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Rage in the Hills
MONTPELIER--"Contrary to what
has been filmed and written about rat-race free Vermont--namely that life in
the old redecorated farmhouse is filled with peaceful and amusing struggles
against skunks and porcupines-- this collection of short stories is an attempt
at portraying what has happened to native Vermont culture after waves of wealthy
flatlanders arrived."
So writes Daniel A. Neary Jr. of East Montpelier in the preface to a new book entitled RAGE IN THE HILLS. The book contains 15 short stories that deal with the conflicts between two worlds--natives and flatlanders (people from out of state who have moved to Vermont)--of the new Vermont.
This book deals with the decline of the small Vermont family farm in the l950s and l960s; the waves of flatlander immigration in the l960s and l970s and the changeover from an agrarian to a tourist economy.
The decline of the family farm resulted in tens of thousands of small farm family members becoming voiceless in the state arena about a trend that wiped out their livelihood; natives then witnessed their cherished farmland bought off by relatively well-off flatlanders; and finally, tourism created a whole class of low paid jobs that forced natives to be subservient to a class of people the natives associated with the destruction of their rural heritage.
The collection is dedicated to the tens of thousands of small Vermont family farm members who were driven off the land by the forces of progress, growth, technology and immigration since World War II.
The book also contains some stories which satirize Vermont politics and state government.
Neary previously co-published VANISHING VERMONT, a book of photographs and essays. Since 1967, Neary lives with his wife, Emily in East Montpelier, Vermont.
Check out what other writers said about Rage in the Hills by clicking here.
RAGE IN THE HILLS may be purchased from most Vermont and several New Hampshire bookstores including Bear Pond Books and Rivendell books in downtown Montpelier. The book is also available on Amazon.com. It may also be mail ordered by sending a check of $21.85 to Daniel A. Neary Jr., 170 Perkins Road, Montpelier, Vermont 05602.
The price includes shipping and handling.
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