Walking Tractor: And Other Country Tales

by Bruce Patterson

Hard work and love of the land in the heart of redwood country. Imagine driving a tractor at fifteen miles an hour on a highway. Walking tractors is just one of the odd jobs Bruce Patterson has gotten good at. Set in northern California s Anderson Valley, these personal essays tell of Patterson s love of rural living and his experiences working as a logger, fleece stomper, weed whacker, and in other seasonal and physically demanding jobs. Patterson s engaging tales of tough work and end-of-the-day carousing are insightful, honest, and, best of all, a hoot. Patterson is an American original, a writer with raw power and authenticity that can take a reader s breath away. Walking Tractor is a remarkable book. Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain I was in jail with Patterson in the early days of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, back in 1971. Walking Tractor is a really charming book. It s very honest, very truthful. I remember Patterson to be just a really honest person, saying shocking things nobody else would say. Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of July From the It s rare to read in serious literature accounts of people doing this kind of work that don t patronize or demean them. Steinbeck did it, of course wrote of ordinary workingmen as if they were to be honored and respected as much as knights and princes. And Bukowski wrote of workingmen as if they are the essential cogs that keep the world turning. Patterson does both. Gerald Nicosia, author of Memory A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac

218 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

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Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took forever to read this, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I could read chapters at a time and not lose a thread. My curiosity was raised because he tells tales from my area. But you don't have to know the local to enjoy this one - Bruce Patterson tells a great story!
I loved hearing the 'voices' of some of the old coots he worked with over the years - it brought to my father's storytelling, and sometimes, his attitude. The stories feature logging, farming, ranching... so if you know anything of any of those, or know people in those worlds, you should get a kick out of this book. But if not, you will learn something!
I will be recommending this one, and passing it on.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Anderson Valley region of California's Mendocino County, so I enjoyed these stories of the area's loggers and ranchers during the '70s and '80s.

Patterson has a genuine knack for capturing the Anderson Valley's distinctive geography and the quirky characters who work in its then-dominant industries. Not exactly a pure celebration of the working man, but rather an authentic-sounding account of these generally itinerant folks and what makes them tick.

Walking Tractor is in no way meant to be a general history or overview of the Anderson Valley, or even a review of the logging industry's impact on the area. The book will be appealing to those who would like to see the land and its forests through Patterson's perceptive eyes.

[Rey Dekker · Rating 1 out of 5]

...a mess...as in the last chapter probably should have been the first and a lot in between left out...guess this could qualify as "folk writing" and makes one wonder how things wind up in print in the first place...the Anderson Valley/Mendocino Mountains/Boonville area drew me to reading it and the one star says enough...it's one thing to write in an unvarnished style while quite another to just write...don't bother...

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walking Tractor and Other Country Tales by Bruce Patterson (Baytree Books 2008)(Biography). The author is a Vietnam vet, redwood logger, horse trainer and interesting guy. This is a memoir / collection of short stories. My rating: 7/10, finished 2010.

[Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

a brilliant book. all about work. heyday books is actually kind of an exciting imprint :)