Blithe Tomato: An Insiders Wry Look at Farmers' Market Society

Blithe Tomato: An Insiders Wry Look at Farmers' Market Society
by Mike Madison
Heyday Books
2006
$15.00

I love this book. It's a collection of great little stories about farming, farmers, and markets. The author tells a great story, delves into a somewhat odd obsession with old tractors (perhaps not so odd to farmers, but it is to me), and has a great eye for character. His prose speaks quickly and eloquently, sometimes telling a beautiful tale in less than a page. Opinionated (in a good way), funny and poignant, this is a great selection of scenes and essays, at times requiring me to read out loud to my co-workers (whether they wanted me to or not).

One of my favorite paragraphs in the book is from one of Madison's frequent political forays: "When I checked my e-mail, an image popped up on the screen of an idiotic man dressed in red, white, and blue bunting, deliriously happy over the victories of the Republicans in yesterday's election. I voted, too, but for the most part my candidates did not win. Perhaps democracy in this country is by now a complete failure, with elections openly for sale to the highest bidder. Even worse, democracy might be a success, and the election shows the true character of our people as they cast their votes for a violently exploitative attitude toward the planet and its creatures."

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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A flood of new books

It's been a crazy year so far, and we're starting to get a flood of great new books in. I've decided that instead of trying to organize, categorize, and prioritize which I want to tell you about, I'm just going to start writing. So, keep your eyes on the blog, I'm hoping to give you quick updates on a bunch of 2006's best titles.

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