cover image Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life

Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life

Brian Brett. Greystone Books, $25 (373pp) ISBN 978-1-55365-474-2

Both a celebration and excoriation of farm life, the latest from author Brett (Uproar's Your Only Music) examines his family homestead on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and the state of contemporary farming. With intimate knowledge, Brett speaks to the challenges faced by many independent farmers as well as the fleeting joys: ""Rural living is an eccentric pursuit, in the same way that beauty is an eccentric pursuit."" Raising fruits and vegetables, a small group of cows, chickens and pigs, Brett airs some strong criticism of modern agriculture-such as cattle slaughterhouses ""that resemble medieval torture chambers""-tempered by lighthearted passages on topics like farm-fresh eggs: ""I can tell what a chicken has been eating and how it's been raised when I break an egg on the frying pan."" His account is also spiked with a grim sense of humor: ""How do you make a small fortune at farming? Start with a large fortune."" Brett's wit and giddy ambivalence makes this account a stretch more provocative than similar rural memoirs, and an altogether compelling read,