Call Me Red: A Shepherd's Journey

by Hannah Jackson

From growing up on the Wirral to building her own sheep farm in Cumbria, Hannah Jackson shares the inspiring story of leaving behind her urban background to become a shepherd in the Lake District.

Growing up on the Wirral, Hannah Jackson had no idea she wanted to work on a farm until a life-changing family visit to the Lake District in her late teens. It was there where she first saw a lamb being born, giving her the drive to defy her urban roots and become a professional shepherd. She never looked back.

In this uplifting and inspirational memoir, Hannah shares how she broke the stereotypes of her 'townie' beginnings, took risks and faced up to the challenges of being a young woman in a male-dominated industry, and followed her heart to become the Red Shepherdess. But behind the beautiful landscape, talented sheepdogs and eye-catching red hair was a steep learning curve. The physically and mentally demanding conditions she faced as she chased her dreams to build her own Cumbrian farm taught Hannah the values the holds true, including community, leadership, patience and resilience.

In Call me Red, Hannah gives a unique insight into farming life and reveals a mindset and determination that proves no matter your background, with hard graft (and a loyal sheepdog) you can make your dreams a reality.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography

310 pages, Hardcover

Published March 4, 2021

Reviews

[Steph ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

After first coming across Hannah on SAS Who Dares Wins several years ago, I've been following her journey on Instagram ever since. When I found out she was doing merch, I felt this - frantically silly but - overwhelming sense of pride for her.

Then, I found out about her book, and boyyyy did I feel that pride swell.

Call Me Red is Hannah's story of growing up an animal lover in the Wirral and eventually, turning her passion into a dream and becoming a sheperd(ess). It's a fascinating and wild ride full of self-discovery, the real farming world and what real drive can look like. 🐑

This book is phenomenal in so many ways. So eye opening with the farming industry but also, very empowering for girls and women across the globe, to see someone with so much determination and passion go forth with her career despite the hurdles she faced.

I gave this book a whopping 5 stars and would give more if I could. Can't wait for Hannah to release more Red merch so I can hopefully get my hands on some this time round. ✨

[Megan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up on the Wirral, Hannah Jackson had no idea she wanted to work on a farm until a life-changing family visit to the Lake District in her late teens. It was there where she first saw a lamb being born, giving her the drive to defy her urban roots and become a professional shepherd. She never looked back. In this uplifting and inspirational memoir, Hannah shares how she broke the stereotypes of her ‘townie’ beginnings, took risks and faced up to the challenges of being a young woman in a male-dominated industry, and followed her heart to become the Red Shepherdess. But behind the beautiful landscape, talented sheepdogs and eye-catching red hair was a steep learning curve. The physically and mentally demanding conditions she faced as she chased her dreams to build her own Cumbrian farm taught Hannah the values the holds true, including community, leadership, patience and resilience.

I absolutely loved reading this. I have followed Hannah for a while and was excited to read her story, put this with a love of the countryside and I knew I was onto a definite win with this book. Hannah takes us back to her early life and chronicles her, dare I say it, journey, to where she is now. And what a life she has led! This is packed with stories and anecdotes and I loved reading about every path life has led her down. I really got a sense of Hannah’s personality reading this.

‘Call Me Red’ is informative and contains fascinating insights into farming life. This is also a book about life and the highs and lows Hannah has experienced. For the most part this is a thoroughly entertaining read but there are sections of raw emotion that are harder to read, but all of it is integral to Hannah’s story.

I really thought this read had a bit of everything, from information, to life, love and everything in between. This was a pure joy to read, Hannah tells her life story vividly and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy.

[Claire Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book that genuinely had me gripped like a novel.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.
Whilst ‘knowing’ Hannah from her Instagram and having a shared interest of farming I really think her book would appear to everyone. Well known for her shepherding work and championing British farming she is an enchanting story teller which really makes the book.
The story covers her early non-farming childhood to various interests and adventures as well as the journey to farming. Highly recommend!

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Hannah Jackson for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

An absolute delight!

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book from start to finish. It made me laugh, it also made me cry (more than once!).

Hannah is a true inspiration and a fabulous young role model.

I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Mandy Newton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought it would show how you can make it into farming if you're not from that background but basically her mum and dad bought her a farm and an expensive sheepdog. No acknowledgement of her privilege. Moaned about online trolls and how much it hurt her. No self-criticism at all. Just seemed like a vanity project.

