| Pulling Down the Barn: Memories of a Rural Childhood Contributor(s): Oomen, Anne-Marie (Author) |
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ISBN: 0814332331 ISBN-13: 9780814332337 Publisher: Wayne State University Press OUR PRICE: $22.79 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2004 Annotation: Pulling Down the Barn eloquently recalls author Anne-Marie Oomen's personal journey as she discovers herself an outsider on her family farm located in western Michigan's Oceana County, in the township of Elbridge--a couple hundred acres in the middle of rural America. Written as a series of heartfelt interlocking narratives, this collection of essays portrays the realities of farm life; haying, picking asparagus and cherries, the machinery of tractors and pickers; but each chapter also touches upon the more ethereal and rarely articulated; the stoic love that permeates a family, the farmer's struggle with identity, the unspoken patriarchy of land passed on to sons (often at the expense of daughters), and the way land can shape a childhood. With its rich language and style, Pulling Down the Barn engrosses the reader in Oomen's memories--setting beauty and wonder against work and loss--and paints a poignant portrait of growing up in rural Michigan. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Personal Memoirs - Social Science | Sociology - Rural - Family & Relationships | Life Stages - School Age |
| Dewey: B |
| LCCN: 2004006440 |
| Series: Great Lakes Books (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.34" H x 6.02" W x 9.02" (0.48 lbs) 152 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Great Lakes - Cultural Region - Midwest - Geographic Orientation - Michigan |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Pulling Down the Barn eloquently recalls author Anne-Marie Oomen's personal journey as she discovers herself an outsider on her family farm located in western Michigan's Oceana County, in the township of Elbridge-a couple hundred acres in the middle of rural America. Written as a series of heartfelt interlocking narratives, this collection of essays portrays the realities of farm life: haying, picking asparagus and cherries, the machinery of tractors and pickers; but each chapter also touches upon the more ethereal and rarely articulated: the stoic love that permeates a family, the farmer's struggle with identity, and the way land can shape a childhood. With its rich language and style, Pulling Down the Barn engrosses the reader in Oomen's memories-setting beauty and wonder against work and loss-and paints a poignant portrait of growing up in rural Michigan. |