of the small mixed farm, meditates on the perfection of the egg, offers critiques of factory farms and the slaughtering industry, muses on the uses and misuses of gates, and ponders the constant presence of death as he goes about the activities of farming — birthing lambs, contending with rats, helping an aged horse to his death. Underlain with deep knowledge of biology and botany, this erudite, witty, and passionate book is an unforgettable portrait of the issues all farms face in this age of industrialization and homogenization.