World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007 - (Page 50)

MIXED MEDIA|FOOD FOR THOUGHT The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese Reviewed by Jaman Matthews, | WORLD ARK WRITER ny book that begins with the statement, “When I lived in New York, I thought of farming as the return to a simpler life,” immediately raises my suspicion. I fear that I am in for another introspective, selfcongratulatory narrative punctuated by the usual hijinks—always expected and foreseen by the reader but somehow never by the writer. Add to this overused city-goes-to-country premise a title containing the word “year”— another contemporary trend—and I am doubly suspicious. Now all of the aforementioned hijinks must occur and be resolved (insightfully and humorously) within 365 short days. Thus I began Margaret Hathaway’s new book, The Year of the Goat. There are two little words, though, which saved this book from my donation pile: goat and cheese. These two words—singly or in combination—are enough to lure me into even the most predictable of premises. And this one is certainly predictable. Two young Manhattanites—Hathaway and her boyfriend—increasingly unfulfilled by their urban existence, quit their jobs A By Margaret Hathaway Hardcover | $22.95 The Lyons Press and set out on their great American road trip. There is little explanation for their choice of Holy Grail. As Hathaway puts it, “We were interested in goats, the people who raised them, and the larger community of the goat world.” But Hathaway does an admirable job as tour guide. Her easy-going writing style is well-suited to the task, highlighting each farm’s innovations while also gently pointing out shortcomings. Along the way, they visit not only goat dairies, but also meat goat ranches, goat association meetings, even a tour that uses goats as pack animals. The focus of the book muddies a bit when Hathaway detours into plans for her upcoming wedding. Here, she trades personal insight for personal indulgence. Incidentally, Hathaway’s husband-to-be and silent travel companion is a photographer. Unfortunately, we only get to see his work, heavily cropped, at the beginning of each chapter. Including more of his photographs may have lent the work more weight. In a late chapter, the couple finds their inspiration on a small farm in Washington, and the story ends as predictably as it has proceeded. After trials set in beautiful scenery, the girl gets the boy, they find a pastoral home and live happily ever after. As it is, the book is best left to romantics and the goat-obsessed. And perhaps wedding planners. Stumbling on Happiness By Daniel Gilbert Paperback | 14.95 Vintage We all want to be happy. But what does it really take? A Harvard psychologist discovered some interesting and unexpected answers. Nonviolence: Twenty-Five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea Mark Kurlansky Hardback | $21.95 Modern Library Kurlansky, author of Cod and Salt, here tackles the elusive yet timely subject of nonviolence, tracing the idea through the world’s great religions and societies. www.heifer.org 50 November/December 2007 | WORLD ARK http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

World Ark - November/December 2007 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Pursuing Happiness (PRODUCT) RED: Consumer Power Fights AIDS in Africa Rwanda Reconciles End Hunger Now Protecting the Poor from Climate Change Mixed Media Heifer Bulletin Heifer Spirit Heifer Calendar Reflection

World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

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