What do you think?
Rate this book
The Grass Library
A philosophical and poetic journey recounting the author's relationship with his four sheep and other animals in his home in the Blue Mountains. Both memoir and eloquent testament to animal rights.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
About the author
David Brooks
55 books21 followersDavid Brooks has published several collections of poetry, short fiction and essays, and four novels, The House of Balthus (1995), The Fern Tattoo (2007), The Umbrella Club (2009) and The Conversation (2012). His work has been highly acclaimed, widely translated and anthologised, and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, New South Wales Premier’s, Adelaide Festival and many other awards. In 2011 he published The Sons of Clovis: Ern Malley, Adoré Floupette, and a secret history of Australian poetry. He teaches Australian literature at the University of Sydney, is co-editor of the journal Southerly, lives in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, and spends a small part of each year in a village on the sea coast of Slovenia.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 21, 2019
The Grass Library is a gorgeous book. Anyone who loves animals will be enchanted... but it's a book that will challenge your thinking as well.
David Brooks is the author of some books I've really liked. He's a very versatile writer, publishing poetry, short fiction, essays, non-fiction and novels, two of which I've read and reviewed here: The Umbrella Club (2009) and The Conversation (2012), and before that, The Fern Tattoo (2007). But The Grass Library despite its fanciful name, is a work of non-fiction, quite unlike anything I've ever read before. This is the blurb:
But that doesn't really convey the fun and delight in reading this book.
It had never occurred to me that even a word-processor can be 'speciesist'. Mulling over whether it was an appropriate use of the word 'tragedy' to describe the fate of a cicada trapped to die in its own shell, Brooks considers the Shakespearean sense of tragedy and how we tend to reserve it not only for humans at the top of a human hierarchy—kings, Caesars, generals— [or a beautiful young princess whose power lay in her celebrity status] but we also apply it in the non-human realm for larger, more powerful creatures, such as lions, elephants, and whales. But the fate of a cicada halfway through its metamorphosis seems to Brooks to be tragic too:
[Mind you, I've heard people talk about sporting defeats as tragedies too, so I think perhaps that 'tragedy' is a word that lends itself to pondering about a sense of proportion].
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/06/21/t...
David Brooks is the author of some books I've really liked. He's a very versatile writer, publishing poetry, short fiction, essays, non-fiction and novels, two of which I've read and reviewed here: The Umbrella Club (2009) and The Conversation (2012), and before that, The Fern Tattoo (2007). But The Grass Library despite its fanciful name, is a work of non-fiction, quite unlike anything I've ever read before. This is the blurb:
A philosophical and poetic journey recounting the author's relationship with his four sheep and other animals in his home in the Blue Mountains. Both memoir and eloquent testament to animal rights.
But that doesn't really convey the fun and delight in reading this book.
It had never occurred to me that even a word-processor can be 'speciesist'. Mulling over whether it was an appropriate use of the word 'tragedy' to describe the fate of a cicada trapped to die in its own shell, Brooks considers the Shakespearean sense of tragedy and how we tend to reserve it not only for humans at the top of a human hierarchy—kings, Caesars, generals— [or a beautiful young princess whose power lay in her celebrity status] but we also apply it in the non-human realm for larger, more powerful creatures, such as lions, elephants, and whales. But the fate of a cicada halfway through its metamorphosis seems to Brooks to be tragic too:
Why then did I have such conversations with myself about the term? But the cultural discourse is speciesist, the very language is speciesist (the Word program, for example, at just this moment, tells me that the word 'speciesist' doesn't exist: no point in asking it about anti-speciesism, then, or counter-speciesism, trans-speciesism), in ways that contain and constrain one just as a cicada's shell must contain the larva—except that they, cicadas, seem to have found a way to get out, even if not every one of them succeeds. (p.128)
[Mind you, I've heard people talk about sporting defeats as tragedies too, so I think perhaps that 'tragedy' is a word that lends itself to pondering about a sense of proportion].
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/06/21/t...
May 20, 2020
Careful, thoughtful meditation on animals and the relationship between the nonhuman and the human creatures who share this planet. Chronicles Brooks and his wife’s abrupt adoption of vegan is and the gradual, sometimes fraught transition to animal rescuers and rights activists. A more that takes them from Sydney with one anxious dog to a small farm with four sheep, ducks, rats and a snake for company. Never preachy, always searching, this is a personal journey, beautifully shared.
My full review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2020/05/20/th...
My full review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2020/05/20/th...
December 21, 2023
A number of years ago someone I knew was holding a copy of David Brooks’ ‘The fern tattoo’, explaining the author had been her lecturer at uni and was a great writer.
So, I bought, read and deeply enjoyed the book. My lasting image is of the young lover walking from the South Coast to Joadja (NSW).
Then, earlier this year I saw ‘The grass library’ at a second-hand book stall.
