Rating: 
Summary: Violent, angry, disturbed--and tedious
Review: I checked Pigs out and read it because it was assigned to my daughter's middle school class. I find it problematic on several counts.
1. Overall, the plot is predictable to the point of cliché. Anyone who's read The Yearling or Charlotte's Web-or heck, seen Disney's Fox and the Hound-will know what's going to happen to Pinky the minute they clap eyes on her.
2. Aside from the lurid parts, the book is curiously flat. Nothing much happens. The story sags until an "exciting part" comes in like a sugar rush.
3. I found the pseudo-naive voice self-conscious, and irritating because unaccompanied by an authentically childlike point of view. The things the narrator focuses on: death, disgusting or fruitless birth, slaughter, slime, animal and animal-like sex (the widow and the hired man) are not the natural furniture of a child's mind-or should I say, a child would approach them far more obliquely, innocently, profoundly. Peck reads like an adult trying to sound like a child-there is the whiff of titillation and prurience.
4. The Shaker element adds a religious dimension-but it seems gratuitous. It's poorly developed, giving neither the impression of a coherent theology (the father hoping he's going to the "sky," his idea of being thankful to "be in the picture" referring to the state of Vermont, not the Kingdom of Heaven), nor influencing in any apparent way the mind and vocabulary of the boy. I have nagging doubts as to the author's authenticity (shades of The Education of Little Tree?).
The Shakers-which were virtually extinct as a sect by the 1920s-were celibate and communal. In what sense are the boy's family and friends "Shaker" in their social and domestic lives-aside from obeying rules of husbandry and halving hogs neatly? How is it possible, for example, that a Shaker boy at an idealistic and impressionable age could wink at the immorality of the widow? Or that his religiously observant mother defend shacking up? The Shakers were known for extreme purity, for sublimating even the most earthly things-I'd expect a certain "holiness" in the religious tones of this book; but to the contrary, the undertones are dank, reeking, confused, like voodoo or animism. What (if anything) the author concludes about the religion of his childhood is obscure.
5. There is a deeply troubled sexuality in this book. Aside from the ingenuous dialog- couched in old-timey talk, but guaranteed to get a leer and a mental image from your modern middle schooler ("prickers" in the "privates," "You old bitch, you move that big smelly ass, you hear?" "balls or no balls, make a pretty pair of bull calves," "shoot some farmer's sweet old cow right between the tits," "my trousers were on front side back and it felt sort of queer," etc, etc)-there is a hostility, even loathing, toward sex, fertility, and birth.
Sexual intercourse between man and woman, represented here by the widow and hired man, and by the affair between Letty and Sebring, ostensibly operates as an bodily function devoid of moral content-a forthright animal activity that merits protection from prudish gossips like the aunt. ("Maybe it's time that Widow Bascom took some comfort," "Sometimes that's the way of it," "they can have my blessing for whatever it's worth.") If held to a rigid moral framework, sex is driven underground, and leads to extremely unhappy results, such as suicide.
Yet I say "ostensibly" because the author wants it two ways: both neutral (to reassure our sexually liberated minds?) and revolting. Let me see if I can sort this out.
The wages of sex, for man and beast, is fertility-and fertility is cruel and capricious. Fertility is death. It may fail, as with Pinky, and spell her slaughter. It may be present unlooked for, and lead to wicked secrets, dead babies and mothers, desecration, grave-robbing, insane guilt. Birth itself is alien, slimy (a favorite word with Peck), suffocating, terrifying, stinking. In his involvement with birth at the beginning of the book, the boy is symbolically mutilated and killed (the ripping of flesh to the bone, ending in unconsciousness).
But we can't let the author off with a simple "sex good, fertility bad," which happens to be a very modern attitude-straight off a Planned Parenthood leaflet (but jarring in the context of farming). For finally we see sex as it is, up close and graphic, in the breeding of Pinky and Samson. Here the author's desultory prose bursts into flame; he is beyond clinical, to rapt: Pinky's "rape" is told with sadistic gusto. Nor can we say that the author has painstakingly, sensitively prepared his young audience for this moment by using events to draw a distinction between the sexual relations of humans and of animals. Quite the contrary.
A pubescent child is apt to see sex as frightful and brutal. He needs to be civilized sexually, to learn that sexual congress is a spiritual and social, as well as carnal, phenomenon. But here his worst fears are confirmed: sex is rutting, sex is thrusting, the bestiality of the male, the searing pain of the female, her degradation-her thirst for more. Is this, at last, the author's Shaker (in which celibacy is cemtra; to religious behavior) influence?
Consider this dialog in the context: "Good. Twelve's a boy, thirteen's a man [the boy's become a man early, as later dialog makes clear, because of his participation in the pigs' violent coitus]. Now just take Pinky there. She weren't nought but a maiden [a lovely human term] before this morning. Just a little girl, she was. But from this time on, she's a sow [a porcine, gross, term. She's done the filthy thing, betrayed her purity.]. She knows a thing or two [what exactly? Is this good knowledge or bad?]. And next time she'll welcome the big boy [because she's a pig. But in the fantasy of the schoolboy and rapist, be as nasty as you wanna be-cause women love humiliation]."
