Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days

In his bestselling Every Farm Tells a Story, Jerry Apps brought color and detail to the dreams so many of us have of simple rural life. Here, in his signature style, he spins warm-hearted tales about growing up on a Midwestern dairy farm in the 1940s--stories that make his country year our own.

Wearing his hard-earned wisdom lightly, Apps tells a tale for each month of the year in the heart of the country, and adds aphorisms and the occasional recipe for good measure. We skate with him on a frozen pond on a moonlit night. We watch him drive the hired mans Model T touring car at the age of 10, recover from polio by driving a tractor during disking season, and learn to ride bareback on a pony named Ginger.

Whether shooting off firecrackers on the Fourth of July or suffering through "potato vacation" or overcoming stage fright at the annual Christmas program, Apps is a delightful companion, teaching us a gentle lesson as he learns. By turns witty and profound, his book reaffirms our nations rural heritage.