The Witness of Combines

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Summary: Kent could be my brother
Review: A friend of mine recommended this book. I grew up on a farm in central Nebraska. When I finished reading this book, I called my mom and asked her if I had a brother named Kent that she never told me about. I started reading her excerpts from the book and we were both astounded by how closely it matched our own lives on the farm in Nebraska, including the blue-speckled canning pot and pressure cooker sitting on the stove all summer! I found particular delight in the essay on the work of "town kids" vs. "farm kids." I look back at all we did, but it never seemed like work. It was just our life, one I wouldn't trade for anything. Like the author, I've been through my father's death, the sale of the farm, and in the next few weeks my mother will be moving off the farm and into town. Loved this book!

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Summary: A must-read for farm boys & farmboy wannabees.
Review: If you, like me, grew up on a "real" farm in the Upper Midwest, this book will take you back to the sights, sounds, smells and memories of your childhood. You'll smile, nod your head in agreement, and sometimes even cry. You'll read paragraphs aloud to your wife who did not grow up on farm, and she'll say "that's nice" but not quite get it. If you did not grow up on a farm, and would like a better understanding of farm boys, this is a must read. I'll read it again.

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Summary: Perfectly captures the disappearing Midwestern farm life.
Review: _A Witness of Combines_ was difficult for me to read. Kent Meyers so perfectly captures what it was like for me to grow up on a north central Iowa farm, that it feels like he was one of the neighbors. The final chapter about returning home is unbearably vivid. I, too, am off the farm because of governmental policies and their effects on farming. If you want to know what it was like, and why we ought to try to preserve it, read this book.

If I ever write this well, I shall be well-pleased.