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Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World
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From farmer Joel Salatin's point of view, life in the 21st century just ain't normal. In FOLKS, THIS AIN'T NORMAL, he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. Salatin has many thoughts on what normal is and shares practical and philosophical ideas for changing our lives in small ways
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Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
October 10th 2011
by Center Street
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Start your review of Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

I'm about 1/3 the way into this book (I've had to return it because there are other people on hold for it) and I find Mr. Salatin to be something of a hypocrite. The funny thing is that I generally agree with many of his over-arching ideas, but the guy just comes across as a major jerk and I have a hard time taking him seriously. He's got some good points and some great ideas but he delivers them like a crusty old man, cane in the air, yelling, "Back in MY day, you whippersnappers wouldn't have
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If I had read this ten years ago I would of been tearing my hair out, given it 3 stars, and written a long, obnoxious review about how of course he's right about some things --but-- if he would only open his eyes and accept that if we got real reform and the right laws passed and cleaned up our institutions everything would be fixed!!
On this day though, after reading many off-the-beaten-path books through many years, after many afternoons sitting in inner-cities with foster kids thinking about t ...more
On this day though, after reading many off-the-beaten-path books through many years, after many afternoons sitting in inner-cities with foster kids thinking about t ...more

Joel Salatin can be a little too folksy at times. I have a feeling that if he & I were to sit down & talk politics, we might shortly start shouting at each other. He tends to over generalize about people whose views he dislikes; for example, it's an awfully big leap to assume that a woman who complains to her HOA about a neighbor's tomato plant is also a Democrat. This does not make him even one iota wrong about the state of food in this country, however. There is information within this book th
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I think Joel does great work regarding farming and food production. But im not reviewing Joel or even his philospohy This is a book review and what I'm disappointed about t is the patronizing tone. Page 168 "I have news for you: That lumber doesn't grow there (in a hardware shop)..."
Not exactly news to me. Is it to you? There are many examples like that which I found annoying.
To even elect to pick up this book suggests the reader has an interest in health, food and the environment. There is al ...more
Not exactly news to me. Is it to you? There are many examples like that which I found annoying.
To even elect to pick up this book suggests the reader has an interest in health, food and the environment. There is al ...more

Joe salatin has become famous over the decades as a Virginia farmer who uses older folkways of farming to successfully have a modern and profitable farm. So he does not use any chemicals or pharmaceuticals in his rather large livestock operation , but rather composted fertilizers, and symbiotic animal living for soil and animal health respectively. And has been wildly successful, from about 100 acres of arable (and 400 of woods/forest) he and his family have taken a highly eroded and worn out fa
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A definite meh. I was looking for more down-to-earth validation than preachy libertarianism.
What I heard: blah blah blah blah blah.
Not that I don't agree with some of his practices and suggestions, as those who are truly aligned with the land would hear, but I was drowning in full-throated white noise because of an inherent arrogance that runs like a spine throughout the book. I found this book as annoying as Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, which I reviewed here.
A ...more
What I heard: blah blah blah blah blah.
Not that I don't agree with some of his practices and suggestions, as those who are truly aligned with the land would hear, but I was drowning in full-throated white noise because of an inherent arrogance that runs like a spine throughout the book. I found this book as annoying as Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, which I reviewed here.
A ...more

This is The Omnivore's Dilemma with a teaspoon of local yokel and a tablespoon of political swagger. Author Joel Salatin is a proud foodie libertarian, and if you sense an oxymoron in that pairing, you'll need to read his no-nonsense book to get the lowdown.
Yep. Joel wants to kick some ass. Mostly big government ass. Strangely enough, he finds himself allied with all the liberal Democrat foodies when it comes down to what we should be eating. It's the government that drives him mad. The "food p ...more
Yep. Joel wants to kick some ass. Mostly big government ass. Strangely enough, he finds himself allied with all the liberal Democrat foodies when it comes down to what we should be eating. It's the government that drives him mad. The "food p ...more

I'm a big fan of Joel Salatin. I first came across him in the excellent documentary Food, Inc., then read more about his Polyface farm in The Omnivore's Dilemma. He's written several books; Folks, This Ain't Normal is his newest, and the only one I've read so far. I'll write my review in two sections, because I had two strong reactions to the book.
First, Joel Salatin makes farming seem like the most interesting thing in the world. His farm (and I am simplifying here) takes sunlight, turns it int ...more
First, Joel Salatin makes farming seem like the most interesting thing in the world. His farm (and I am simplifying here) takes sunlight, turns it int ...more

