You had created quite the stir among the urban farming community with your book My Empire of Dirt. And it was ugly. But before I passed judgment I decided that I should read it myself. I wish I hadn’t.
Let me start off by saying that it took me forever to read this book. Not because it was long. Not because I’m a slow reader. No, it took me forever because the first half of it couldn’t hold my attention for more than one short chapter at a time. I would put it down not to pick it up again for weeks.
The second half was a different story. It kept me interested because I was utterly appalled at what you had done.
So for those that didn’t read the book, here’s my rundown of it. And yes, I am going to spoil it for you – though there really isn’t much to spoil.
Manny Howard is a magazine writer. You can totally tell in his writing style because he has a really hard time sticking to one subject or story for very long. He lives in Brooklyn in a large house mansion. He spends a great deal of his book talking about his wife and how she brings in a lot of money. By the way, she has been described by other readers as a bitch because she’s completely unsupportive of this project Manny takes on, but in all honesty I’d be just as angry at my husband if he did half the stuff that Manny does and I am an urban farmer.
Anyways, he is given an assignment by New York magazine to “confront the self-satisfied, well-to-do locavores cruising the city’s greenmarkets.” To do this he is to create a “farm” in his Brooklyn backyard and eat off it exclusively for one month.
From the onset he set himself up for failure. The purpose of this project was to prove that it can’t be done and he fully succeeded at his goal. At the end he even claims “I still don’t know if I believe urban agriculture sustainability is the right course, not in any productive way, and not at half the price I paid (both life and treasure). My interest in ‘greening’ the urban landscape was still minimal.”
How can you ever do something the right way if you don’t have the slightest interest in doing it? Throughout his book he exemplifies this perfectly. It seems that the only thing he’s interested in doing is spending money, and spend he did. Over $11,000 on his 800 sf “farm.” He argues that you can’t do it for half of what he paid. Well, guess what Manny, we’ve done it for less than $2,500, and that INCLUDES: purchasing livestock, seeds, fruit trees, soil amendments, water use, animal feed, building supplies, irrigation infrastructure, equipment rentals, hired help, and tool purchases.We have, however, produced well over $5,800 worth of food so we’re ahead of the game.
But this isn’t the most annoying part of his book. My biggest problem with the book is the cruelty and disrespect he committed against animals and his blase attitude towards it. The most shocking act of cruelty involved a squirrel, and as we all know, I hate squirrels. But no animal should ever be treated the way he treated it – leaving it in a live trap for three days without food or water while it screams and then dropping it, trap and all into a water filled garbage can. Other atrocities include letting not one, but two rabbits die of fly strike rather than take them to a vet or euthanizing them (because he didn’t use a wire floor and then didn’t have the common sense to use rabbit waterers but instead bowls which they knocked over so they were perpetually wet AND dirty) and paralyzing a kindling (giving birth) rabbit with a dustpan because he didn’t keep track of their breeding and was not prepared for it. He also spends a chapter making light of cockfighting and the disembowelment of a chicken due to being in a too small space with too many chickens.
Beside the obvious cruelty, his lack of research or even common sense led him to bringing home livestock without having anywhere to house them. This wasn’t an isolated occurrence, but rather happened twice with the rabbits and also with the chickens. He doesn’t realize that maybe hanging a rabbit carcass “to tenderize” in the basement for 5 days isn’t the best idea – the same rabbit he paralyzed with a dustpan. He also forgot about a chicken in the fridge until it was already 9 days old and smelling rank. He allowed his small kids to run around day old chicks and ducklings resulting in a stepped on duckling which he killed by whacking it in a bag against a wall.
In the end his farm gets mostly destroyed by a tornado. He still finishes his project (I think, he’s never entirely clear about that) but doesn’t seem to really learn anything from the experience. The book isn’t even entertaining and I’ve never disliked a book as much as I dislike this one. If you are curious about it still, you’re better off reading the article that the book came from. It is basically the same story without all the extraneous crap.
And Manny, if you’re reading this I want my $25.00 back.
OMG! I am utterly appalled- why on earth would anyone allow this man to be around children, much less write a book? I had asked for this on my Christmas list- now I need to send out an amended list complete with threats for anyone who buys this for me. Thank you for the review!
This sort of thing is so annoying to those of us who are actually making it work- but his book won't hurt the urban agriculture movement, because there are too many of us learning to grow what we need and making it all work. Thanks in part to farmer bloggers like you!
Thank you thank you thank you, for reading this so the rest of us don't have to slog all the way through it.
I read 1/4 of this in a bookshop one day, and wished I hadn't.
Raising animals for food and treating them respectfully, and growing suitable food crops, is not rocket science, nor is it a money sink if you use your head. But it really takes common sense, the desire to see it through properly, and it requires someone to pick up knowledge and apply it pretty much continuously. It's not a farking stunt you do once and then write off because you were less than up to the task.
It requires someone to be engaged, responsible, and to do their farking homework. It really amazes me this guy was not fined or arrested for animal cruelty during the 'experiment'.
I guess in the end the thing I have against Mr. Howard is he makes the rest of us look incompetent and cruel.
Turns out one of my neighbors read the original article and was dreading every moment when she saw us building the chicken coop. Like we were going to have some kind of poultry death camp in the back of the yard, and maybe rabbits would follow. Needless to say she likes the chickens now that she sees how much we dote on them.
$200 soil + $50 gas + $50 seeds + work = 500 sq ft garden, food, and love
http://www.flickr.com/photos/corks/5033743609/
He should have read Wendell Berry!
Now that's a review: refreshing that you pulled no punches!
But you've got me curious, despite the request for a refund.
Will read article, as noted.
Jonathan, the disturbing part is he kept saying that Wendell Berry was talking to him (in his head) but then at the end said he'd never even read anything by him until after the experiment.
Alice Joyce, if you're really curious, email me and I'll send you my copy so he doesn't get anymore money.
How disgusting. Thank you for the review so I won't have to waste my money and support him. e-gads, we have a farm, and we still aren't totally sustainable. His treatment of the animals is reprehensible. I am just amazed and disgusted by him.
people like this guy mess it up for the rest of us. glad i hadn't even heard about the book. i will certainly not waste my time. ugh!
Great review — hope you consider adding it onto Amazon. For amusement, I went there and read some of the reviews. Yours deserves a spot front-n-center.
(I wouldn't buy the book anyway, but your writing was entertaining!)
Lynn, Thanks! I just added it this morning.
Sounds like this ass hat needs to read a better book and get schooled! What a D bag!! The worst thing is that people READ that crap and don't use their BRAINS to see that it is an "experiment" doomed to be self fulfilling!!
I bet you'd like Farm City by Novella Carpenter. It's a great story about a SUCCESSFUL urban farmer. Good stuff. Very inspirational.
I've read Farm City. It's a great book. I've also taken a class from Novella so I got her to sign my copy.
This monsters treatment of his animals should get him a jail stint. Cruelty is NEVER okay.