And for parallelism, try this: the widow Bascom has long since been a sow, so it's okay for her to "welcome the big boy."
I won't mention what I think about the death-and-suffering fixation, the implausible and artistically deficient relationship between the boy and his father, the misogyny, the lack of complexity, the suggestion, in the father's death, that people, like pigs and farm animals, should have the grace to die rather than be useless eaters, and the anger implied in the title (I see the daddy-and-me-thick-as-thieves plot as one big fig leaf for the title).To me, a teacher's requiring a book this assaultive would be as senseless as weaseling a dog. Forcing the child in with something cruel-and no backing out. Cheering him on-as an onlooker with nothing to lose, for whom the fight is invisible. What's the cost to the child? What's the point?
Rating: 
Summary: A Day No Pigs Would Die Review
Review: A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck is a story directed for the warm at heart. It is a coming of age story that was wound so tightly around the main character you couldn't help root for the home team. A Day No Pigs Would Die is based on a Connecticut farm in the late 1920's. It follows the main character, Robert Peck, through the trouble and adventures that coincide with farm life. These misadventures take him from boyhood to being a man in the eyes of his peers. Robert Peck is a motivated young man who does well in school and works hard as an ox in July. He lives on the family farm in the small town of Learning. This is brought out in his character by the way that he views other towns and specific events. An example would be when he was taken to the fair in Rutland. He compared the city to the likes of London, England, which they have noted in his geography class as being the largest city in the world. The association of being poor when you live on a farm is also brought out in the clothes that the characters wear. Robert and his father wear overhauls that Mama has sewn them. Another rub-off of the setting involves Robert often wanting to go have "frills" as his parents look at it. These would be going to baseball games and buying ice cream, but as the times were shown, there was no extra money for the family to give him for this type of fun. I had a strong feeling that this book was very well written. The language used to portray the life that this family had was superb. Using incorrect grammar and punctuation did this. The characters were great and remind me of what my childhood was like spending a lot of time on my grandparents' farm. The events that took place were realistic for the setting and at the same time were very entertaining. These events are ways that Robert Newton Peck showed the development of his main character from boy to man. A Day No Pigs Would Die is relevant to all people. The theme of the book, being a coming of age journey, brings these travels to your doorstep, telling you that troubling events of your life shouldn't bother you. It gives you an example of how this boy handled these preposterous situations at only the ripe age of 12. All in all Robert Newton Peck wrote this book for a family to read giving good morals and lessons.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Tear Jerking
Review: A twelve year old boy *Rob* lives with his Shaker mother and father on their farm. Rob helps a neighbor in need and recieves a piglet for his pains. He finds his pig is barren a year later, and since they are poor people his father says they must get rid of the pig. It was extremely tear jerking in a wonderful way! The story is told with simplicity and humor, through a farmer boy's dialect, as Rob grows from a boy to a man in the short time. With an equal measure of laughs and tears, it's blended into one amazing book. Regarded as a classic in some places, A Day No Pigs Would Die is a wonderful book. It really makes you think about a different kind of lifestyle. As an American, I live a sheltered life, not having to do the kind of work farmers do, never knowing the feeling of hunger. The book really makes you think, while maintaining a good plot and story line. The characters are believable and sympathetic. Peck does an excellent job with the book. If you don't read it, you're really missing out.
Rating: 
Summary: A Pig's Problem
Review: A Day No Pigs Would Die
Robert Newton Peck
B. Masukawa
P.6 The book A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck is about a boy named Robert and his family in the town of Learning. Their family owns a farm on an orchid on the outskirts of town. One day Robert helps a cow, which belongs to Mr. Tanner, give birth to two calf's. Robert is rewarded by being given a pig that they decided to call Pinky. From that point on, he raises the pig and watches it grow. Robert goes to the county fair with Pinky and wins a blue ribbon for Best Behaved pig, but when they return from the fair, the father tells Robert that Pinky is barren. Near the end, the father killed the pig because they needed more meat to survive on during the winter. Soon after, the father dies and Robert now has to take care of his mother and aunt.
I hated this book because it was totally pointless. The boy is given a pig that ends to be killed in the end. In the beginning he talks about how important the pig, Pinky is to him. He tells us how the pig was the first thing that he ever owned and it's importance. In the middle of the book, it suddenly doesn't even mention the pig except the parts when Robert is taking food to it. At the end of the book you wonder what was the point of the pig's involvement at all with the boy. All I could ever figure out, was that the pig was an object that Robert got attached to. I think that the point of the story was how Robert had to become a man and take care of himself.
