Emporia, KS – Readers of all ages will
delight in A Cow for College, by
James Kenyon, a collection of short stories about growing up on a farm in northwest
Kansas. “…the perfect tonic for those craving a connection to
old-time rural culture. Farm chores are told in such detail that the
reader will feel like they are working alongside young Jimmy as he milks the
cows by hand, cleans the chicken house, or weeds the garden with his puppy by
his side…Reality will bring laughs and tender moments as you work your way
through this portrayal of a life well lived,” according to Marci Penner,
Executive Director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
Kenyon was born and raised
on a third-generation family grain and livestock farm near the town of Bogue,
Kansas. A graduate of Kansas State University, Kenyon is a veterinarian in a
35-year, mixed animal practice in Iowa and a veterinarian for the Alaska
Iditarod Dog Sled Race. Some might consider A
Cow for College, Kenyon’s second book, a series of origin stories for a man
who has devoted his career to caring for animals and building his community. As
well as a writer, he is a 24-year member of his local school board and a leader
in numerous community organizations such as Rotary, church, library, museums
and the historical society.
Praise for A Cow for College:
“James Kenyon has put together a wonderful collection
of stories detailing American rural life during a much simpler time in our
history. The tales are also timeless and allow us to relive special moments and
milestones in life—the pangs of first love; having a pet so special it becomes
part of the family; the first moment when a youth understands death is part of
the cycle of life; learning that faith, family, and belief in oneself can guide
us through even the roughest of times; and other life-lessons as well. Bravo to
James Kenyon for these exquisite slices of life!”
~
Jeffrey S. Copeland, author of Inman’s War: A Soldier’s Story of Life in a
Colored Battalion in WWII
“James Kenyon’s stories explore that promising decade between
first memory and adolescence. Kenyon lived his preteen years on a farm in rural
Kansas during a special time when preschool meant hours riding on his father’s
knee while they plowed a field together, and life lessons began with raising a
calf, herding and milking the cattle, and selling eggs door-to-door. This was a
simpler time when a boy grew up with his dog and his wagon and played baseball
with his pals and sometimes (not often) parted with a nickel for a bottle of
ice-cold orange pop. Readers will enjoy spending a quiet afternoon with Kenyon
and will carry with them a sense of peace and well-being long after the final
story is told.”
~Mike
Graves, author of To Leave a Shadow, a 2015 Kansas Notable Book
“A
contemporary of Dr. Kenyon, I was not raised on a farm, but in a medium-sized
town in northcentral Kansas, where I was still very close to the rural
environment which was Jim’s very real background. I could associate with so
many of the things he wrote about in the book; and also found myself putting
Jim Logback into Jim Kenyon’s very being as he endured and enjoyed life growing
up in rural Graham County, Kansas. … His book is a fun summary of his growing-up
recollections which will be treasured, particularly by those who have ever
experienced growing up in a rural Kansas area, particularly in the ‘40s and ‘50s.
~Jim
Logback, Editor/Publisher, The Hill City
Times
A Cow for College, and Other Stories of
1950s Farm Life, is published by Meadowlark Books, Emporia, Kansas. In
paperback, the book can be purchased at any online or box store book retailer, purchased
directly from the author, or through the publisher at www.meadowlark-books.com. The book
is also available on Kindle.
James Kenyon is the author of two books, A Cow for College and Other Stories of 1950s Farm Life (Meadowlark 2017), and The Art of Listening to the Heart (Ooly Booly Press 2017) |
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