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A review by bristlecone
The Shepherd's Life: A People's History of the Lake District by James Rebanks
3.0
There's a really great book in here if it were edited better. Not only are there clearly repetitive sections (one paragraph appears twice within 15 pages of itself), but the mix of description and author's reflection are intermixed in muddled ways that send conflicting messages to the reader --- let me tell you about life as a shepherd but anyone who's not from here can never get it and isn't welcome.
I really enjoyed the description of life as a shepherd in the lake district. But I found the author a bit arrogant, obnoxious, and frankly insufferable. Only people from his community are virtuous or know how things "really are" (and not just in their community). Visitors aren't welcome. Once you leave this community, you can never really belong any more (except the author). Education is a waste of time because the author would rather be working on the farm and teachers are the worst... Until its clear that not everyone in this community can stay and farm, and he goes back to school. Suddenly education is potentially worthwhile (for him). And, of course, when he attends university, the author is brilliant and all of his professors like him best because he's so much smarter and more interesting than the other students.
I'm well aware that rural communities are filled with intelligent people who often have a unique brand of wisdom is undervalued by city dwellers. I understand the divisions and tension that happens within rural communities among those who embrace the life they were born into and those who try to straddle the life they were born into and a life in a wider world. I understand the annoyance with vacationers who show up in a picturesque community and treat it as though its their own. Those are all themes that are often addressed in this genre. But I found this author's attempt inelegant and off-putting.
The author has many blind spots. One of the most obvious is in his attitude about who belongs and who contributes to care of the land. Like ranchers in the US who benefit from public lands, public trusts, and various taxpayer funded programs, the author treats the issue as one of trespass by outsiders, rather than a set of tradeoffs that aren't perfect but basically enable the continuation of his way of life. He treats shepherding and farming as part of a healthy ecosystem without critically examining practices like the extermination of rooks or the fact that his and his communities decisions are still motivated by commercial interests (albeit with better institutions and norms for governing the commons)
While inserting the author's personality and reflections is a part of this genre, this is a very weak example. In comparison to something like PrairyErth by William Least Heat-Moon, which is also a deep exploration of life and culture in a specific place, Rebanks' approach is unwelcoming and even mildly insulting to the reader and he is unwilling to critically examine his own communities actions, or his own thoughts and beliefs.
I really enjoyed the description of life as a shepherd in the lake district. But I found the author a bit arrogant, obnoxious, and frankly insufferable. Only people from his community are virtuous or know how things "really are" (and not just in their community). Visitors aren't welcome. Once you leave this community, you can never really belong any more (except the author). Education is a waste of time because the author would rather be working on the farm and teachers are the worst... Until its clear that not everyone in this community can stay and farm, and he goes back to school. Suddenly education is potentially worthwhile (for him). And, of course, when he attends university, the author is brilliant and all of his professors like him best because he's so much smarter and more interesting than the other students.
I'm well aware that rural communities are filled with intelligent people who often have a unique brand of wisdom is undervalued by city dwellers. I understand the divisions and tension that happens within rural communities among those who embrace the life they were born into and those who try to straddle the life they were born into and a life in a wider world. I understand the annoyance with vacationers who show up in a picturesque community and treat it as though its their own. Those are all themes that are often addressed in this genre. But I found this author's attempt inelegant and off-putting.
The author has many blind spots. One of the most obvious is in his attitude about who belongs and who contributes to care of the land. Like ranchers in the US who benefit from public lands, public trusts, and various taxpayer funded programs, the author treats the issue as one of trespass by outsiders, rather than a set of tradeoffs that aren't perfect but basically enable the continuation of his way of life. He treats shepherding and farming as part of a healthy ecosystem without critically examining practices like the extermination of rooks or the fact that his and his communities decisions are still motivated by commercial interests (albeit with better institutions and norms for governing the commons)
While inserting the author's personality and reflections is a part of this genre, this is a very weak example. In comparison to something like PrairyErth by William Least Heat-Moon, which is also a deep exploration of life and culture in a specific place, Rebanks' approach is unwelcoming and even mildly insulting to the reader and he is unwilling to critically examine his own communities actions, or his own thoughts and beliefs.