On on of the first pages, the author flippantly admits to bullying a classmate so viciously, they killed themselves in their car.

This is not an author whose book I want to read, no matter how much he knows about sheep. I can understand a farmer being harsh and unsentimental about farming. I cannot imagine any normal person leaving a by-the-by comment about one of the most horrific things you can do to someone in the intro of their book.

When people tell you who they are, believe them.