There are certain things in a book that doesn't need to be described. In the beginning, it describes in detail how a cow's legs is swollen and dripping with blood as she is giving birth to her calf. While the cow is giving birth to her calf " That devil cow ran down that ridge with my arm in her mouth, and dragging me half-naked with her." While the father is slaughtering the pig "Her blood gushed out in heaving floods around our ankles," this quote almost made me throw up. After the father killed Pinky, Robert kissed his hand that was soaked with pig blood until some of it got into his mouth. I understand that the author was trying to tell me what the difficulties of a farm were and what the livestock go through, but the descriptions were unnecessary.
My least favorite part of the book is when Ira long brings along a good-natured female dog to Robert's fathers' farm. Ira brought his dog along because he wants to make it fight a weasel. The whole point to the fight is to make the dog into a weasel dog so after it will ripe apart any weasel in her sight. At the end of the fight, the dog bites its' owner with deep disgust. Her paw was now only a stump with a bone splintered at the end. Her ear was also torn off and was in a stage of extreme pain. I understand why this event took place, but didn't understand why farmers didn't think of what the outcome of the fight would do to the dog's well-being. What was even worse was that she was forced into something that she knew would risk her life. After I read this chapter I thought that the farmers were incredibly stupid.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet
Review: An enjoyable coming-of-age novel. It describes a lifestyle that would be very attractive to city slickers who tend to romanticize country life, but in itself it is a solidly good book about the importance of hard work and good values. The story is sweet--a surprise since it is about plain folk and told in plain language--and the themes of love and maturity are explored subtly and well. I especially enjoyed reading about the relationship between Robert and his father. I would have liked to meet Robert's father, but as it is I already benefit greatly from his wise words, such as "Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut."
Rating:
Summary: Coming to manhood
Review: This story describes the road to manhood by a young boy living in rural America. It begins with the young lad avoiding responsibility, skipping a day of school for a walk through the country. Eventually, he earns a pet pig, which he raises from piglet into a fine show pig. Through the years of caring for his pig, and learning from the silent leadership of his father, he grows to become a man, and the leader of the house. The book is written from the point of view of the lad, who initially sees events through the eyes of a young boy. Traumatic acts such as the weaseling of a dog, and the slaughtering of his beloved pet, are vividly remembered with intricate detail. As he ages and learns the importance of responsibility, honor, and integrity, the description of the world around him changes accordingly. This book gives a glimpse of the values that once graced rural America. It shows how a boy rises from immaturity, learning the value of morals and integrity, to one day lead the house and uphold the fine name of his family.
Rating:
Summary: A day many kids will [be bored with this book]
Review: First of,this is a really bad book. No content, no adventures, just plain [silly people] who think they're cool. And to the other person who said it talks about perverts and affairs, who cares?...
Rating: 
Summary: Review on "A Day No Pigs Would Die"
Review: "A Day No Pigs Would Die" by Robert Newton Peck is a great book. The lessons in the book are easy to relate to. For example, Robert deals with death and birth. These lessons are easy to relate to because we experience these in everyday life. Robert also deals alot with responsitility at a young age. For example, at the end of the novel, Robert is thirteen and becomes a man. This shows that Robert learns a lot of responsibility and that we can relate to that in many ways. That is why "A Day No Pigs Would Die" is a great novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Day No Kids Would Read A Book
Review: The book A Day No Pigs Would Die is a boring and very uneventful book. The book is a semi-autobiography about Robert Peck who is an average 12-year-old shaker boy who lives on a farm. He lives in a small town in Vermont with his Mom, Dad, and Aunt Carrie. One bad thing about the book is that it has no set mood. In the book there are some chapters that have a positive mood like chapter 5, when Rob spends a day with Pinky. Then in chapter 6, the mood shifts to a negative mood when Rob comes home with a D in English. Another poor quality about the book is that is not related to today's society in any way. How many 12- year-old boys do you know that have a pet pig and live on a farm less than ten miles away from your house. Not many! Finally, the book has very bad content in it. In the book, they talk about killing animals and people drowning and hanging themselves. Also they talk about "affairs" and "perverts". In conclusion, I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good novel to read.
Rating:
Summary: There Should Never Be a Day When No Pigs Would Die
Review: A Day NO Pigs Would Die was a horrible book for any one to read. The main character, Rob, was some one no one can relate to. He is a Shaker boy who doesn't have frills , only what he needs. Most of us can have luxuries he and people of his religion cannot. The main theme of this book is coming of age which is a good theme for teenagers to read about, however the way the writer talks about it isn't a very good way to explain that theme. If it wasn't for the seasons changing and expressing the different stages of growth (spring, beginning of life, summer maturing, fall, declining years, and winter death) I wouldn't have understood that that had even been a theme in the book. The worst part of the book was the dialect. Not only were some of the words fairly hard to read, for instance I couldn't understand what he meant when he said, "I cotton to...", but it was extremely graphic and very disturbing. The most disturbing of these dialects occurs in chapter 13 where the author describes in great detail the raping of Pinky, Rob's Pig, and how Rob and the pig breeder just sit there and watch like it's no big deal, " and next time she'll welcome the big boy." In conclusion any one at any time should not read this book.
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