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Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer's Journal
Wendell Berry introduces this collection of essays which speaks of an Amish farmer's kinship with his land. David Kline's peaceful meditations on everyday events show a reverence and a respect for the wonders of nature and the joys of country life. "May well become a quiet classic".--Booklist.
Paperback, 235 pages
Published
September 1st 2001
by Wooster Book Company
(first published 1985)
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what i learned : a haiku review
the gift of presence
humble attention to life
birds sky overhead
the gift of presence
humble attention to life
birds sky overhead
Aug 14, 2007
Hannah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
environmentalists naturalists
Shelves:
non-fiction,
science
The forward's by Wendell Berry, which should give some additional clue as to the content. Generally, very nice nature writing with a focus on encouraging organic and nondestructive/noninvasive farming techniques. Tends to the abstract rather than the specific and as always, I would probably have liked things to go one step further, to really consider the impact that changes in farming styles would have on the community the author lived in (let alone everywhere else). Still, a pretty book with an...more
Jan 25, 2013
Kyle Pratt
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in nature
Shelves:
non-fiction
The author, David Kline, is Amish and a farmer, so he lives very close to nature. While the subtitle is, "An Amish Farmer's Journal," this book is not about the Amish. It is about a man's love for God's creation that surrounds him on his farm and his sadness at what has been lost and what we continue to lose.
The introduction by the author is a powerful statement for sustainable, small scale, family farming. Wendell Berry in the foreword notes this with his statement that Kline's life, "informed...more
The introduction by the author is a powerful statement for sustainable, small scale, family farming. Wendell Berry in the foreword notes this with his statement that Kline's life, "informed...more
Wendell Berry's forward alone is worth the price of this book. And I was as impressed by Kline's writing as I was when I heard him in person last year. He may be an Amish farmer (itself reason enough to pay attention to what he has to say), but he is also an astute, keen observer as well as a philosopher and theologian.
If I had to choose one of these essays to be read or reread, it would be "Farwell to the Giants" pp 190-196. Here Kline laments the logging of a neighboring wood lot that he has k...more
If I had to choose one of these essays to be read or reread, it would be "Farwell to the Giants" pp 190-196. Here Kline laments the logging of a neighboring wood lot that he has k...more
Lots of information about birds, sometimes just straight pages and pages of bird watching descriptions. However, I kept reading. Tidbits of the Amish life kept me intrigued such as the stories of making syrup, sentimentality, and pure gratefulness of life. Like I said, a little dry at times, but the book makes you feel good and appreciate the little things in life.
back to the farm and a lot of bird watching this time. many short stories divided by the seasons. a light enjoyable read. SCRATCHING THE WOODCHUCK gave a little more variety of farm life and if you going to read only one of these i would suggest that one over this. however, if you are a bird lover...you will be all over this one.
Probably one of the better collections of nature writing I've read. Reflections on Ohio nature and wildlife by an Amish farmer from Millersburg. Extremely memorable.
Like Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, this book is a series of short stories about the natural world. I found this very fun to read.
This is a sweet little book that made me slow down and start looking around me for birds, animals and simple beauty.
The publisher is a family friend, and my mother is a colleague of Mr. Kline's, so I found myself with a copy of the book. I found it quite peaceful. Boring, but not uninteresting. It made me a bit homesick for the area where I grew up.
May 30, 2009
Steven Monrad
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
natural-history
Great natural science writing. Collection of newspaper columns.
A lovely month-by-month description of Mr. Kline's observations around his home. I will re-read this with a bird reference book because much of what he observes is bird life, and I need the visual reference.
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