I recently discovered author Jerry Apps.
I very much enjoy reading stories of rural life and agrarian living such as “The Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian” by Herrick Kimball. I also follow Herrick’s blog on a regular basis. Both of these are highly recommended, if you haven’t already read them, but that is getting away from the subject of my post.
Herrick recently posted a review of Jerry’s book “Every Farm Tells a Story.” What really caught my eye was that Apps grew up on a farm in Central Wisconsin. Doing a little research, I found that to be just west of where I grew up.
Being somewhat frugal, my first inclination was to see what the library had. Neither of the two libraries to which I belong had “Every Farm Tells a Story.” But they did have his new fiction novel, “In a Pickle.” That was an enjoyable read.
Set in the mid 1950s, the conflict centers on the struggle of the small, diversified family farm trying to stay afloat at a time that farmers were told to “get big, or get out.” It’s not a perfect story, but nonetheless, it is a worthwhile read with a significant message about the death of the family farm.