[Zoe Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 80% of this book in the first sitting. In every page I saw a little bit of me. My heart really does belong to the countryside.

As a child I spent many very happy weeks at my Great Grandad’s farm during school holidays down in Hereford, and one day I’d love to fully re-embrace that life.

My first four legged best friend was a Border Collie called Sam who was (and still is to this day) the most loyal dog I ever had. Instead of sheep, my dog rounded up my cats though!

From the first time I fed a lamb and was pulled excitedly along the floor by it as a small child, and the first time I sold fresh fruit and veg, including homemade jam, from the orchards and vegetable patches, I knew this was the life for me. Even though I live in the city, this was my tiny occasional escape that I grew to love and I know it has shaped who I am today. I completely understood everything about the restlessness she described. My heart thoroughly belongs to the outdoors and one day, my heart will be truly happy by revisiting that time in my life.

‘I just couldn’t get it out of my head, that feeling of intense belonging that I had felt in that barn and those fields...It felt like it was where I was truly meant to be...’

[Mairéad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot
Hannah Jackson grew up in a town, but after watching a lamb being born during a family trip she decided she wanted to become a Shepherdess and raise Sheep. This book follows her journey from childhood to her first jobs on farms to competing on SAS: Who Dares Wins, and back to life on the farm.

Thoughts
I had never heard of Hannah Jackson before I saw someone talking about this book, I was so intrigued by her story and decided to pick up this book. I was so surprised by how much I loved this book! Farming is something I've always been curious about, but don't really follow people online or know anything about the technical side of farming.

My favourite parts of this book were Hannah's discussions about being a woman in farming, and from a family they weren't from a farming background. As well her discussion about the meat industry from the perspective of someone raising animals was so interesting.

[Caroline Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done Hannah, just a stunning insight into both your life and the life of a farmer in the UK! I am an avid follower on Instagram, always interested in her personal insight into Lake District Sheep Farming. Would recommend to anyone looking for an inspirational read. And you don’t need to know a thing about farming to buy this one... Hannah gives a brilliant window in on a world we all ought to get to know all about. After all, this is where real food starts, on a Cumbrian farm with a woman who cares infinitely for her animals. B

[Amy Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book, finished it in three days. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It has made me open my eyes to a number of important issues that many of us are blind to. I’m a recent follower of Hannah and have been hooked by her infectious personality and love for what she does and what she has achieved, any follower of hers will not be disappointed with this book. Anyone who doesn’t know Hannah yet, then read her story, follow her on social media and most importantly:

Keep it real every day, keep it red!

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Hannah’s experience in the sheep industry is not too dissimilar from my own in the equine industry. Sexism is still very much prevalent and a lot of the times comes down to “who you know”.
However, when you get your foot in that door, press your shoulder firmly against it and remind them you’re not going anywhere, just like Hannah did and continues to do.
Call Me Red will put fire in your belly and reaffirm that with hard work and determination, you can achieve what you want.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I don’t read much non-fiction, but I am a keen follower of Hannah’s social media and love following her farming story, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this. I was also wondering if I’d be bored reading just a non-fiction and whether I should start a fiction book too, to pick up in between to give me time to digest Call Me Red. That concern turned out to be baseless; I was absolutely hooked from the beginning. Hannah’s story is inspirational and fascinating, but the book also flows really well. It’s really well formatted, has an approachable, open tone and was surprisingly gripping. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t read anything else.

I was so lucky to live in a beautiful part of the English countryside growing up and have lived with farming on my periphery most of that time. I’ve even lambed a few sheep on friends’ family farms. But, I learned a hell of a lot from this book. I also really appreciated Hannah calling out sexism and other prejudicial stereotypes in her industry and the countryside in general. Her message was a respectful, but powerful one.

This is a memoir, not just of Hannah’s career, but of her life to date. Of her childhood, the years of self-discovery between your teens and late twenties, of life’s triumphs and tragedies. It’s refreshing that Hannah did acknowledge her privilege, as she has had some help and luck along the way, but ultimately her single-minded determination to make her dream a reality — from being a ‘townie’ girl from the Wirral, to becoming a shepherd — and her desire to get the most from life, will be things many will take away from this book.

