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The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter: A Memoir
“What kind of Navy officer sits on his ship in the middle of the Mediterranean dreaming of gerbils?”
That’s the question that Holly Robinson sets out to answer in this warm and rollicking memoir of life with her father, the world’s most famous gerbil czar.
Starting with a few pairs of gerbils housed for curiosity’s sake in the family’s garage, Donald Robinson’s obsession with the “pocket kangaroo” developed into a lifelong passion and second career. Soon the Annapolis-trained Navy commander was breeding gerbils and writing about them for publications ranging from the ever-bouncy Highlights for Children to the erudite Science News . To support his burgeoning business, the family eventually settled on a remote hundred-acre farm with horses, sheep, pygmy goats, peacocks–and nearly nine thousand gerbils.
From part-time model for her father’s bestselling pet book, How to Raise and Train Pet Gerbils , to full-time employee in the gerbil empire’s complex of prefab Sears buildings, Holly was an enthusiastic if often exasperated companion on her father’s quest to breed the perfect gerbil. Told with heart, humor, and affection, The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter is Holly’s ode to a weird and wonderful upbringing and her truly one-of-a-kind father.
That’s the question that Holly Robinson sets out to answer in this warm and rollicking memoir of life with her father, the world’s most famous gerbil czar.
Starting with a few pairs of gerbils housed for curiosity’s sake in the family’s garage, Donald Robinson’s obsession with the “pocket kangaroo” developed into a lifelong passion and second career. Soon the Annapolis-trained Navy commander was breeding gerbils and writing about them for publications ranging from the ever-bouncy Highlights for Children to the erudite Science News . To support his burgeoning business, the family eventually settled on a remote hundred-acre farm with horses, sheep, pygmy goats, peacocks–and nearly nine thousand gerbils.
From part-time model for her father’s bestselling pet book, How to Raise and Train Pet Gerbils , to full-time employee in the gerbil empire’s complex of prefab Sears buildings, Holly was an enthusiastic if often exasperated companion on her father’s quest to breed the perfect gerbil. Told with heart, humor, and affection, The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter is Holly’s ode to a weird and wonderful upbringing and her truly one-of-a-kind father.
289 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2008
7 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Holly Robinson
22 books241 followersHolly Robinson is the author of The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter: a Memoir as well as several novels, including Sleeping Tigers, The Wishing Hill, Beach Plum Island, and Haven Lake.
Her essays, articles and columns have appeared in a variety of national publications. She also works as a ghost writer and book doctor on celebrity memoirs and other nonfiction books.
Holly holds a B.A. in biology from Clark University and is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
She and her husband have five children, two cats and one very stubborn Pekingese. They are crazy enough to be fixing up two old houses--in Massachusetts and on Prince Edward Island--one shingle at a time.
Her essays, articles and columns have appeared in a variety of national publications. She also works as a ghost writer and book doctor on celebrity memoirs and other nonfiction books.
Holly holds a B.A. in biology from Clark University and is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
She and her husband have five children, two cats and one very stubborn Pekingese. They are crazy enough to be fixing up two old houses--in Massachusetts and on Prince Edward Island--one shingle at a time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
July 2, 2013
"Your grandfather used to raise gerbils," I tell Aidan... "We had a lot of gerbils at one time."
"Like a whole cageful?" Aidan asks doubtfully.
"We had thousands more," I tell him as we head home. "Like nine thousand gerbils."
"Wow," Aidan says with a sigh. "But why, Mom?"
Because Robinson's father was OBSESSED with the creatures, that's why!
In the early sixties, Navy commander Donald Robinson ordered eight gerbils from a toy catalog. These cute and fascinating rodents soon became his life's passion...and the rest of his family was swept up into his obsession.
Unlike hamsters, I don't eat my babies!
He firmly believed that gerbils would be the next "must-have" pet, and entertained hopes for selling them to stores, and perhaps even writing a book about them. This led him to keep a detailed "gerbil journal."
Despite his rather whimsical hobby, Robinson was not a particularly likable man. He was both distant and tyrannical, and the whole family dreaded his homecomings. The person who really kept me interested in this book was Holly's mother. Her wit and sarcastic comments about her husband's new pastime really made the book. "Some men have golf, mine has gerbils," she quipped.
