The Crazy Man

The Crazy Man by, Pamela Porter. ISBN-10: 0-88899-695-0

Fans of Sharon Creech's Love That Dog must pick up this heartwarming, poetic story. This is a book that must be read with Kleenex. Rich emotional content dances through sparse prose tickling the imaginations of readers. The story begins with an accident. Emaline is hanging off the back of her daddy's tractor when her dog, Prince, spies a rabbit and takes off right in front of the tractor. Emaline races off to save her dog, but gets her leg caught in the tractor and Emaline is badly mangled. While she is in the hospital, her dad shoots the dog and walks away from the farm forever. Emaline's mother tries to pay a neighbor to help with the fields, but he suggests she get a gorilla from over at the crazy hospital. Desperate, Emaline's mother takes his advice and brings Angus to work the family farm. Small-town prejudices create pain and heartache for this family who is just trying to get back on it's feet. Angus, who Emaline discovers is not actually a gorilla, turns out the be the best thing that could have ever happened to this family.

The story written plain
provides an honest view
into the hearts of America.

Some hearts are hardened.
Hardened by our own mistakes.
Hardened by our inability
to affect our own destiny.

The story of farmers in the 1960's
is full of pain.
Looking for rain.
But not hail.
Please, let there be no draught.

Crazy hospitals hold gorillas.
Gorillas are wild animals.
Nobody wants to know a gorilla.
Nobody wants to see the truth.

Truth flashes open in kindness
simple gestures
show truth
where prejudice lies deep

People suffer.
People grow.
They dance under the northern lights
and hope for a better tomorrow.