I always find it disingenuous when people hire ghost writers and people to write their books for them, so I’m really glad Hannah was honest about the input she had from professional writer Will Millard. If you can’t/didn’t write a book on your own, but claim you did, I personally feel that’s wrong and I feel cheated and used as a reader. However, I believe everyone deserves to be able to tell their story and collabing with a professional writer makes having a voice and converting it to paper more accessible for all, as long as you’re honest with your readers. In this instance, it’s resulted in a cohesive finished article.

I listened to the audiobook and was glad to hear it read by Hannah, especially in this instance, where her voice is so familiar from her social media. It would have been deeply weird to hear it read by anyone else and although Hannah seems a little new to audiobook narration and it was recorded in a makeshift den in her house (Covid!), she did a good job.

Overall, I have just one complaint: she has ruined sea otters for me forever and otters are one of my faves! 😂

I really recommend this if, like me, you’re keen to know more about Hannah, her profession and the characters in her life. It was funny, educational, sad and romantic. I hope she will write more books in the future, as I would love to hear more of her story and I feel like this has only scratched the surface.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank netgalley and Random House for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely insight into Cumbrian sheep farming and the authors journey.

I did feel that she didn't do enough to acknowledge her own privileges, especially with the chance to farm on what is stolen land in Australia.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming memoir tells the story of Hannah’s life from the beginning - and especially the beginning of her love of sheep - till her ‘now’, not quite 30 years old. Though we may not all be sheep farmers, this audience for sure loves sheep and it is a beautiful thing to read Hannah Jackson’s story of the challenges of finding yourself as a young adult combined with the learning curve of managing sheep, training and using sheep dogs, navigating the male-dominated business of running a sheep farm in the UK. (Though I suspect it’s male dominated in most other places also.) Jackson’s journey to present day sheep happiness takes her to Chile as a competitor in the grueling TV show, SAS:Who Dares Wins. She did not win the competition, but arrived at the discovery that “there was a subtle, but definite, cross-over with the military and sheep farming.” Navigating the local sheep auctions is a trick in itself, of nuanced bidding without tipping your hat at how much you may want the sheep you are bidding upon. Creating the bond you need to run your herding dogs is a true art, and Jackson works doggedly (ha! pun!) at it for years, becoming eminently talented and successful. A large part of her work involves contract shepherding. This is where a number of shepherds are hired on by five or so large sheep farms, to herd the sheep down out of the fells to be sorted into their own farm’s pens for separating lambs in the fall. Thousands of sheep, herded down out of the craggy, dangerous hills by (wo)man and dog. She also shares her wonderfully romantic love story alongside her love of sheep. The aspect of Hannah’s story that really spoke to me was her absolute conviction that if you set your mind to being a sheep farmer, then you can make that happen - even if the only sheep you’ve ever touched was at a petting zoo that your nan took you to as a child. Told in her own vernacular, reading this book makes you feel as though you are sitting among the hills of the Lake District sharing a cup of tea with Hannah Jackson as she tells you her story.

[Minna Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!
I was a bit sceptical at first as I have previously only ever read athletes autobiographies and initially wondered what would be so compelling about this book aside from Hannah's journey into shepherding. I instead found myself absorbed in her story of not fitting in at school and flying somewhat under the radar, going to university and accepting an offer to study a masters on a path she enjoyed yet deciding to take the leap into farming because she knew it would fulfil her more than the career path she was on, despite having no farming background aside from a love of animals.
Her story is not just her life but synonymous with many women's - battling daily sexism and fighting to prove herself despite being just as a capable as any man. The open honesty in her writing - from saying that she had help writing it to admitting mistakes and weaknesses she has, as well striving to educate her readers about commercial sheep farming and her own goals for herself and the industry - is refreshingly humble.
It is comforting and inspiring in equal measures and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Lawrence Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my typical read but I found this a really good story. To be honest I come from a rural background, my family worked on farms and my primary years were shared with farmers kids and I am aware of the lifestyle. That and the fact I admire the abilities, workload and intelligence of border collies. So not sure if it was the sheperdess or the dogs that attracted me to this book.
This is a helter-skelter of a story and both opportunities and setbacks are addressed by Hannah who really has had an impressive early experience in a job that is not that easy to master and to be successful in. The industry is under pressure from both trade agreements and lifestyle re eating of meat - Hannah addresses both these issues as well the male attitudes/dominance in this field. I was really impressed by the chapter on her five weeks on a sheep farm in Australia and generally her progressive attitudes to how the industry can learn from competing countries.
The book is surprisingly well written and is a really positive story of female achievement from a townie who was into animals at an early age and able to translate that into a job she appear to be well suited to.

