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The Witness of Combines Kent Meyers |
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An exciting new writer looks at rural life and coming of age. When Kent Meyers's father died of a stroke, there was corn to plant, cattle to feed, and a farm to maintain. Here, in a fresh and vibrant voice, Meyers recounts the wake of his father's death when he was sixteen and reflects on families, farms, and rural life in the Midwest. Meyers tells the story of his life on the farm, from the joys of playing in the hayloft as a boy to the steady pattern of chores. He describes the power of winter prairie winds, the excitement of building a fort in the woods, and the self-respect that comes from canning 120 quarts of tomatoes grown on your own land. Meyers's father is the central figure that these memories revolve around. After his father's death, Meyers fills his shoes out of necessity, practicality, and respect. In doing so, he discovers that his father was a great teacher and that he is no longer a boy but a man. Perhaps the most moving passages in The Witness of Combines are filled with the simultaneous sadness and pride of growing up in response to death. Meyers recalls planting and harvesting the last crop, selling the family farm, and other stirring moments in a testament to his father, the family bond, and the value of hard work. Meyers's perspective on life in the Midwest elegantly weaves daily farm life with his coming of age story, drawing readers from all walks of life into this brave and poignant work. "His memories of childhood remind one of the writing of E. B. White, another practical man who wrote many essays about the economies of daily life. In The Witness of Combines we observe Meyers as he discards chaff from wheat yet also learns to live side by side with others." —Los Angeles Times Book Review "Meyers' language is always compelling, rising as it does from the pulpit, from books and folk, and from the land itself. The Witness of Combines is indeed a requiem, but it is also a gift-to readers who have lost their sense of place or who have never had the good luck to have one. And it is a warning, as Meyers sees support withdrawn-by financial institutions that insist on profit at the expense of the environment, by communities who have lost their respect for their culture and land, and especially by the churches that must, in Meyers' words, 'move beyond the simple tragedy of environmental and communial degradation, the tragedy that not only mere individual lives, but all life, life itself, may be harmed by our existence." —Georgia Review "A joy to read." —Rapid City Journal "This is an unforgettable book, a memoir of dignity, beauty and life. In its intimacy and in its telling it is superbly vivid and elegant." —ForeWord "Perceptive and lyrical, The Witness of Combines neatly illustrates the dual nature of his formidable talent. Meyers writes with a clarity and lyricism that's at times stunning. His beautifully crafted memoir is a book no less than a lifetime in the making." —Des Moines Register "The Witness of Combines is without doubt the best farm memoir I've read since Ben Logan's 'The Land Remembers' blew everyone away back in the early 1970s." —Dave Wood's Book Report "These lyrical pages could be variously described as memoir, regional history, short story, essay, or prose poetry. They are all of those things. And this collection of 23 chapters has an overall impact that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. The Witness of Combines is something far more than personal reminiscence, more than a nostalgic look at a way of life that is passing into history." —Minnesota History "This is a book I highly recommend. It is a book at one and the same time about one family, about rural Minnesota and a parable about life anywhere at the same time." —Family Forum Kent Meyers grew up on a small farm in southern Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota, Morris. He currently teaches writing at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. He is the author of a novel, The River Warren (1998). Winner of the 1998 Friends of American Writers Literary Award 248 pages | 5 7/8 x 9 | 1998 |
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$16.95 Paper