Donald Robinson did indeed go on to write books and articles about gerbils. He became the "Gerbil Czar," the largest world's largest distributor of gerbils. I'm sorry to say that the majority of these critters were sold for scientific experiments, so PETA members, take note, and just AVOID THIS BOOK, rather than reading it and then complaining about it.
Robinson also seems to mellow later in life, and reveals himself to be less of a dictator and more of a lovable, slightly dissatisfied dreamer. He's an interesting guy, but I'd still like to read a book about the mom.
"Like a whole cageful?" Aidan asks doubtfully.
"We had thousands more," I tell him as we head home. "Like nine thousand gerbils."
"Wow," Aidan says with a sigh. "But why, Mom?"
Because Robinson's father was OBSESSED with the creatures, that's why!
In the early sixties, Navy commander Donald Robinson ordered eight gerbils from a toy catalog. These cute and fascinating rodents soon became his life's passion...and the rest of his family was swept up into his obsession.
Unlike hamsters, I don't eat my babies!
He firmly believed that gerbils would be the next "must-have" pet, and entertained hopes for selling them to stores, and perhaps even writing a book about them. This led him to keep a detailed "gerbil journal."
Despite his rather whimsical hobby, Robinson was not a particularly likable man. He was both distant and tyrannical, and the whole family dreaded his homecomings. The person who really kept me interested in this book was Holly's mother. Her wit and sarcastic comments about her husband's new pastime really made the book. "Some men have golf, mine has gerbils," she quipped.
Donald Robinson did indeed go on to write books and articles about gerbils. He became the "Gerbil Czar," the largest world's largest distributor of gerbils. I'm sorry to say that the majority of these critters were sold for scientific experiments, so PETA members, take note, and just AVOID THIS BOOK, rather than reading it and then complaining about it.
Robinson also seems to mellow later in life, and reveals himself to be less of a dictator and more of a lovable, slightly dissatisfied dreamer. He's an interesting guy, but I'd still like to read a book about the mom.
November 6, 2012
It was hard deciding on whether to give this two or three stars. First off, I would like to say the three-star review would have been for the ease of reading and the storytelling (most memoirs are fascinating as it is cool to know about other peoples' lives). The book is a quick read.
However, morally, I couldn't give this too high a rating for the animal abuse and the misleading marketing.
First, on the animal abuse: I was annoyed to read about flipping hamsters over to make them scream in terror and the constant picking up of gerbils by their tails and other rodent mistreatment. You may be able to handle cats and dogs a little more roughly, but we're talking small, fragile animals here. I've stumbled on enough hamster torture videos mixed in among the Cute Overload knockoffs to know what an awful segment of our society do to animals. And I've met pet store employees in my vet's office bringing in animals hurt in very bad ways by "innocent" little girls. To promote this kind of behaviour in a book ostensibly about happy gerbils (see the cover), is not very responsible.
Second, about the marketing. No where on the cover or the book jacket blurb is there any indication that this is a book about breeding animals for medical laboratories. If I had been told that, the reader could have been prepared. There is no mention of animal experiments, implying instead that the book is about breeding for pet stores (in itself, another awful industry). Instead, the book is called a "warm and rollicking memoir." I doubt many animal lovers (the target market for this book based on the cover), would be too thrilled to read about gerbils being induced to seizures in the name of science by a man with no biology training at all. If the author, as she said a couple of times in the last hundred pages, did feel bad for the animals why did she not elaborate on her misgivings about the industry? The publisher, Harmony Books, is probably to blame for this mismatched marketing.
However, morally, I couldn't give this too high a rating for the animal abuse and the misleading marketing.
First, on the animal abuse: I was annoyed to read about flipping hamsters over to make them scream in terror and the constant picking up of gerbils by their tails and other rodent mistreatment. You may be able to handle cats and dogs a little more roughly, but we're talking small, fragile animals here. I've stumbled on enough hamster torture videos mixed in among the Cute Overload knockoffs to know what an awful segment of our society do to animals. And I've met pet store employees in my vet's office bringing in animals hurt in very bad ways by "innocent" little girls. To promote this kind of behaviour in a book ostensibly about happy gerbils (see the cover), is not very responsible.
