Who is the crazier man

It's sensitive and thoughtful, but somehow lacks passion: Emmeline isn't angry or sad enough for this reader to really feel with her, and though the story covers big themes, it manages not to maintain any tension.

I'm very interested in the issues of personhood and recovery that Porter raises here, yet I don't think I will find this book very memorable. This book has a lovely balance of grittiness and sweetness, of people caring for one another, and people acting out of fear and ignorance. The author has wonderful insight into human behaviour.

And, I enjoyed the setting in rural Saskatchewan. I will read other work by this author. It is a short book, did the cover's artist not read it? Room The Crazy Man Have you ever lost a family member? Imagine it. Emmaline has lost her father, got her leg mangled by a tractor and lost her dog Prince. This man eats the food her mother cooks. While Angus the crazy man from the local mental hospital works on their Farm, many townspeople complain and grow scared even though Angus is very kind.

At the end of the book there is someone that you thought would come back but never does… I like this book because it has a lot of twists and turns. It is a hard book to put down. It is a good book if you like shorter stories. If you don't like short stories I don't recommend this book I enjoyed this book very much.

I would give this book a four out of five stars. I wish Pamela Porter put more to the story. I wish to read more of this author. I borrowed this of my daughter when we boarded a plane to Auckland because I had nothing to read and I couldn't face reading the airline magazine. Initially, I refused it, thinking it was poetry. But daughter said it wasn't and demanded I give it a fair go.

So I did. I finished the whole thing during the 1-hour plane flight - which makes it a light and easy read. It's sweet and peaceful - although some bleak, disturbing moments. The black is outweighed by the optimistic outlook on life by Emaline and Angus. Written in free verse, this children's novel character in grades explores life in Prairies in the late 's when there is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness. When a string of incidents lead to the protagonist, Emmaline, and her mom needing help on the family farm, Angus from "The Mental" comes to help out.

Lots of stereotypes and stigma need to be addressed. Lynda Archer. Author 1 book 31 followers. A poetic children's book about mental illness and physical disability and the Canadian prairies. Even though it is classed as a children's book I highly recommend for adults, the kindness and caring in which people with a mental illness are dealt with.

And being from the prairies, I love the descriptions of the land and sky. Written in free verse, it is at once a simple yet complex read. It touches on important themes mental health, acceptance of self and others, resilience, the meaning of family and others and tells a heart wrenching and touching story.

Loved it! Sometimes I pick up a few children's novels when I am at my library, and after reading good ones like this one, I wonder how many more good ones I missed out on as a kid. Told in free verse, from a child's perspective, this is a lovely subtle story of mental illness, prejudice, farming, and coming to terms with change and difference.

Linda Atkinson. A wonderful story set in small town Saskatchewan in the 's. Written in free verse adds a certain lightness to the sad circumstances in the story line. Would recommend this especially to anyone born and raised on the prairies. What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or somethin'? Well you're not!

You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walkin' around on the streets and that's it. There is something powerful and highly emotive about a story told with limited words and a fluctuating shape and rhythm in the telling. You find yourself drawn to character and setting far quicker and get a sense of place and time which almost draws in your other senses.

The story is told from the perspective of Emaline. Having mangled her leg due to a farm accident, she starts off alone with her mother and deeply confused as to why her father has left.

I was immediately drawn to the relationship between Anges and Emaline and how he teaches her to see the beauty and grace in the world that she lost when guilt weighed her down. Although she is the teller of the story, we are not invited to hear all her thoughts instead it is for the reader to reflect on the choices she makes in order to understand how it is that her redemption comes from the kindness and guidance of a crazy man.

A new colleague recommended this book as a read-aloud for my middle school class. He remarked that his class loved it and, after reading it, it's easy to understand why they would. It also makes me happy that stories much like W. Mitchell's 'Who Has Seen the Wind' still have their place in This book was published in , but takes place in s rural Saskatchewan for all you non-Canadians, this is a prairie province in Canada -- imagine nothing but wheat as far as the eye can see!

