American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country

A friend has this book and I picked it up off their table expecting to just see great photos. But this book isn't just amazing photos, they are paired with great short biographies about many of the farmers. The writing is so good that I started reading it and couldn't put the book down!! Between the photos and the writing you really feel like you get to know these guys, and it makes you love farmers and the kind of "good people" they are even more. I grew up on a farming community and I think this book absolutely GETS real farmers. It's truly a better book that I thought it would be just picking it up! You won't be able to put it down! I already bought one as a Christmas gift and plan to get one for myself too.

This is hands down the best Christmas gift I've ever given. I have 14 copies and have not been able to wait for Christmas to present them to the recipients. Most of my family received them on Thanksgiving day. I come from a farm family, most of my relatives have at one point been immersed in agriculture. This book brought many of them to tears. The joy on my grandmother's face as she flipped the pages one by one was priceless. Not only is the book itself a great conversation piece, it also helped recollect memories from the past. Many stories of farm life have been shared since the book made it's way into our lives. Our copy lives on the coffee table. No other book shall ever take it's place. Thank you Paul from the depths of my soul.

Memorable images. Beautiful prose from the mouths of the interviewed farmers. A testament to a difficult, but rewarding way of life. A warning that we should keep our farms viable so that our food comes from home.

If you have ever been a farmer, lived in a farming community or know farmers, the faces show the character, ethos, the hard-working dignity of farmers across our country. The photography is sharp and the photographer captured the lives of American Farmers without needing much text to describe them. An excellent snapshot of a way of life in our country.

I was watching 'This Week in Agribusiness' and they had a wonderful piece on this book. The images they showed were so full of emotive impact that I knew I would have to buy this book so I could know the stories behind them. As a poet and farmer, I found these photos especially moving. I want to thank all involved with this book for making it possible for the public to have some insight into a fading lifestyle that has long been the backbone of our nation. This book is a must see for ALL people! Once again, Thank you. Leah Westphal