Barn 8, Deb Olin Unferth, Graywolf Press, 2020, 282 pp
My
goodness, this crazy novel was so good. Janey, a teenager from
Brooklyn, runs away to find the father she has just found out she has.
She ends up in Ohio where she falls in with some eco terrorist folks.
They
plot the heist of a million chickens, which are from just one
agribusiness farm of egg laying chickens. What you learn about how these
chickens are treated is almost enough to turn you vegan if your are not
already. The author IS vegan. She must have gone through some trauma
herself in doing the research.
Of
course the heist goes very wrong but you will have to read the book to
find out how it all turns out. Deb Olin Unferth is a fearless writer
with a seriously whacked sense of humor and a lot of heart. The
characters jump off the page and Janey won my admiration as she came to
terms with who she is and what life means. Even the chickens became
characters.
I am an omnivore and will remain so, but I am looking more deeply into where my supposedly "cage free" eggs actually come from.
i'm not a vegan either, but i wish i were... if i had it to do over... this sounds like an effective and purposed book... good for Deb!
ReplyDeleteEffective and purposed is a good summary, mudpuddle.
DeleteI was vegetarian for nearly four years. I enjoy the lifestyle but it became hard to continue with my current partner as he sure loves his meat and I didn’t like cooking two different meals all the time. This book sounds like a one of a kind read though!
ReplyDeleteI tried being vegetarian when I was a young woman. It did not make me feel great, just tired. I guess I need more protein. But the book is for sure unique and I love reading about people who fight for a better way to deal with animals and nature.
DeleteWhat an *interesting* idea for a novel! I've been a Veggie for a little over 20 years now....
ReplyDeleteYou might like this one!
DeleteThe cover art and your thought on this one made me smile. Sounds like a cool book to me.
ReplyDeleteUtterly cool book!
DeleteI count myself a semi-vegetarian. I occasionally eat a bit of fish or poultry. As a child, my job on the farm was to take care of the chickens. They are actually fascinating critters. Each has its own personality. I got quite attached to my charges and I still retain an affinity for them. It would be hard for me to read about chickens being mistreated, but other than that, this does sound like a worthwhile read.
ReplyDeleteJust to reassure you, she does feature some individual chickens near the end of the book, the few who make it to freedom. I remember the family next door to my grandma in Michigan had chickens. I would go see them everyday during our visits there.
DeleteI am still an omnivore, but my wife and I have weaned ourselves away from red meat, and eat far less meat in general, and prepare vegetarian meals quite frequently. I think a book like this might push me all the way over the edge, but a lifetime's habits are hard to break.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying everyone checking in here as to their degrees of vegetarianism!
DeleteI’ve been curious about this book, I’ve got it on my TBR list, I’m glad to hear it was a good read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Heather. I tried to follow your blog but it looks like I have to subscribe to Bloglovin to confirm, so give me a minute to get that done. Your blog looks good and I like that you read science fiction because so do I but not all people do!
DeleteThis sounds like good fun and thought-provoking at the same time!
ReplyDeleteYou said it, Debbie!
DeleteEeesh, I have a feeling that this one is not for me. I am an omnivore through and through...though I took am now curious about my free range and cage free food sources.
ReplyDeleteI get it!
DeleteI hate when I notice typos days after I made them *facepalm*. I don't even know how 'took' would fit into that sentence. Oi.
DeleteYou so rarely make typos though!
DeleteHow the chickens are treated in such places would be tough to read about. Gives me shivers! The story's whacked sense of humor & heart appeal to me. My husband often tells me the world would be a lot better if we & more were vegetarian ...
ReplyDeleteOh boy, did I ever feel sorry for those chickens. I think your husband is right but I find being vegetarian hard. Now onions are bad in CA! Whatever.
DeleteI don't think I could be a vegetarian, but I do see to it that I don't eat meat 7 days a week. I usually make sure I eat meat around 4 days, 1 day maybe fish and the rest just veggies! I'd love to read this book. I've been to a HUGE farm once with tons and tons of chickens, but they had all the room and space and were not in little, mini cages or anything like that. But it was impressive nonetheless to see so many chickens together... Me and my mom buy eggs at local farms every now and then, where they only have a few chickens that have all the room they'd want!
ReplyDeleteThat is what I need to do: find a local small chicken farm!
Delete