Reviewer: Sharon Brunner
Sara Maurer’s A Good Animal offers an unforgettable story about the rural ways of life, the trials and tribulations of young love, and the joys and challenges of raising farm animals. It took place at a country setting outside of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (the Sault), located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.), and the year the story took place was 1995. Everett, a seventeen-year-old boy, served as the narrator. The other main characters were Charlie (Everett’s friend), Everett’s mother and father, Jay (Everett’s brother), Katie (Everett’s younger sister), Mary (Kylie’s friend and Everett’s girlfriend) and Kylie, Charlie’s girlfriend. Kylie brought Mary along with her when she delivered lunch to Jay, Charlie, and Everett while they were baling hay. A job that required a lot of lifting for a couple of the young men. Everett and his family raise sheep, and in order to obtain top dollar for the sheep, they had to jump through a lot of hoops. Their sheep had to be fattened by feeding them a high-protein diet and very little hay to meet weight requirements. The sheep were brought to the Chippewa County Fair to be judged and sold. Most teenagers wanted to leave the border town to pursue lofty dreams, while Everett planned on staying put on the land he loved.
Raising sheep properly to obtain the highest financial gains required a lot of planning. Breeding had to occur at a certain time of year so the lambs would be the proper size for the fair. Only a few rams were used for breeding purposes, the other male lambs were castrated. Rams needed to be kept separately; they would fight each other due to competitive urges. Ewes could be dominant to protect their flock from intruders, unfamiliar ewes. Sometimes children would become attached to the sheep they raised and did not want them sold to be slaughtered. Maurer told me she became attached to some of the ewes she raised. She was raised on a farm and helped raise sheep in the country outside of the Sault. This book was written by someone who had firsthand knowledge about the ins and outs of raising sheep.
I took things a step further and attended a sheep judging contest at this year’s Chippewa County Fair (2025) because Maurer sparked my interest when reading her book. What I observed were children of various age groups parading sheep around an arena, and a judge monitored their behavior and the way the sheep stood. Legs must be at a certain length apart. What I learned from this book was training sheep can be very difficult. They will not do things alone. They want to do things with other sheep. The herd instinct must be trained out of them. The trainer has to become their herd. It’s obvious attachments can occur between the sheep and their trainers.
Some of the themes in the book included empathy; the importance of family and family traditions. As mentioned in the previous paragraph about attachments, Katie became very attached to the lamb she raised. The lamb followed her everywhere like Katie was her mother. When it came time for Katie to show her sheep at the fair for purchase, she cried. Everett felt bad for his sister so he bought her sheep which went against his father’s beliefs. Farmers believe in the circle of life, livestock served as food and not as pets. Everett’s mother gave Mary Christmas cookies to take home with her and they were left in Everett’s truck so he ate them all so his mother would not feel bad. Everett often displayed empathy.
The importance of family came up a lot in the book. Mary, Everett’s girlfriend, thought he had a normal caring family. Everett’s parents paid a lot attention to their children. I remember the snowstorm in 1995 mentioned in the book. I have lived in the Sault since 1993. Lots of snow fell for three days, five feet of snow. The snowbanks stood feet above my head. It was intimidating. Everett’s family was snowed in and they spent a lot of time together, which Everett loved. Mary was raised by her father. He spent most of his time when he was home in front of the television. She only spent two weeks with her mother at Christmas time in Florda. Mary said she fell for Everett because he paid attention to her, she felt she mattered when she was with him. They developed a relationship when his truck broke down and he had to ride the bus to school. They sat together and got to know each other better .
Family traditions were carried out a lot with Mary’s mother and Everett’s family. Mary’s mother lived by the airport and since she was a young child they would lie on the ground and watch the planes fly by and try to figure out where people were going. Everett’s mother made Christmas cookies every year. When Everett bit into a cookie, it tasted like Christmas. Everett’s family really cared about the sheep they raised. When lambs were born, sometimes they struggled to survive. When they were saved, the family felt like celebrating. Everett wanted to pursue the family tradition of raising sheep as an adult.
The movie that came to mind when reading this book was “Babe.” A cute movie about a pig who wanted to be a sheep raising dog. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie. “Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep” by Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius which covered in depth information about breeding, care and facilities required for raising sheep came to mind. Maurer portrayed that it took a lot of planning to raise sheep properly.
Sara Maurer
As far as I am concerned, I could relate to a lot of things in the book. For example, I was like Everett when I was his age. I did not plan on leaving St. Ignace, my hometown. I dated a local boy and we ended up getting married, not because we had to. My sisters ended up leaving and going to college, but I decided to have a typical St. Ignace life of becoming a mother and running a household. I could relate to Mary, also because later on I felt something was missing so I decided to attend Lake Superior State University like Everett’s mother did. I also believe that we need to provide the best care of the animals in our charge. I never lived on a farm but have provided very good care of our cats and dogs. I did visit my grandparents’ farm when I was a child, and they raised cows and pigs and had a very large garden. I have been told on several occasions how intelligent pigs are and Everett claimed that to be true, also. A mutual friend, who works with my husband, said they had to change the locks on their stalls because the hogs figured out how to open the other ones.
I like reading about all the local roads and places in the Sault. I have been to Dunbar on many occasions. Our dog usually plays in the water, and we hike on some of the trails. Maurer mentioned roads such as Three Mile Road. I take that road all the time to travel to town, to Walmart, and other places. It was interesting to read about the snowstorm of 1995. My heartstrings were pulled when Mary and Everett faced the dilemma of her pregnancy. They were not on the same page. I thought that maybe Everett was careless because he wanted to secure a future with Mary. However, she wanted to leave the Sault and pursue an education in California. Mary placed a lot of importance on her education and studied while Everett did not open a book. Just passing his time to barely graduate because he planned on staying in the Sault. He envisioned having a life like his parents. It would be difficult but worthwhile.
I recommend A Good Animal for its unforgettable and deeply moving story of rural America, because of its portrayal of tough life choices, for its coming of age debut and its extensive and interesting information about the raising of sheep. Living on a farm in the country can have its ups and downs. When the snowstorm hit in 1995, the rural country areas were the last to be plowed. They were snowed in. Everett was faced with a tough life choice to support Mary’s wishes concerning the pregnancy. Mary was Everett’s first love. The relationship served the needs of both of them. Everett also lived in Charlie’s shadow until a final realization. Maurer provided a lot of information about the intricacies of raising sheep. She captured the heartache of a first love, the hardships and beauty of rural life, and endearing tale of the competing world of the raising and selling of farm animals in her fascinating novel.
Title: A Good Animal
Author: Sara Maurer