Second, about the marketing. No where on the cover or the book jacket blurb is there any indication that this is a book about breeding animals for medical laboratories. If I had been told that, the reader could have been prepared. There is no mention of animal experiments, implying instead that the book is about breeding for pet stores (in itself, another awful industry). Instead, the book is called a "warm and rollicking memoir." I doubt many animal lovers (the target market for this book based on the cover), would be too thrilled to read about gerbils being induced to seizures in the name of science by a man with no biology training at all. If the author, as she said a couple of times in the last hundred pages, did feel bad for the animals why did she not elaborate on her misgivings about the industry? The publisher, Harmony Books, is probably to blame for this mismatched marketing.
March 16, 2018
3.5 stars
This follows Holly Robinson as a child and teenager, and into the start of college. She grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s and her unorthodox father, while in the Navy, decided to pursue his interest in breeding gerbils, a new type of animal to be potentially used in laboratory research.
I enjoyed the book, but was disappointed to discover that the gerbils were being bred for research purposes (I hadn’t realized that initially), rather than as pets. Other than that, I did enjoy the story, the information about the gerbils, etc. There was also a little bit of humour here and there in the book.
This follows Holly Robinson as a child and teenager, and into the start of college. She grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s and her unorthodox father, while in the Navy, decided to pursue his interest in breeding gerbils, a new type of animal to be potentially used in laboratory research.
I enjoyed the book, but was disappointed to discover that the gerbils were being bred for research purposes (I hadn’t realized that initially), rather than as pets. Other than that, I did enjoy the story, the information about the gerbils, etc. There was also a little bit of humour here and there in the book.
May 7, 2025
3.5 out of 5 stars
It all started with a $5.50 order from a Sears catalog. After that, nothing was the same…
Welcome to the world of the Robinson family! It’s safe to say that the author had the most unconventional upbringing with a father who had the most unconventional occupation. But sometimes these eccentrics make for a good story, and oh boy was this a good story. You’ll fly through the adventures of Donald Robinson, the gerbil czar of the world. And yet he was the most unlikely of gerbil entrepreneurs. Everyone thinks so.
She goes through the regular growing pains every kid goes through, all the while her parents doling out bits of advice. Like this precious gem, as spoken by her mother and grandmother.
This one was particularly funny, because it mirrors my own experiences. People who’ve had braces or their children have braces will understand.
This was a laugh out loud memoir which I thoroughly enjoyed. Holly Robinson has such an easy writing style and injects it with warmth, humor and honesty as she recalls her undeniably different upbringing. But as she says, normal is overrated.
And can we just talk about how cute gerbils are? ALL THE WANT!!!
To close, here’s a gerbil wearing a hat. You’re welcome.
It all started with a $5.50 order from a Sears catalog. After that, nothing was the same…
”We left the gerbils and went inside to have supper and watch TV, all of us oblivious to the fact that Dad, with one whimsical purchase from a toy catalog, had charted a new course for our family’s future.”Donald Robinson makes this fateful purchase with the idea that he, tough macho Army general, is going to raise gerbils. He drags his begrudging family through his wild ideas. His wife is unenthusiastic, and the children (Holly, Donald, Gail, and Philip), are bewildered as the gerbils keep coming on in. Donald soon finds success in selling his gerbils for medical research, and winds up with a few thousand of them within the span of a couple of years. The family moves onto an isolated farm where the gerbil count quickly rises, eventually reaching over 9000 gerbils at one point. In this rollicking memoir, Holly describes her most unconventional, wacky childhood with a her family as her father becomes the unofficial Gerbil Czar of America.
Welcome to the world of the Robinson family! It’s safe to say that the author had the most unconventional upbringing with a father who had the most unconventional occupation. But sometimes these eccentrics make for a good story, and oh boy was this a good story. You’ll fly through the adventures of Donald Robinson, the gerbil czar of the world. And yet he was the most unlikely of gerbil entrepreneurs. Everyone thinks so.
”Aidan only knows my father as a quiet, bald retiree whose favorite activities are reading and Scrabble, so the idea of my father raising gerbils is outrageous to him. I might as well have confessed that my dad was a Broadway dancer.”I mean, why in the world would a tough Army general want to raise GERBILS for crying out loud?