As someone who lived in South America once upon a time, who saw what life is like when food is LOCAL (little shops on every corner, people who rode big huge tricycles through the streets selling rabbit, milk, open air "ferias"/farmer's markets, etc.) and loved every minute of it, this book resonated with me.
Did you know that before 1946 there were no supermarkets? Well, that's what Joel Salatin says. I have yet to fact check it (and I need to feed my kids breakfast, so I can't right now, sorry). ...more
Did you know that before 1946 there were no supermarkets? Well, that's what Joel Salatin says. I have yet to fact check it (and I need to feed my kids breakfast, so I can't right now, sorry). ...more

This was a very interesting book. How is life different than it was a scant 80 to 100 years ago? Dramatically. People - particularly American people - are for the most part completely disconnected to their basic needs. Food, water, energy, heat -- all essential for life, are provided to us by some process we mostly don't understand. If we suddenly found ourselves without them, or the means to procure them, we would all literally die for lack of knowing how to get them ourselves. In a word, we ar
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Joel Salatin is such an insufferable ass that I couldn't make it past page 50 of his book - which is a shame because I think he's probably right about how he does agriculture.
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I first read about Joel Salatin in Michael Pollan's, "Omnivore's Dilemma," and my impression from Pollan was that this guy would give the farmer's perspective on sustainability. Well, he delivered on that aspect. Unfortunately, his continued usage of the hook, "folks, that ain't normal" began to grate on me.
I'm not sure why this repetition of such a cliched declaration ever escaped the editor's pen, but it did. And what may have come off as folksy, squeaky intonation a la Jeff Foxworthy - imagi ...more
I'm not sure why this repetition of such a cliched declaration ever escaped the editor's pen, but it did. And what may have come off as folksy, squeaky intonation a la Jeff Foxworthy - imagi ...more

Joel Salatin is an icon of the sustainable agriculture movement. His Polyface Farm enjoys international renown and Salatin is in great demand as a speaker and educator. He is also quite personable and down-to-earth, having not let his celebrity go to his head.
If you have a chance to listen to this book on audio, I highly recommend doing so. Saladin narrates it himself and his irascible humor comes through so clearly in the recording that for once, I think the audio book is at least as good as t ...more
If you have a chance to listen to this book on audio, I highly recommend doing so. Saladin narrates it himself and his irascible humor comes through so clearly in the recording that for once, I think the audio book is at least as good as t ...more

You'd have to read whole lot of books to get the volume of information Joel packs into this book--I know, I think I've read most of them. Get past what so many other reviewers' described as his rant, and you'll see he's years ahead of many other writers (including the eloquent Michael Pollan who is about 5 years behind Joel's thought, but is nonetheless an incredible read). No surprise of course, Joel and his family have been living this way for a long time. Like Will Allen, his farming practice
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This was a fabulous book, though I have mixed emotions about some of the topics covered. I came across Salatin's work by way of a TED Talk given by Michael Pollan (author of "In Defense of Food"). Salatin is a permaculture (worth looking up on Wikipedia) farmer of Polyface Farm in Virginia. He has come up against numerous roadblocks to what he terms more normal ways of living, eating, and producing food. He provides a comparison of how current North Americans generally think of food, water, ener
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Some good and worthwhile ideas that are overwhelmed by the authors curmudgeonly writing style. Want to be condescended to for 350 pages about how our society has gone wrong or that soy beans will make you effeminate? To paraphrase from Salatin "That ain't normal." Expect to read the title of this book at least once a chapter.
Out of the many digressions and condescension the two most glaring are ,first, the assertion that all men should know how to use a hammer and nail, but women don’t need to. ...more
Out of the many digressions and condescension the two most glaring are ,first, the assertion that all men should know how to use a hammer and nail, but women don’t need to. ...more

Mr Salatin has developed some excellent methods for sustainable farming, most of which is so scalable, I'm able to make use of his ideas in my own back yard to keep 2 (yes, just two) urban hens happy. An excellent, entertaining read about thinking outside the box.
Somebody should probably tell him the installation of rainwater tanks in Australian urban areas only started in the last few years,and is by no means widespread in every city. As recently as 13 years ago, it was difficult even to inst ...more
Somebody should probably tell him the installation of rainwater tanks in Australian urban areas only started in the last few years,and is by no means widespread in every city. As recently as 13 years ago, it was difficult even to inst ...more

This just feels like the wrong book at the wrong time. If you want to be lectured at for 300-some pages, go for it. Sure, he can be humorous; but he seems interested in packing in so many anecdotes and pieces of farming knowledge that the jokes seem rushed and flat. And much of what he is trying to point out has at this time already been renewed as common wisdom, while the book has a tone of "look what I discovered!"
A good amount of what he has to say is surely correct, and has a certain wisdom ...more
A good amount of what he has to say is surely correct, and has a certain wisdom ...more

