In Good Hands: The Keeping of a Family Farm

From his diary of a summer spent on the farm, his grandmother's written recollections and a journal kept by his great-great-grandfather (the farm's founder), Fish has fashioned an affectionate and nostalgic portrait of farm life. The farm lies in a fertile valley north of Rutland, Vermont, and has been in the family since 1836. The author introduces his beloved grandmother, who was the center of family life; Great-Uncle Milo, who owned the farm; Uncle Sherman, heir to the farm; and the hired men. He looks at the working year-maple sugaring, plowing, sowing, harvesting, milking, raising and slaughtering animals. Fish notes that farming is an art of the use of living things, including people. His account of the farm, family and community, which embody all the old-fashioned virtues, is a fine piece of Americana. Fish teaches English at Western New England College. (May)