”My father’s sole identity seemed to be a workaholic whose singular passion in life was to produce more gerbils than anyone else in the world.”Donald Robinson isn’t exactly the most likable of people to read about. He’s stern, strict and unaffectionate with both his wife and kids, and constantly critical of the work and things that they do (even though deep down he does care about them). His wife Sally is not particularly thrilled with the prospect of her husband’s ne hobby/career, but she soon resigns herself to her fate. After all, there are worse hobbys he could have, right?
”’Some men have golf. Mine has gerbils.’”But this book wasn’t just all about Donald Robinson and his quest to raise a gerbil army to take over the known world. There were fun little anecdotes about the author and her growing up. A quiet, bookish child who never quite fit in due to her status as an army kid always moving around, Holly took comfort in horses and looking after the gerbil cages. At times her father’s unusual occupation was a source of teenage embarrassment for her and her siblings…
”I knew it wouldn’t help my reputation to admit that my father’s aspiration in life was to be a gerbil farmer.”But as she says in her dedication, normal is overrated, so what’s the big whoop right?
She goes through the regular growing pains every kid goes through, all the while her parents doling out bits of advice. Like this precious gem, as spoken by her mother and grandmother.
”’Ladies always wear underpants!’”SO EVERYONE, PUT SOME GOSHDARN UNDIES ON!!
This one was particularly funny, because it mirrors my own experiences. People who’ve had braces or their children have braces will understand.
”The down side to having such an expensive mouth was that Dad would materialize from out of nowhere to issue warnings anytime I ventured outside. ‘Your teeth, Holly!’ he’d cry, trotting after me as I set off on horseback. ‘Watch out for your teeth! Those cost money we don’t have, you know!’”My parents tell me the exact thing. When you have an expensive mouth that put you through the continuous torture of braces (two sets, to be exact), you’d better take damn good care of them!!
This was a laugh out loud memoir which I thoroughly enjoyed. Holly Robinson has such an easy writing style and injects it with warmth, humor and honesty as she recalls her undeniably different upbringing. But as she says, normal is overrated.
And can we just talk about how cute gerbils are? ALL THE WANT!!!
To close, here’s a gerbil wearing a hat. You’re welcome.
May 9, 2010
This book offers the reader an opportunity to spend time with the last(?) generation of parents who unselfconsciously spent their child-rearing years as grownups with their own pursuits.
These parents are surrounded with, and busy with family life to be sure, but their primary focus is on their own pursuits and work, not on their kids' schedules or activities.
A farm or an entrepreneurial endeavor (where the work truly is never done!) can still create this family dynamic but it is a rare pleasure to see it described so frankly. And, I might add, a blessing to grow up in such a family!
A refreshing look at life before it became socially respectable, even expected, for moms and dads alike to organize their personal schedules, their social lives, and sometimes even their family budgets around their children's pursuits.
These parents are surrounded with, and busy with family life to be sure, but their primary focus is on their own pursuits and work, not on their kids' schedules or activities.
A farm or an entrepreneurial endeavor (where the work truly is never done!) can still create this family dynamic but it is a rare pleasure to see it described so frankly. And, I might add, a blessing to grow up in such a family!
A refreshing look at life before it became socially respectable, even expected, for moms and dads alike to organize their personal schedules, their social lives, and sometimes even their family budgets around their children's pursuits.
April 4, 2013
This is absolutely NOT your ordinary "memoir." Holly Robinson has excellently word weaved a book with the perfect amount of humor stitched in throughout the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter: A Memoir and highly recommend this book to everyone!
R Jeffreys
Author, Interviewer, Featured Writer and Poet
R Jeffreys
Author, Interviewer, Featured Writer and Poet
August 7, 2013
One could easily decide from the title that this is a light-hearted book and in some ways it is. It's also filled with a great deal of humor. Above all, however, this is a book about grief--for a lost child, and the eventual breaking apart of a family bonded by their shared secret (dad's habit of raising gerbils) and mutual love. Basically, it's a love story as strong and beautiful as any other which Robinson tells with great honesty and great heart. I loved it.
April 30, 2010
A humorous, wise and poignant coming-of-age story with a twist. I loved it because I actually remember the author's father and the books he wrote about caring for gerbils, which I read when I was a gerbil-owning kid.
