Review of The Thundering Herd
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Fola Moni
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Review of The Thundering Herd
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Thundering Herd" by John E. Peltier.]
Growing up on a rice farm and cattle ranch in the 1950s and 60s might seem like a hard knock life for most people. The hard work, sweat and toil that goes into farming in the early 20th century must be exhausting. But for John E. Peltier, it invoked nostalgic feelings of family, love and happy times. So, he wrote a memoir,The Thundering Herd, to memorialise his experience and preserve his family history.
John was born in 1948 to Wilburn and Barbara Peltier and is the fifth of twelve children. His memoir traces his family history to their origins, starting with his French paternal ancestor and how their family name was changed from Pelletier to Peltier after moving to the United States. He also wrote about his Scottish maternal grandfather, how he subsequently married and moved to the United States in 1907. His memoir additionally captures his adventures growing up on the farm with his siblings, serving in Vietnam and building a family-owned business.
The author captured the essence of his childhood years in this first-person narrative book. The humour, the wit, and the strong family bond shine brightly through his words. It is clear that his family has values deeply enshrined in love, loyalty, and harmony. The story skips back and forth between his years in service and at the farm, but the writing style is rich and descriptive, allowing the reader to have vivid glimpses of life back then.
The memoir reads like a well-researched paper on farming and rearing cattle. There is so much to discover and learn. I had no idea that calves are sometimes castrated to become steers, and I found myself wincing in pain at the apt description. The dehorning part was gory too, and it made me question the necessity of the process. The other small animals around the farm also made quite an impression on me. The fact that skunks cannot spray their predators unless their front feet are touching a surface leaves me in wonder, and the episode where it sprayed Louis had me laughing out loud.
The author’s sense of humour was apparent in the entire story. Another episode that stood out for me was when he travelled solo to Sydney in Australia. He was in a bar that had phones on tables, so other patrons could reach anyone they found attractive. His phone rang, and he picked it up:
"Hello," I say, a little surprised.
“Are you a Yank?” asks a feminine voice, in proper English on the other end.
“No, ma’am, I’m from Texas”, I reply.
I was in stitches.
However, I have an issue with the pictures provided by the author. They are quite small, and there is no zoom option in Kindle Unlimited, the version I downloaded. I found myself squinting hard to see and read the captions beneath the photos, but it was largely unsuccessful. It is a tad disappointing because it would have been lovely to put some faces to the people in the story.
There are also several errors in the text, and it could do with another round of professional editing. Based on these two reasons, I will rate this 3 out of 4 stars. Otherwise, it was an informative read. The subtle themes of racial issues and the aftermath of war also made it quite insightful. There are a few profanities, so sensitive and younger readers beware. However, I believe anyone can benefit from this memoir. Readers interested in learning about farming/cattle rearing or reading historical/wartime books would appreciate this.
******
The Thundering Herd
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Growing up on a rice farm and cattle ranch in the 1950s and 60s might seem like a hard knock life for most people. The hard work, sweat and toil that goes into farming in the early 20th century must be exhausting. But for John E. Peltier, it invoked nostalgic feelings of family, love and happy times. So, he wrote a memoir,The Thundering Herd, to memorialise his experience and preserve his family history.
John was born in 1948 to Wilburn and Barbara Peltier and is the fifth of twelve children. His memoir traces his family history to their origins, starting with his French paternal ancestor and how their family name was changed from Pelletier to Peltier after moving to the United States. He also wrote about his Scottish maternal grandfather, how he subsequently married and moved to the United States in 1907. His memoir additionally captures his adventures growing up on the farm with his siblings, serving in Vietnam and building a family-owned business.
The author captured the essence of his childhood years in this first-person narrative book. The humour, the wit, and the strong family bond shine brightly through his words. It is clear that his family has values deeply enshrined in love, loyalty, and harmony. The story skips back and forth between his years in service and at the farm, but the writing style is rich and descriptive, allowing the reader to have vivid glimpses of life back then.
The memoir reads like a well-researched paper on farming and rearing cattle. There is so much to discover and learn. I had no idea that calves are sometimes castrated to become steers, and I found myself wincing in pain at the apt description. The dehorning part was gory too, and it made me question the necessity of the process. The other small animals around the farm also made quite an impression on me. The fact that skunks cannot spray their predators unless their front feet are touching a surface leaves me in wonder, and the episode where it sprayed Louis had me laughing out loud.
The author’s sense of humour was apparent in the entire story. Another episode that stood out for me was when he travelled solo to Sydney in Australia. He was in a bar that had phones on tables, so other patrons could reach anyone they found attractive. His phone rang, and he picked it up:
"Hello," I say, a little surprised.
“Are you a Yank?” asks a feminine voice, in proper English on the other end.
“No, ma’am, I’m from Texas”, I reply.
I was in stitches.
However, I have an issue with the pictures provided by the author. They are quite small, and there is no zoom option in Kindle Unlimited, the version I downloaded. I found myself squinting hard to see and read the captions beneath the photos, but it was largely unsuccessful. It is a tad disappointing because it would have been lovely to put some faces to the people in the story.
There are also several errors in the text, and it could do with another round of professional editing. Based on these two reasons, I will rate this 3 out of 4 stars. Otherwise, it was an informative read. The subtle themes of racial issues and the aftermath of war also made it quite insightful. There are a few profanities, so sensitive and younger readers beware. However, I believe anyone can benefit from this memoir. Readers interested in learning about farming/cattle rearing or reading historical/wartime books would appreciate this.
******
The Thundering Herd
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlight Serenade by Terry Mark