After picking it up, viewing the unusual cover of a sheep inside a book-lined room, I noticed the publisher (Brandl & Schlesinger), and the entertaining first two paragraphs. I bought the book and began reading, intrigued.
This was not the book I was expecting, and probably I am not the reader David Brooks envisioned.
Written over the course of a couple of years, the author leaves inner city living with his partner and rescue dog, to live more authentically in the Blue Mountains, on a small hobby farm.
With themes of veganism, animal rights and philosophy, this reflective memoir/recount is gentle and meanders along.
Frankly, it was a slog for me. Expecting more in the way of revelation and story arc, I put this book down several times.
This is not a reflection of the writers work or ability, but my humble interests and expectations as a reader.
So, I bought, read and deeply enjoyed the book. My lasting image is of the young lover walking from the South Coast to Joadja (NSW).
Then, earlier this year I saw ‘The grass library’ at a second-hand book stall.
After picking it up, viewing the unusual cover of a sheep inside a book-lined room, I noticed the publisher (Brandl & Schlesinger), and the entertaining first two paragraphs. I bought the book and began reading, intrigued.
This was not the book I was expecting, and probably I am not the reader David Brooks envisioned.
Written over the course of a couple of years, the author leaves inner city living with his partner and rescue dog, to live more authentically in the Blue Mountains, on a small hobby farm.
With themes of veganism, animal rights and philosophy, this reflective memoir/recount is gentle and meanders along.
Frankly, it was a slog for me. Expecting more in the way of revelation and story arc, I put this book down several times.
This is not a reflection of the writers work or ability, but my humble interests and expectations as a reader.
February 28, 2020
This book is surprising and delightful and more than a little bit confronting. The world looks different after this one.
July 9, 2020
David G. Brooks’ The Grass Library details his life on a farm in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. On some land he and his partner share, they form an impromptu animal refuge of sorts, taking in sheep, dogs, goats, and living alongside the various animals that populate the area. Through the chapters we get to know the animals as one would good friends. In Brooks’ keen eye and impressively detailed observations, even visiting ducks and unwanted rats become characters whose lives hold deep meaning and whose trials, joys, and deaths are esteemed in Brooks’ worldview as being as weighty as those of humans.
Brooks’ writing is poetic. His language has a certain curious clarity to it. The book itself is not only an exploration of animals and nature, but also a mission and exercise in living in the most ethical harmony with them. At times, though the animals are the book’s focus, we are also allowed into the mind of Brooks himself, a man so strictly concerned with the wellbeing of animals, his life begins to curve around theirs. In a particularly poignant, yet humorous chapter, Brooks and his partner stress over the removal of a rat that has made its home in their kitchen. While they avoid kill-traps, they come against another dilemma: whether evicting the rat is an infringement on its autonomy.
This book is excellent for anyone interested in animal rights, ethics, and nature writing at its most insightful. It will cue the reader to turn inward and examine their own relationship with the living things around them.
Brooks’ writing is poetic. His language has a certain curious clarity to it. The book itself is not only an exploration of animals and nature, but also a mission and exercise in living in the most ethical harmony with them. At times, though the animals are the book’s focus, we are also allowed into the mind of Brooks himself, a man so strictly concerned with the wellbeing of animals, his life begins to curve around theirs. In a particularly poignant, yet humorous chapter, Brooks and his partner stress over the removal of a rat that has made its home in their kitchen. While they avoid kill-traps, they come against another dilemma: whether evicting the rat is an infringement on its autonomy.
This book is excellent for anyone interested in animal rights, ethics, and nature writing at its most insightful. It will cue the reader to turn inward and examine their own relationship with the living things around them.
November 10, 2019
A thoughtful and intelligent book about the author and his wife's decision to re-consider their relationships with non-human animals. There is no massive story here, just wonderful meditations on what is is to question the binaries we rely on: domestic/wild, native/invader, pest/pet ... and how these distinctions impact many ethical choices. I particularly enjoyed the stories around rats and the challenge of trying to be "animal" with creatures we have reviled for so long.
November 24, 2025
A soulful memoir that honors the depth of connection between humans and animals. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
A gentle, poetic meditation on life with animals, quiet, profound, and unforgettable. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
Heartfelt and humane, it celebrates the dignity and emotional world of animals. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
Beautifully written and deeply reflective, this book feels like a warm walk through the Blue Mountains. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
A tender tribute to four sheep who teach more about love and presence than many humans do. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
Poetic, moving, and quietly powerful, this memoir lingers long after the last page. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
Full of warmth and wisdom, it reminds us of the beauty in simple, shared moments. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
This book is a soft-spoken but commanding voice for animal rights. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
A graceful blend of philosophy and nature writing that awakens compassion. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
The author’s bond with his animals is rendered with stunning honesty and grace. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
November 24, 2025
A captivating memoir that elevates everyday life into something almost spiritual. For all book lovers: Berlin Book Swap.
July 9, 2023
A bit dull
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews