I read this book because I encountered James Rebanks on Twitter and enjoyed his posts about raising sheep in England's Lake District. Rebanks writes about how his experience of the Lake District as his ancestral home, where his family has been raising sheep for hundreds of years at least, is different from the romantic vision that non-farmers have of the place. As he describes the work he does throughout the seasons, the relationships he has with his parents and neighbors, and a bit of the history of sheep farming in his part of England, you gain some appreciation of what he means. The book is engaging, even for a non-farmer. Well worth reading.

 A NEW FAVOURITE NON-FICTION BOOK!

It had the perfect combination of factual information, beautiful descriptions, social commentary and personal anecdotes.

I loved the discussions about how most people hold such a limited definition of intelligence and how that harms everyone involved. I loved the commentary on how artificial the tourism industry is and how you come to rely on it even though it also threatens your way of life in a lot of ways. And I loved how the author critiqued how the Lake District is romanticised by those who lack true insight and understanding of the land and life there.

Aaah I just loved this book so much.

I kind of want to read it again right now... 

This is a good family memoir with some social history thrown in