A Day No Pigs Would Die

 A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

2005 edition (copyright 1972)

Weight: 3.2 oz

Method of Disposal: Recycling (because it is in such poor shape)

(spoiler alert)

I brought this book with me to Mexico because it was in such rough shape that I figured I could just recycle it after having read it on the plane.  The cover was missing and pages were torn.  I'd had this mangled copy awhile, and it is possible I was scared to read it, loving animals as I do.  It had a great title though, and it did call to me.

I will tell you that I read half of it on the way to Mexico and was not overly impressed but understood it was a young adult book from a certain time.  It had all the lessons on being a man, responsibility, hard work, modesty that I am accustomed to in the young reader classics.  I couldn't give a damn about being anyone learning to be a man, but the characters were admirable in their grit and determination.  

I read the other half on the way home and did not handle it well--the main character's pig and friend was slaughtered due to being infertile and the family being poor.  I completely fell apart and then his dad died, and there was no coming back.  I was just flying over the ocean, bawling, and embarrassing Harriet who could not get away from me, despite her headphones being on loud and her leaning out into the aisle.  The tears were coming down my face and collecting on the ridge of my mask, my nose was running, which is bad for several reasons.  One, it is uncomfortable, inside a mask. Two, no one wants to be blowing their nose on an airplane now that we live in COVID world full-time all the time.  

I was also relieved to have an outlet for my stupid emotions and a distraction from real life.  We had just flown a dog named Scrappy home to his mama who had been deported over two years ago and had been in an ICE detention center in Ocilla, GA before that.  The things that people do to other people are appalling and discouraging, and I know that is an understatement.  Yet, some people are so strong and determined.  They still see the good and the value, and they are grateful for it, instead of just angry.  Somehow.  Scrappy's mom is one amazing lady, and we could  were so glad to be reunited.  You could see it right away.  We flew in, spent one night, and flew out.  It was a lot packed into one small trip and a long time coming.  My mother had fostered that dog all these years, waiting for this moment she would not end up being able to be a part of.  There was the unpredictability of ICE and Homeland Security and then the truly unexpected Covid-19 pandemic.  One thing I know for sure, there are people out there that are far stronger than I have ever dreamed of being and Scrappy's mom is one of those people.  The United States is missing a good one, and it was a decision our country made and poorly executed.