A Farm Dies Once a Year: A Memoir

Stuck, restless, and desperate for change, 31-year-old Crawford leaves his aimless lifestyle in Cambridge, Mass., for a season at New Morning, his family’s 75-acre vegetable farm in rural Pennsylvania, where he grew up. Set against a backdrop of pastoral landscapes and backbreaking work, Crawford returns home to chronicle his father’s risky “back-to-the-land” decision 40 years earlier, while searching for his own sense of purpose through life on the farm. As Crawford reckons with his ambivalent relationship to his family’s legacy, he weaves through past and present with memories of rough neighbors, accounts of seasonal weather difficulties, and an investigation of a friend’s murder. Still, the many responsibilities of running a farm are never far away—they serve as a constant reminder that farm work isn’t simply a job, it’s a lifestyle. While portraits of the land and its inhabitants are painted with care, Crawford’s revelations feel trite: “The farm was his livelihood, but his love for me always felt steady and clear.” (Apr.)