As well as an informational book about agriculture both large & small and nutrition, it is also a call to action. Many themes are embedded in this book not the least of which is 'how do we take back our autonomy from the government that purports to know what we should eat?'
This books educates and challenges. Joel Salatin has a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue; he does not hold back. This is not a book for the person who likes the status quo; this is a book for one who wants to know what is ...more
This books educates and challenges. Joel Salatin has a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue; he does not hold back. This is not a book for the person who likes the status quo; this is a book for one who wants to know what is ...more

I'm about 5 years behind on my book reviews, but I just couldn't let this one pass without giving it five stars and a few words. I hate to say that any book is "important", because it just sounds so la-di-da pretentious, but the truth is that, whether he meant to or not, Salatin has written a book that explains what's going on in our American psyche - a vague uneasiness, a feeling of perplexity, of anxiety about how we live. We yell for "change" because we know something's wrong, but - what if w
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I'm completely onboard with the premise that as a society we are too removed from the process of growing, raising and producing food. The work that it takes to prepare and plant and the time and care to raise healthy animals, most people have no experience. I miss planting and canning and talking about planting. I digress. I just didn't appreciate the preachy tone.
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I was excited to read this, but my excitement quickly faded. In all honesty, it was too horribly depressing to finish. If I had a do-over button, I'd go back and live the way Salatin wants me to, and the way I've always wanted to, but instead I have sugar-addicted, technology addicted, children, who rarely do chores, and oh - I can't grow a damn thing. Even my windowboxes die a sad death. I bought the same starter cabbage plants my neighbor did (we literally got them at the same farm): her's spr
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It took me a long time to finish this book but it was worth it! As previous reviewers may have pointed out, Joel is Christian and not afraid to pepper his work with his beliefs- looking past that to the meat of the book though there is a wealth of information everybody in western society should be learning, especially in regards to the food industry.
As a person who finds "getting back to basics" even with a tiny garden, important and healthy (for mind and spirit) this book shed light on things ...more
As a person who finds "getting back to basics" even with a tiny garden, important and healthy (for mind and spirit) this book shed light on things ...more

Joel Salatin has a lot to say and we need to listen! He is not saying everyone should become farmers (although more should) but he is saying that everyone should be doing something to help regenerate the earth. Small steps would go a long way and he gives very simple and practical steps for the average person.
He can be extreme at times, but this is an extreme issue. Have you have met a local farmer that is producing real food? Their task is insurmountable and he’s been fighting for that goal for ...more
He can be extreme at times, but this is an extreme issue. Have you have met a local farmer that is producing real food? Their task is insurmountable and he’s been fighting for that goal for ...more

This book was brilliant. While Salatin's frank, somewhat unsympathetic writing style might offend some, I agreed with almost everything he said. The last three or four chapter in particular were very thought-provoking.
The only real problem I had with this book was a lack of sources/references. Some of the facts presented being footnoted would have been nice.
4.75 Stars ...more
The only real problem I had with this book was a lack of sources/references. Some of the facts presented being footnoted would have been nice.
4.75 Stars ...more

I generally love reading or hearing Joel's words, but this book doesn't get 5 stars because quite often, it just feels like he's ranting against things he just doesn't like.
To be fair, some ranting is implied in the title, but I think I hoped the general tone of the book would be more along the lines of the subtitle.
I still think it's quite a good book, with valuable insights, ideas and information. Just not as good as some of his other stuff. ...more
To be fair, some ranting is implied in the title, but I think I hoped the general tone of the book would be more along the lines of the subtitle.
I still think it's quite a good book, with valuable insights, ideas and information. Just not as good as some of his other stuff. ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Climate Change, E...: Folks, This Ain't Normal | 1 | 16 | Mar 20, 2016 02:32PM | |
Green Group:
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4 | 14 | Jul 17, 2013 04:26PM | |
Chapter by Chapter discussion | 1 | 9 | Nov 30, 2011 09:26AM |
Joel is a nationally renowned speaker on organic farming and "relationship marketing." He is on a mission to develop emotionally, economically and environmentally enhanced agricultural enterprises, and facilitate their duplication around the world. Part of that goal is to produce the best food in the world.
Joel espouses an agricultural paradigm shift that sees plants and animals as partners rather ...more
Joel espouses an agricultural paradigm shift that sees plants and animals as partners rather ...more
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