December 22, 2018
This is the story of the author's childhood and becoming a young adult. Her father was a career Navy Man. While her parents were a little odd and eccentric, it was refreshing that her childhood was happy for the most part and there was no abuse or neglect from the parents. The title refers to the rather strange fact that her father raised gerbils for pet shops and lab research facilities and actually made some pretty good money at it. He raised thousands of gerbils at one time. There were moments in the book that made me laugh out loud.
April 11, 2021
Bearing in mind that I read this as a MEMOIR and not an endorsement of any type of animal cruelty, I liked this book. I enjoyed the breezy, comfortable writing style and found Holly Robinson's portrayal of her family both interesting and amusing. Another reminder that no one really knows what goes on behind the closed doors of another's house.
February 3, 2017
I struggled to get into The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter at first, but I kept with it because the idea of her father's secret gerbil passion was so interesting to me I just had to find out how this all ended up.
I had a gerbil growing up. A boy. then a friend gave me a second "boy" and before you know it I had not one or two gerbils, but 30. So...reading this book was a bit of a reminder of my own childhood that was filled with gerbils, but for a much shorter timeframe as we gave away all but one gerbil again. There were no more doubling of animals after that.
Ultimately I enjoyed the quirky weirdness of this book as a whole.
I had a gerbil growing up. A boy. then a friend gave me a second "boy" and before you know it I had not one or two gerbils, but 30. So...reading this book was a bit of a reminder of my own childhood that was filled with gerbils, but for a much shorter timeframe as we gave away all but one gerbil again. There were no more doubling of animals after that.
Ultimately I enjoyed the quirky weirdness of this book as a whole.
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April 28, 2024I bought this book ages ago for some reason and after finally adding all my books on a choice wheel, this was the first one to be eliminated. Let's just say, I'm not really sure why I picked this one up in the first place.
I don't think it's entirely a bad book, and obviously can't be a judge too harsh on memoirs because well, that's their life! But I was pretty annoyed by the parents as a whole. Granted, I wasn't born for another few decades from when the author grew up so how her parents are is just a product of the times. I just felt there was a lot of emotional and physical taxing on the kids. Towards the end of the book you learn . So despite not being sure how to feel about this book, there are some things that I can't shake off.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a lot of animal abuse (technically) though I kind of knew that coming in for some reason. Granted, it's mostly for medical research. But be wary if you are sensitive to that. I'm surprised I didn't feel as upset by it considering my own viewpoints on animal testing.
I don't think it's entirely a bad book, and obviously can't be a judge too harsh on memoirs because well, that's their life! But I was pretty annoyed by the parents as a whole. Granted, I wasn't born for another few decades from when the author grew up so how her parents are is just a product of the times. I just felt there was a lot of emotional and physical taxing on the kids. Towards the end of the book you learn . So despite not being sure how to feel about this book, there are some things that I can't shake off.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a lot of animal abuse (technically) though I kind of knew that coming in for some reason. Granted, it's mostly for medical research. But be wary if you are sensitive to that. I'm surprised I didn't feel as upset by it considering my own viewpoints on animal testing.
November 18, 2014
Summary:
Holly Robinson was a smart girl that was always moving because of her dad’s hobby. Her dad was a stern navy officer that took up the hobby of breeding gerbils. Out of all things why gerbils. Through all this moving she had not that many friends and got teased at school for having a father who bred gerbils. On top of that she had to work for her father by cleaning, feeding and studying the gerbils.
She also grew up lonely. Under a navy father in the 1970s with a mother that didn’t like the gerbils and younger siblings—including her sister Gail who died of cystic fibrosis at age four. Her family moves about every year and she has to live through being teased by all the kids at every single school she moves to for her father raising gerbils. But her father, with his obsession over gerbils accidentally discovers that gerbils have epileptic seizures, a discovery that leads him to become the world’s largest supplier of gerbils bred for research. He became some what rich man.
While all of the gerbil breeding is going on, Holly is growing and is gaining interests and talents. She makes friends slowly, but she then has to move and has to start all over again. By this time her father ends up with more than 8,700 and 2,600 gerbils being born every week. By the time she’s in her junior year of college studying biology she want’s to switch majors. She notices she hates biology and wants to be an artist. Later, when she has kids she tells the story of her father to her son and he will tell it to his children and so it will go on.
