Population: 485
by Michael Perry
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 361)
Read in February, 2008
I read the sequel to this book first, Truck: A Love Story, when it came across the counter at the library. I loved it and sought out any other books by the author Michael Perry.
And I loved Population: 485 too! Writers that can hold a conversation with you, make you laugh, and bring on a tear or two are rarefied in my mind. He's very relate-able, and I think even if I wasn't from a rural small town I'd still identify with his portrayal...more
And I loved Population: 485 too! Writers that can hold a conversation with you, make you laugh, and bring on a tear or two are rarefied in my mind. He's very relate-able, and I think even if I wasn't from a rural small town I'd still identify with his portrayal...more
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Read in April, 2008
I still have some mixed feelings about this book. The author does a wonderful job describing small town America and the colorful characters that live in his particular small town. I enjoyed these parts of the book as well as his engaging description of the calls he worked as a volunteer fire fighter.
Then he would move into the history of firefighting or quote philosphers or poets. I would start to lose interest and wonder why he was interrupting such a great story with little bits of bore...more
Then he would move into the history of firefighting or quote philosphers or poets. I would start to lose interest and wonder why he was interrupting such a great story with little bits of bore...more
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recommends it for:
frontage road poets and tractor drivin' beatnicks
My favorite chapter in this book is where Mr. Perry chews on being a writer. It's a fantastic little meditation for anyone in the "arts" (ahem, now i want to punch myself). Shit, it's a fantastic meditation for anyone who is "alive".
Perry's writing is lyrical and so gosh-darn pretty. I actually cried TWICE reading this book and that is no small feat friends. I think the last time I cried reading Ramona was involved. Or maybe Batman.... I can't really remember.
...more
Perry's writing is lyrical and so gosh-darn pretty. I actually cried TWICE reading this book and that is no small feat friends. I think the last time I cried reading Ramona was involved. Or maybe Batman.... I can't really remember.
...more
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Read in December, 2006
A memoir, with distracted focus between life in rural America, working on a small town's volunteer fire department, bachelorhood, and death.
The book lacks a focus. Even a memoir has some kind of focus but this tried to do too much. The humor was strained. Things that I thought ought to be laugh-out-loud funny were only slightly amusing. He didn't seem to know how to set up his jokes efficiently and humorously.
Mostly I found this a bit depressing. So many of the experiences that he writes...more
The book lacks a focus. Even a memoir has some kind of focus but this tried to do too much. The humor was strained. Things that I thought ought to be laugh-out-loud funny were only slightly amusing. He didn't seem to know how to set up his jokes efficiently and humorously.
Mostly I found this a bit depressing. So many of the experiences that he writes...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
People interested in or currently in EMS
My mother was a small town EMT, so this story of a small town member of the volunteer fire department really resonated with me. A lot of the parts were very similar to experiences I had living with an EMT. Tones going off at strange/inopportune times.... weird calls...sad, heartbreaking calls.... puke.... more puke.... the whole EMT deal. This was probably really interesting to be because my mom was teaching me ABC, CPR, and how to properly support someone's neck when they had a possible spine i...more
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recommends it for:
hmmm...
i wanted to love this book. i tried. but i just couldn't. this is both a memoir and immersion journalism, exploring a tiny town in wisconsin through the eyes of a local boy who left for the city and then returns many years later and joins the volunteer fire department.
at times, the book can't tell whether it wants to be funny or ironic or serious. at other times, the author's voice and the narrator's voice compete with the tension on the page. but the biggest problem is that the author trie...more
at times, the book can't tell whether it wants to be funny or ironic or serious. at other times, the author's voice and the narrator's voice compete with the tension on the page. but the biggest problem is that the author trie...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
Wow. Originally recommended to me by Sarah, who heard about it at a writers conference where it was cited as being an excellent example of narrative, this book completely blew me away. As I read it, I kept thinking of people with whom it would resonate. I want to recommend it to everyone.
It made me laugh out loud, cringe, skim ahead because I couldn't stand the suspense, cry, read passages to my husband.
Early on, there were a couple times where I thought author Michael Perry maybe had a ...more
It made me laugh out loud, cringe, skim ahead because I couldn't stand the suspense, cry, read passages to my husband.
Early on, there were a couple times where I thought author Michael Perry maybe had a ...more
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Read in August, 2007
This book is written like a series of separate articles, true stories in the life of a man who moves back to the place he grew up in and join the local VFD/EMT unit.
The tales are alternately hopeful and sad, but the overall impression I got from the book was very uplifting. Perry isn't preachy and he's very, very funny. It makes you feel good about the regular folk all around you.
I said this about his other book, Truck: A Love Story, but you really feel like you know the people he talks abou...more
The tales are alternately hopeful and sad, but the overall impression I got from the book was very uplifting. Perry isn't preachy and he's very, very funny. It makes you feel good about the regular folk all around you.
