Wisdom of the Last Farmer

In this memoir, the author finds the natural connections between generation and succession, fathers and children, booms and declines as he tells the story of his family and their farm. He sees the price the family has paid to grow complex heirloom peaches--when the market rewards tasteless, big, and red fruits--and the challenges of maintaining traditions and integrity while working in the modern, high-pressure agricultural marketplace. As his father's health declines along with the profitability of the family farm, the author moves beyond economic concerns to questions of life, death, and renewal.