What I Thought:
When I first started reading this book I thought it was just going to be a boring science book but when I read further into the book it got more interesting. It actually had a story in it. It also had very interesting parts that I didn’t know before. The part that I found interesting was learning all about the fact that gerbils can have seizures. This surprised me because I thought only humans got seizures. I know someone that has seizures and they don’t spaze like the gerbils. I kind of want to look into animals having seizures and what they are all about and what causes them.
Why You Should Read This:
I think that you should read this book because it is a story filled book of the interesting like of a real person named Holly Robinson. It has to do with science and breeding gerbils but it is not boring at the same time. It will blow your mind on how not boring it is. It will be more interesting than you think. You will not regret reading this great book.
October 17, 2015
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I've read some of the other reviews, including the negatives, and I feel like they raise some good points.
First, this isn't a funny book. Yes, there are funny bits in it, but overall it's a memoir. There's a lot of memoirs being published these days that are intended to be funny. I don't know if the author intended for it to be funny or not, but I read it as a straightforward memoir.
Second, there are some aspects of this book that may be difficult to read if you are an animal lover. The author's father bred some gerbils as pets but his primary interest was in breeding a pure strain for research purposes. The gerbils he sold largely went to research, and he disposed of animals that didn't stand up to his rigorous guidelines.
Both those thing being said, I feel like this memoir gave a fascinating glimpse into an era that we've lost touch with. I'm a little younger than the author, but a lot of what she talked about still resonated with my childhood--a culture of chain smokers and families piling into station wagons to move across the country. A culture of building things yourself from scratch and finding materials wherever you can. A culture where kids ran through the neighborhoods during the summer and played with chemistry sets that had real chemicals in them. A culture where people could say, "Hey, I wonder if I could make a living from this hobby I've had" and without any real education or training, figure things out on their own and make it work. I loved that the author's mother was able to create a successful riding lesson barn and that the author's grandparents moved in with them and helped to build the barns on their property with materials scavenged from an abandoned farm nearby.
There were times when I felt as though the emotion was a little flat. I never sensed a real connection between the author and either of her parents or her siblings. I don't know how much of that was that she didn't have a strong connection with them or how much of it was because she had trouble verbalizing that connection. I also found the "bookends" of the intro and epilogue a little awkward, and the actual ending of the memoir was very abrupt.
But overall I enjoyed this book.
First, this isn't a funny book. Yes, there are funny bits in it, but overall it's a memoir. There's a lot of memoirs being published these days that are intended to be funny. I don't know if the author intended for it to be funny or not, but I read it as a straightforward memoir.
Second, there are some aspects of this book that may be difficult to read if you are an animal lover. The author's father bred some gerbils as pets but his primary interest was in breeding a pure strain for research purposes. The gerbils he sold largely went to research, and he disposed of animals that didn't stand up to his rigorous guidelines.
Both those thing being said, I feel like this memoir gave a fascinating glimpse into an era that we've lost touch with. I'm a little younger than the author, but a lot of what she talked about still resonated with my childhood--a culture of chain smokers and families piling into station wagons to move across the country. A culture of building things yourself from scratch and finding materials wherever you can. A culture where kids ran through the neighborhoods during the summer and played with chemistry sets that had real chemicals in them. A culture where people could say, "Hey, I wonder if I could make a living from this hobby I've had" and without any real education or training, figure things out on their own and make it work. I loved that the author's mother was able to create a successful riding lesson barn and that the author's grandparents moved in with them and helped to build the barns on their property with materials scavenged from an abandoned farm nearby.
There were times when I felt as though the emotion was a little flat. I never sensed a real connection between the author and either of her parents or her siblings. I don't know how much of that was that she didn't have a strong connection with them or how much of it was because she had trouble verbalizing that connection. I also found the "bookends" of the intro and epilogue a little awkward, and the actual ending of the memoir was very abrupt.
But overall I enjoyed this book.
January 2, 2014
It is great to live in times in which we mere peons have opportunities such as having a life interesting enough to support publication of a memoir. Janisse Ray wrote of growing up in a junkyard. The author of A Round-Heeled Woman wanted to have as much sex as possible in the next months before turning perhaps 65. She put an ad in the New York Times book review section. A Montana woman's work revealed the incredible cruelty to cows and livestock and what it was like to live in solitude in the isolation of winter.