In fact, it is only one of two provinces I've yet to visit in my country. Most people who have been to Saskatchewan or who live there will tell you there's not much too see or do -- and maybe that is what is so endearing about this book: its simplicity; its lack of distractions. The author, Pamela Porter, is from New Mexico but immigrated to Canada with her husband whose family tradition of farming in Saskatchewan went back generations. The book was inspired by many of the stories Porter would hear from her husband and his family about their lives on the farm.

At the centre of this lyrically written story, is Emaline, a twelve-year-old girl who survives a farming accident. In the aftermath of this tragedy, however, she loses her dog and indirectly, her father. Left with no choice than to move on with the family farming, Emaline's mother hires a man, Angus, from the nearby "mental hospital" to help them out when a neighbour refuses to help her plant anything but wheat. Angus' presence on the farm brings out the worst in some people, but the best in others.

Emaline navigates through her loss of her father and her disability by connecting with the people around her, including their hired help, Angus; her teacher, Miss Tollofsen; her friend, Mei Wang and her vice-principal, Mr. All unknowingly and quietly teach Emaline the power of love for oneself, one another and all life around us.

Free from prejudice, discrimination and hate, these minor characters that Porter has so lovingly and purely brought to life are reflections of the people most of us aspire to be like.

I found myself teary-eyed on several occasions. A great pick-me-up for any sad day. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Show full review. Emaline is a twelve year old girl growing up on a wheat farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. She is an only child with a mother, father, and dog named Prince.

The dog was furiously chasing a rabbit and Emaline tried to stop him but feel off the tractor. Her foot was severed and could not be repaired. Her father in his grief killed the dog and then left the family for good. Emaline and her mother need to keep up the farm for money so they hire a man named Angus who was previously at the mental institution down the road. Angus and Emaline form a strong friendship and their farm flourishes.

This story is realistic fiction told in poetry format. There are no illustrations other then the cover art. The cover art is interesting and engaging due to its mix of photograph, paper cuts, and paint. I would recommend this story for ages Some of the ideas such as her father leaving, mental illness, and the death of the dog might be too graphic for some readers. This poetry novel reminded me of the novel Of Mice and Men, these could be read in conjunction with one another in a high school setting.

Overall I enjoyed the story and felt like the poetry was a nice touch. It was a very quick read which would engage a large amount of students.

I'm not sure what I really liked about this book. I just found that every day we read this in class and were limited to only a few pages each day I wanted to read more. So much more. The book isn't stunningly written. It isn't a complicated piece of fiction. It's simple and true. I think what I really loved about it was Angus. I loved how he seemed like a loyal, great friend.

But above all, I wanted to stand up for Angus, stand up against Harry Record and the other people in the town who are convinced he's going to hurt somebody. And I think that's exactly what this book did: it stood up for those who suffer with mental health issues and that these stereotypes and irrational fears around mentally-ill people are completely wrong and unreasonable.

I think Pamela Porter is showing her readers - kids who might not understand mental health or fear all mentally-ill individuals - that these people are still people and should be treated as such. My only negative comment on this book is the lack of the thought or appearance of Emaline's father at the end.

The book revolves around his absence, and he's not even mentioned in the last pages of the book. I think, at least, Emaline should have thought about him, put him in a balloon and let him fly away like Angus did with his mother. But other than that, this was a great book and it's created one of these rare cases in which I'm actually sad that I've finished a book.

When I read this book over one and a half year ago, I absolutely loved it. I found it beautiful, finely crafted, and mesmerizing. I would've given it 5 stars. Well, my book tastes have changed over time, and unfortunately, "The Crazy Man" is no longer one of my favorite books.

I think the only thing I still enjoyed about this book was Angus. I loved seeing him develop as a character, and I loved his personality and the fact that he sensed people's auras. Also, the setting is quite nice. But here was no depth. Add to cart to obtain the Digital Audio version of this title, visit your favorite audio retailer to obtain the ebook version of this title, visit your favorite ebook retailer. Add to Wish List. General Accolades Educator Details It is , and twelve-year-old Emaline lives on a wheat farm in southern Saskatchewan.

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