I said this about his other book, Truck: A Love Story, but you really feel like you know the people he talks abou...more
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Read in March, 2008
I had been meaning to read this book for a long time, since I live in New Auburn and Mike Perry is obviously well-known in this area. I was not disappointed. I enjoy the stream-of-consciousness style he uses in describing all of the calls and gritty encounters. I think the content was appealing to me for several reasons: I recognized many of the local landmarks (it was fun to realize Mike had run some of the same routes my husband and I do), I grew up on a farm, and I have lived in small towns m...more
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Read in June, 2008
I finished this book a few weeks ago and then that night had a dream that I was sharing a bed with some cows. Ahhh, small town Wisconsin. I enjoyed this book, if only because Perry doesn't try to glamorize or idealize small town life. That being said, I think he really could have left out some of the historical background. It felt very much like he was trying to prove "Yes, I live in a small town and I'm a volunteer firefighter/EMT but please please please remember I'm actually an acade...more
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Read in June, 2008
I almost gave up on this book, and I'm really glad that I didn't. About half way through, I discovered that Perry is both down right funny and pretty damn insightful about life, death, and discovering the importance of finding a community. I would definitely recommend this book. This book is honest, authentic, heartbreaking, and also humorous. Then every once in a while, in just a few words, he writes something so poignant that you can't help but stop and re-read such a wonderfully crafted sent...more
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Read in July, 2005
Michael Perry writes of his experiences as a volunteer firefighter in his Wisconsin hometown. When I first started reading the book, I worried that it was going to devolve into a sentimental ode to small towns. Fortunately, Perry is blessed with enough self-consciousness that every time he gets too close to superfluous gooeyness, he veers off in another direction. Laughs are found in many corners, including a short page or two on the Amish punks of his area, but gravitas is added by the sobering...more
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Read in January, 2008
Really good read about a small town volunteer firefighter/EMT. I really enjoyed the anecdotes about the characters in the town, but even more so there were lines scattered throughout that were pretty amazing. My personal favorites were "A walking joshua tree, with a posture less tribute to adversity overcome than adversity withstood." and "He drives farmer-style: middle of the road, attention focused sideways, on the state of the crops, all day to get there."
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
people from small towns, anyone who likes pondering life/death issues
Perry has a creative, thoughtful writing style. There were many parts where I laughed out loud, and many where I was horrified. Overall I enjoyed the book, and I definitely related to many of the small town quirks. I only give this three stars because often Perry jumped around from idea to idea within each chapter, and sometimes it felt disjointed, especially because I didn't always see how each idea related to the chapter theme (or even if was supposed to relate).
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This authors books always start a little bit slow, which is amazingly deceiving. Read this book all the way to the end. It has one of the most powerful, most emotional endings you will ever read. The last chapters leave you emotionally wrung-out but serves as a reminder of how the recovery from a loss feels like a flower sprouting from the snow in Spring.
This book leaves you with a deeper, more introspective understanding of life, loss, and family.
This book leaves you with a deeper, more introspective understanding of life, loss, and family.
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Read in February, 2008
What was this about again? I had to stop to think about it every couple pages. I've been back and forth a few times because I wanted to like this book, it's characters and their stories. Perry tried to link too many pieces in each essay, making most of them seem forced and fragmented.
This book was just a little off - still good for a few laughs and memorable quotes - but so many tangents in each essay made getting to the end seem like a chore.
This book was just a little off - still good for a few laughs and memorable quotes - but so many tangents in each essay made getting to the end seem like a chore.
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Read in January, 2008
I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, Perry is likeable, a guy you can relate to. Hes the anti-Augusten Burroughs, downplaying, and even ignoring personal tragedies with the exception of the final chapter. His writing is lyrical, his vocabulary entertaining. On the other hand, his humor misses too often, and this memoir generally lacks focus. I was irritated by the casual mix of philosophy, history and storytelling.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Wisconsinites, people from small towns, EMTs, and people who think about life and death
This book talks about the author's experiences in returning to his small hometown of New Auburn, WI. The book is partly an elegy on place, partly a description of the life of a small-town volunteer firefighter, and partly a rumination on the nature of life and death. Death seems to pervade the book, and there is also a strong thread of the loss that comes with the passage of time. Many humorous moments as well.
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Read in February, 2007
Thanks to Annie, I checked the audio version of this book and was very pleasantly surprised. I found it funny, touching, and just plain neato. I really like the little "Wisconsin" phrases that he peppers throughout the book. Such as "nervous as a whore in church."
Good reading for anyone from Wisconsin, or anyone who knows anyone in Wisconsin...
Good reading for anyone from Wisconsin, or anyone who knows anyone in Wisconsin...
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Read in January, 2005
I remember that this book moved me tremendously--it made me laugh and cry. The stories were poignant and real. I liked the author's move from New York City to such a small town. I liked the great vocabulary he used in his writing. And I liked the author's sensitivity to the issues of his town, neighbors and family. Excellent, fast read.
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