Plot: Alf Wight, under the pen name James Herriot, reflects on his first few years as a veterinarian in pre-WWII Yorkshire. While much of his expertise relied on the quack remedies and educated guesses of the pre-antibiotic medical world, his experiences continue to resound with vets and animal lovers. His early adventures eventually guide him to "three cylinder" cows, bossy farm wives, escaping chickens, fainting cowman, dying horses, grumpy pigs, lovable lapdogs, and his wife.
Genre: Veterinarians, Animals, Biography
Reading Level: I started reading this in middle school, but some situations and technical terms may be ill-suited for the sensitive and squeamish.
Similar Titles: All Things Bright and Beautiful, Hero of the Herd, While You're Here, Doc: Farmyard Adventures of a Maine Veterinarian
Personal Thoughts: A must-read for animal lovers. The series seems to touch sentimentality of people who like animals. However, most of the reviews I read tend to ignore the grittier aspects of the book, such as the nature of the injuries or reactions of the owners. Veterinarians suffered (and continue to suffer) from the same degrees of frustration and joys as any other profession. Herriot addresses this fact, without becoming too mushy or too technical.
The series inspired a television program in 1972. It ran until 1990, and can still be found on DVD and NetFlix.
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