I had not anticipated reading about Holly Robinson's gerbil adventures, but they arrived as a holiday gift. Her father, born in 1928, was in the Navy, but didn't agree with the Vietnam War. He decided to retire and raise gerbils. He worked on breeding lines that could be used in the research to cure diseases such as polio, a problem at the time. Holly Robinson writes of her father writing books for pet stores to encourage gerbils as pets, as well as writing scientific articles about gerbils and epilepsy.
Her mother has a riding school and boards horses. One brother seems as if he will be a juvenile delinquent.
It was a pleasant investment of time during the last week of the year when it was cold outside and great to read something interesting but not demanding.
I had not anticipated reading about Holly Robinson's gerbil adventures, but they arrived as a holiday gift. Her father, born in 1928, was in the Navy, but didn't agree with the Vietnam War. He decided to retire and raise gerbils. He worked on breeding lines that could be used in the research to cure diseases such as polio, a problem at the time. Holly Robinson writes of her father writing books for pet stores to encourage gerbils as pets, as well as writing scientific articles about gerbils and epilepsy.
Her mother has a riding school and boards horses. One brother seems as if he will be a juvenile delinquent.
It was a pleasant investment of time during the last week of the year when it was cold outside and great to read something interesting but not demanding.
February 2, 2011
My sister and I inherited some gerbils when we were little from a youth leader at our church. She was moving to another city, and I think my mother thought it would be a snub to God if we didn't help her out by taking her gerbils. Besides, they came free, along with a tank, extra bedding, food dishes, water bottles, and even a little bit of food to get us started. Free was a big thing at our house. So when I saw the title of this book, and considered what a Gerbil Farm might be, I was intrigued.
Holly Robinson did not disappoint. Her father was a Navy officer, but one day he orders several boxes of gerbils from a children's play catalog, and the rest is history, as they say. Did you know that gerbils were relatively unknown as pets before the late 1960's, around the time that Robinson started his gerbil breeding operation? Eventually, her father retires from the Navy, and continues to expand his gerbil operation. Robinson is a great storyteller, and the book has a nice pace and kept my interest all the way through. A great book club book, or even a fun read for kids (probably middle school or older). Thoroughly recommended!
Holly Robinson did not disappoint. Her father was a Navy officer, but one day he orders several boxes of gerbils from a children's play catalog, and the rest is history, as they say. Did you know that gerbils were relatively unknown as pets before the late 1960's, around the time that Robinson started his gerbil breeding operation? Eventually, her father retires from the Navy, and continues to expand his gerbil operation. Robinson is a great storyteller, and the book has a nice pace and kept my interest all the way through. A great book club book, or even a fun read for kids (probably middle school or older). Thoroughly recommended!
February 2, 2013
I guess I usually like memoirs. Being a nosey parker, I like prying into other people's lives. My neighbor handed me the book and when I saw the title I was skeptical, but it was lighthearted and funny. The author's wacky Navy father had a passion for raising gerbils on the side and she and her brother were enlisted as helpers, since gerbils are good at replicating themselves and they soon had many babies to care for. There was lots more going on in the book, what with the family moving around, new friends to be made, an interesting mom who did her thing with horseback riding, an interest also shared with her daughter, and fun descriptions of the author discovering the opposite sex. A lot of the story took place in Massachusetts, a place I am familiar with, so that had added interest.
January 7, 2010
A nice story about the daughter of a Navy officier who moved around quite a bit and secretly raised gerbils for medical research. The memoir did read a bit as though the individual chapters had been written separately and then sewn together for the book. I also would have liked to know a little bit more about the aftermath of her sister's death, that had to have affected the family more than Holly lets on. I think it probably explains why her father grew so distant, and her mother had the issues she did.
I also wondered if Holly had ever pondered what nasty things were done to her gerbils in the name of medical science -- or if there were companies that used the gerbils just to test their products on to avoid lawsuits.
I also wondered if Holly had ever pondered what nasty things were done to her gerbils in the name of medical science -- or if there were companies that used the gerbils just to test their products on to avoid lawsuits.
December 3, 2010
Holly Robinson’s father was a strict Navy man who insisted his children call him “Sir”. The children would ask or answer him as: “Please Daddy, Sir” or “No thank you Daddy, Sir”. He expected nothing but the best from his children. But this strict Navy man had a secret, one which Holly spent her childhood and teenage years trying to hide.