[Ben Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call Me Red takes us through the journey of Hannah Jackson - aka the Red Shepherdess - from Wirral townie to fully-fledged Lake District sheep farmer. It's an unusual path, but with a combination of grit, a love of animals and a supportive family, Hannah overcomes the doubters and the sexism to make a success of it.

Hannah's writing is engaging and clear throughout. It may lack the poetic elegance of some pastoral writing - James Rebanks, for example - but this is a different story from a different writer, and Hannah's passion for everything she does shines through in bucketloads. This is what drives the narrative forward, even through the surprising detour of intense military-themed reality TV.

I enjoyed reading this, and will certainly be recommending and sharing it with others.

[Mavis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah, or the Red Shepherdess as she is known has achieved so much, becoming a force in farming in spite of being a female and a “townie” with no background in farming. I really enjoyed her story with the highs and the lows and it gives an insight into modern farming as well. It’s an emotional read too, with laughter and tears along the way and I finished it full of admiration for her. There are lovely descriptions of the Lake District and the relationship she has with her dogs. A very worthwhile read and I thoroughly recommend it.

[J M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, literally finished within one day ! I could totally associate with her on so many levels & Hannah's open and honest opinions were a complete breath of fresh air. Her stories about all the animals especially her dogs made me laugh and cry, when you have a dog who is basically your shadow like Fraser you know what she's talking about when she's describing her love for him. I enjoyed how Hannah took us around he world with her and gave us a full insight into her life, never shying away from the harder parts and Keeping It Real everyday ! I don't agree with some reviews saying she's privileged the way I read it was her parents have worked hard for what they all have, fantastic and well done to all of them ! Long may the Red Shepherdess continue and grow from strength to strength

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my daughter who loved it and I can see why! It was lovely reading Hannah’s story so far. Hannah should be so proud of her achievements and adventures , all her hard work is paying off for her and she has found the love of her life. As others have said there is laughter and tears in her story. I hope she writes a follow up book about the next chapters in her life to share with us.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Amazing to read about all of the small details that you often don't see on social media.
I have been following Hannah for a very long time and it has been interesting to see her mature and grow. I also found it heart warming to read about some of the fellow farmers in the Lake District. I had the privilege of visiting the area a few years ago and also met James Robinson who has been one of Hannah's biggest supporters.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call me Red is interesting to read about when detailing Jackson's early years, and opinion on working in what is still seen as a man's world. There are also some lovely descriptions of the Lake District and the relationship she has with her dogs. It is a good insight into the ups and down of modern farming as well.

[Katie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing book! So beautifully written. Really did feel like part Of the journey. This book made me
Laugh, cry and feel Bloody proud Of Hannah. But also gave me the boost I needed to push for what o want to achieve with my life

[C VOKINS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have followed Hannah on social media for a couple of years. This is a great recount of her life so far. She has achieved so much already and brings a great perspective to sheep farming. Honest, realistic, dealing with the highs and lows. Definitely up there with the "Outdoors" writers.

[Joanne Lusher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Followed Hannah for good while now on insta ever since my team at work took part in her family’s natural leaders course in Croglin, I feel very lucky to have visited her farm and met all the animals. It is as beautiful as she describes. 😊

[Lisa Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been following Hannah on social media for a long time, and admired her courage and determination…and her love for all animals
It’s hard being a female in male dominated agriculture but she has worked hard
Written from her heart. Please follow Hannah on Instagram too

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every moment I was reading this book , Hannah gave an honest message about her life and how she started in sheep farming, she is an inspiration to all women , giving a message that if you want it go for it , never let go of your dreams I can’t wait to read again one day

[Sarah Lean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Self indulgent and not very interesting.

Clearly someone who was interesting in farming but has been dazzled by the lights of "celebrity" and is now more interested in that and being an influencer than doing anything farming wise.

[Jennifer Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so fun to read about a Hannah’s story to become a sheep farmer and all she endured to get there. It made me want to become a sheep farmer. She went down a rabbit hole a couple times in the book but overall very inspiring

[Nicola Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this engaging and inspiring.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anybody could give lessons in determination, Hannah could. And I'd pay for them.