Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, engaging, impressive.
Review: A wonderful read. Hanson sweeps the reader up into the the high stakes game, the espirt d'corps of the family farm, the teeter-totter hazards of weather and market demands, the changing fortunes of agrarian culture. A magnificent achievement. One of my favorite books of the last decade.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, engaging, impressive.
Review: A wonderful read. Hanson sweeps the reader up into the the high stakes game, the espirt d'corps of the family farm, the teeter-totter hazards of weather and market demands, the changing fortunes of agrarian culture. A magnificent achievement. One of my favorite books of the last decade.
Rating:
Summary: two worlds, one person
Review: Hanson is one of the rare people that can live in two distinct worlds and have the vision to see the difference. Fortunately for all the rest of us, he also has the ability to allow us all to see his two worlds. To me, many that read this book need to read it closer, for the book contains much more than casual reading can reveal. This book tells real life stories of real life people and the many interactions that take place between these people, that will ultimately shape everyones future. I did my best to try and say how I feel about this book. Read this book yourself and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: two worlds, one person
Review: Hanson is one of the rare people that can live in two distinct worlds and have the vision to see the difference. Fortunately for all the rest of us, he also has the ability to allow us all to see his two worlds. To me, many that read this book need to read it closer, for the book contains much more than casual reading can reveal. This book tells real life stories of real life people and the many interactions that take place between these people, that will ultimately shape everyones future. I did my best to try and say how I feel about this book. Read this book yourself and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A fun book, so smart, so tragic, so meaningful.....
Review: Having bought and read this book on it's release date, I was deeply moved by Dr. Hanson's eloquence and ability to engage the readers in the experiences of both his family and himself. For anyone who reads this work, it will not be soon forgotten. Dr. Hanson has left both a legacy and a testament to those who work the soil in the true agrarian sense, and planted a seed to tend in those so far removed from our roots.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly moving and insightful
Review: Having bought and read this book on it's release date, I was deeply moved by Dr. Hanson's eloquence and ability to engage the readers in the experiences of both his family and himself. For anyone who reads this work, it will not be soon forgotten. Dr. Hanson has left both a legacy and a testament to those who work the soil in the true agrarian sense, and planted a seed to tend in those so far removed from our roots.
Rating:
Summary: Fields Without Dreams
Review: I must respond, although a bit late, to the review posted in Dec. '99 by "a reader": "As we read this book it became clear that Professor Hansen's uniformly negative opinions of the people who now support themselves as professional farmers are truly clouded by his amateur status as a farmer. The sad thing is that he does not see that himself. In case you are wondering, his profession is, after all, that of College professor."Clearly the "reader" did not read Mr. Hanson's book carefully enough. As a nearby resident of his town of Selma, I can attest to Mr. Hanson's personal and family legacy of professional farming. He is by no means "an amateur farmer." Instead, he has worked on his family farm more than full time since his pre-teens, and supported his family doing so. The difficulties Hanson encountered as a farmer were common to the ventures of his particular crops. In addition, his acceptance of a university position at Cal. State Fresno was mainly a way to keep food on the table after the raisin crash. I wish this reviewer had read the book more carefully before tossing out major criticisms. As an outsider to farming, although my uncle is a cattle farmer in Wisconsin, I developed a passionate respect for farming after reading Fields Without Dreams. Hanson's overriding point, I think, is to emphasize the character and toughness required of farmers in any age. His book is particularly timely because, as he notes, "Family farmers are noble, but vanishing stewards of ancient ground." Hanson also makes an important statement about farming--that its myth of simplicity and quaintness is unfounded. While capitalism overtakes the family farm in favor of agribusiness, just like it has many other American businesses, what is disappearing along with the family farm is an honorable society we'll never see again. I am glad Hanson is around to capture this moment for us.
Rating:
Summary: Fields Without Dreams
Review: I must respond, although a bit late, to the review posted in Dec. '99 by "a reader": "As we read this book it became clear that Professor Hansen's uniformly negative opinions of the people who now support themselves as professional farmers are truly clouded by his amateur status as a farmer. The sad thing is that he does not see that himself. In case you are wondering, his profession is, after all, that of College professor." Clearly the "reader" did not read Mr. Hanson's book carefully enough. As a nearby resident of his town of Selma, I can attest to Mr. Hanson's personal and family legacy of professional farming. He is by no means "an amateur farmer." Instead, he has worked on his family farm more than full time since his pre-teens, and supported his family doing so. The difficulties Hanson encountered as a farmer were common to the ventures of his particular crops. In addition, his acceptance of a university position at Cal. State Fresno was mainly a way to keep food on the table after the raisin crash. I wish this reviewer had read the book more carefully before tossing out major criticisms. As an outsider to farming, although my uncle is a cattle farmer in Wisconsin, I developed a passionate respect for farming after reading Fields Without Dreams. Hanson's overriding point, I think, is to emphasize the character and toughness required of farmers in any age. His book is particularly timely because, as he notes, "Family farmers are noble, but vanishing stewards of ancient ground." Hanson also makes an important statement about farming--that its myth of simplicity and quaintness is unfounded. While capitalism overtakes the family farm in favor of agribusiness, just like it has many other American businesses, what is disappearing along with the family farm is an honorable society we'll never see again. I am glad Hanson is around to capture this moment for us.
Rating:
Summary: Fields Without Dreams
Review: I must respond, although a bit late, to the review posted in Dec. '99 by "a reader": "As we read this book it became clear that Professor Hansen's uniformly negative opinions of the people who now support themselves as professional farmers are truly clouded by his amateur status as a farmer. The sad thing is that he does not see that himself. In case you are wondering, his profession is, after all, that of College professor." Clearly the "reader" did not read Mr. Hanson's book carefully enough. As a nearby resident of his town of Selma, I can attest to Mr. Hanson's personal and family legacy of professional farming. He is by no means "an amateur farmer." Instead, he has worked on his family farm more than full time since his pre-teens, and supported his family doing so. The difficulties Hanson encountered as a farmer were common to the ventures of his particular crops. In addition, his acceptance of a university position at Cal. State Fresno was mainly a way to keep food on the table after the raisin crash. I wish this reviewer had read the book more carefully before tossing out major criticisms. As an outsider to farming, although my uncle is a cattle farmer in Wisconsin, I developed a passionate respect for farming after reading Fields Without Dreams. Hanson's overriding point, I think, is to emphasize the character and toughness required of farmers in any age. His book is particularly timely because, as he notes, "Family farmers are noble, but vanishing stewards of ancient ground." Hanson also makes an important statement about farming--that its myth of simplicity and quaintness is unfounded. While capitalism overtakes the family farm in favor of agribusiness, just like it has many other American businesses, what is disappearing along with the family farm is an honorable society we'll never see again. I am glad Hanson is around to capture this moment for us.
Rating:
Summary: A fun book, so smart, so tragic, so meaningful.....
Review: I read this laughing, smiling, shaking my head in wonder. A pasionate history of the risk and woe of the farmer's life.
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