Stuff
Product Details
Free Press, June 2010
Trade Paperback, 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1439182426
ISBN-13: 9781439182420
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1
Description
David Mas Masumoto works a family farm, growing organic peaches, nectarines, and grapes. When Mas's father had a stroke on the fields of their 80-acre farm, Mas confronted life's big questions: what do his and his father's lives mean? What have they lived and worked for? "A fiercely tender book," (Debora Madison), Wisdom of the Last Farmer "portrays the farmer's life with so much passion, warmth and honesty that it's hard to avoid seeing farming's beauty and gritty appeal. Written from the author's perspective, in language that is poetic yet unadorned, it's part memoir, part manifesto, part philosophical discourse and wholly enjoyable" ( San Francisco Chronicle ). In the harvest of his father's wisdom, and his own, gathered from a lifetime of farming and surviving, Mas finds the natural connections between generation and succession and life, death, and renewal. He shares how to tend and make things grow, and how to know when to let nature take over and give things away.
In Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Masumoto farms stories as he farms peaches. His insights are full of beautiful, lyrical descriptions on how to nurture both the tangible and intangible and make them grow. Through Masumoto's quiet eloquence, we see how our own destinies are involved in the future of our food, the land, and the farm.
Read more:
Chapter 1Related multimedia
Video
1 to 1 of 1-
1. Wisdom Of The Last Farmer03:1836599609001
See more multimedia
"Wisdom of the Last Farmer is a fiercely tender book; it could forever change how you regard a parent and the way you eat a peach...[and] puts food and farming into a rugged perspective that both humbles and inspires." -- DEBORAH MADISON, author of What We Eat When We Eat Alone and Local Flavors
-- DEBORAH MADISON, author of What We Eat When We Eat Alone and Local Flavors
"An eloquent and moving memoir...a coming-of-age story for adults as well as a generous appreciation of the personal value of farming to farmers and its overall value to society. Masumoto's love for his family, their land, and the fruit they produce shines through every chapter." -- MARION NESTLE, Ph.D., author of What to Eat
-- MARION NESTLE, Ph.D., author of What to Eat
"The only voice from within farming that sings of both its pleasures and its pains, Mas Masumoto's words are so deeply rooted in his farmwork that they sweat, sting, and shine all at the same time. America's most articulate orchard-keeper, its most earthy writer, Mas eloquently captures the everyday beauty, heartbreak, and moral complexity of a multigenerational family intent on 'bearing fruit' despite insurmountable odds." -- GARY PAUL NABHAN, author of Renewing America's Food Traditions
-- GARY PAUL NABHAN, author of Renewing America's Food Traditions
"Masumoto passionately engages every fiber of his being in both his work and his writing, bringing the land to life for his readers….A philosopher in coveralls and work boots….Read slowly and savor."
-- Booklist
"A graceful meditation on the work of growing food and its meaning across generations. A peach of a book... worthy of placement alongside the best of Wendell Berry, Liberty Hyde Bailey and other literary farmers."
-- Kirkus
Fresno Bee, November 19, 2009
...mark your calendar for these events: - Friday nigh, Sierra Nut House will host a book-signing party for David Mas Masumoto. The Del Rey author and peach and grape farmer will have copies of his latest book, "Wisdom of the Last Farmer: ...
Fort Mills Times, November 6, 2009
...and a host of volunteers pulled together the event and an all-star list of speakers. That included author David Mas Masumoto, who lectured enthusiastically on the plight of the modern sustainable farmer during a gourmet lunch of local food ...
HeraldNet, November 6, 2009
...and a host of volunteers pulled together the event and an all-star list of speakers. That included author David Mas Masumoto, who lectured enthusiastically on the plight of the modern sustainable farmer during a gourmet lunch of local food ...
AsiaSource, September 2, 2009
...conversation between two of California?s most eloquent writers on food, farming, and identity. In his new book Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land, Fresno?s well known slow food activist and organic peach farmer ...
Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2009
...Organic farmer David Mas Masumoto ponders preservation -- and self-preservation. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times) Related Delicious, easy desserts from summer fruit 'The Perfect Fruit' looks at a Pluot grower's experiments ...
Boston Globe, August 18, 2009
...The author of eight books, David Mas Masumoto grows organic peaches, nectarines, and grapes (for raisins) on his 80-acre farm in Del Rey, Calif., near Fresno. Masumoto, 55, is perhaps best-known for ?Epitaph for a Peach ...
Boston Globe, August 18, 2009
...The author of eight books, David Mas Masumoto grows organic peaches, nectarines, and grapes (for raisins) on his 80-acre farm in Del Rey, Calif., near Fresno. Masumoto, 55, is perhaps best-known for ?Epitaph for a Peach ...
Boston Globe, August 18, 2009
...The author of eight books, David Mas Masumoto grows organic peaches, nectarines, and grapes (for raisins) on his 80-acre farm in Del Rey, Calif., near Fresno. Masumoto, 55, is perhaps best-known for Epitaph for a Peach ...
89.3 KPCC, August 16, 2009
...California brings readers into the world of farming and how the future of food could shape human destiny. David Mas Masumoto, author of Wisdom of the Last Farmer, told KPCC that the near-death of his father inspired the book. Comment | Read ...
San Francisco Chronicle, August 8, 2009
...bygone era? Or perhaps they're just masochists. The best response I've seen to this mystery is David Mas Masumoto's new book, 'Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies From the Land,' a book that portrays the farmer's life with so much ...