Holly’s mother was much more open, independent and often left the table during one of her husband’s “family meetings” giving updates on his “secret”. However, the children usually sat quietly and waited until their father was done.
This was a delightful and different type of memoir filled with humour, wit, blatant honesty and a passion for animals of all types!
Holly’s mother was much more open, independent and often left the table during one of her husband’s “family meetings” giving updates on his “secret”. However, the children usually sat quietly and waited until their father was done.
This was a delightful and different type of memoir filled with humour, wit, blatant honesty and a passion for animals of all types!
July 8, 2011
Although I'd like to say I loved this book, the best I can say is it was okay. I'm sure the authors life wasn't easy, but the book feels very dark to me. Okay, her father was in the navy and was strict. It is not as if he beat her. Okay, he secretly raised gerbils and she and her brother had to work to help him. Many kids (at least back then) had to do a lot of chores. I know I had to weed the garden, pick stones out of the front lawn, etc. Her parents weren't blissfully happy, but they didn't drink, do drugs, or abuse each other either. I wanted to tell the author to stop whining. Maybe that seems harsh, but there seemed like so much more of this story that she could have told but didn't.
February 6, 2014
A mildly amusing fast read about a woman and her memories as the daughter of a navy officer who raised gerbils. On the upside, there were some pretty funny scenes and the ongoing secrecy over gerbils tended to tickle me every other chapter. On the downside there's some pretty foul language in places, some accounts of the author as a young teen exploring sex, and just a long running sense of weary bitterness about both the author and her mother. Not the greatest book, and certainly not something I would pass on to my kids, both of whom looked curious about the book. The cover, after all, looked lighter in mood, and cleaner as well, than the actual read. Nevertheless, I remembered aspects of being a sixties child, of having pets, brothers, and yes, even a few gerbils, in my lifetime.
September 21, 2009
Once again, I never met a memoir I didn't like! This one is one of the best of the best. So well written. Hilarious at points. You KNOW the characters and feel like they're family. One of my students told me to get this for my class library. She'd read about it randomly in a magazine. Serendipity. That's what I love about reading-- how you "meet" the book!
September 4, 2018
Robinson tells the story of her family with humor and affection. Her naval commander father, Donald Robinson, came home one day with a box of gerbils that he started breeding in the garage. The little rodents were not well known at the time, and her father wrote about them for various publications, including “Science News” and “Highlights for Children.” The family moved to a hundred acre farm in Massachusetts and Donald wrote a bestselling book, “How to Raise and Train Pet Gerbils.” The gerbils were sold as lab animals and at one time they had an inventory of 8700 gerbils, with 2600 born each week. Holly was in charge of cleaning the gerbil cages, which took over three buildings. It wasn’t until Holly left for college at Clark University that she escaped the gerbils. Lots of fun stories and some family tensions; a delight to read.
May 12, 2023
I bought this book on a whim because of its unusual title; I'd never read anything by Holly Robinson before. It's a rather delightful story about growing up the daughter of a Navy commander who secretly breeds and sells gerbils for animal testing. Robinson grows up alongside her father's hobby, which turns into his new career that she finds a mixture of fun, interesting and overwhelming.
Between the gerbils, the moving around that comes with being in the military, and a family of colourful and clashing personalities, Robinson has an unusual childhood that makes for an entertaining and easy read of a memoir.
Between the gerbils, the moving around that comes with being in the military, and a family of colourful and clashing personalities, Robinson has an unusual childhood that makes for an entertaining and easy read of a memoir.
October 15, 2020
A short mildly interesting memoir with many anecdotes focusing in on the author’s father. I learned a lot about gerbils! I hope the author writes one more memoir and focuses in on her mother and their relationship.
February 11, 2017
Chronicles the life of the daughter of a navy man who raises gerbils to sell for experiments. good use of the language, occasionally humorous. Swearing and B/W photos. Padded with toilet paper use.
January 3, 2018
Well written delightful autobiography of the author growing up in a less than conventional family.
March 14, 2018
Delightful!
August 27, 2018
Mostly about her autocratic military father and spunky but downtrodded mother, not so much about gerbils.
September 27, 2020
Fun read. Interesting to read about old Navy and life during Vietnam war.
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