| Another
Review at MyShelf.Com |
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Visiting Tom Harper Michael Perry has already shared much of his life living in rural Wisconsin in a series of books that began with "Population: 485". Close on the heels of that literary success came "Truck: A Love Story" and "Coop". Since the fascination with those who live in small hamlets located in mid-America has remained robust and people are still willing to spend a few bucks to peek behind the curtains and see how these folks live, Perry has gone to the well again to oblige them. In this instance the author introduces us to Tom Hartwig. In his eighties, Tom has lived his entire life on the farm he was raised on. Married about the time Dwight D. Eisenhower moved into the White House, Tom's property was cut in half in 1965 by a four-lane interstate that was, to put it mildly, a major disruption to his bucolic existence. With about eight million cars and trucks whizzing past your kitchen window every year you can't help but harbor a few negative thoughts about big government. Still, Tom is a pretty mellow fella whose conversations over the kitchen table and out in the barn are the substance of this book. Tom may be known locally for the working cannon he keeps in his front yard and the quirky stuff that comes out of his workshop, but it is this book that will no doubt make him a big time celebrity of sorts around this section of Wisconsin outside of Eau Claire. Michael Perry isn't quite Wisconsin's answer to Garrison Keillor but he's working on it. The humor, sage, homespun stories and simple insights his books provide are getting him closer and closer to the Prairie Home Companion's famous producer. Perhaps he'll soon have a spot on the popular radio broadcast and if or when that happens, I'm sure some anecdotes about Tom Hartwig will be shared there. An endless
reservoir of stories, Tom is one of those "treasures"
that must be shared with other people. |
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| Reviewed
2012 |
