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"No man should be allowed to be President who does not understand pigs, or hasn't been around a manure pile." ~ Harry S. Truman
This book was recommended to me and loaned to me by my youngest son. I enjoyed the introduction but was on just the second page of the first chapter when I let out a squeal to equal any pig. The word "suig" is Irish for pig. I can remember when the kids and I lived on "Homestead Hollow" in Michigan and I would be canning and ran the peels out to the the pig pen. I would call "suey suey suey" and every one always asked me why I said that. I had no idea. Now I know. Somewhere along life's way I had heard their proper Irish name. All through this book delightful facts made me stop and read aloud to my husband. I also agree with much the author said about pigs personalities. One of our sows on "Homestead Hollow" got down one summer. I sat beside her in the pen and squirted her medicine and fluids into her mouth with a large syringe. She knew me well after that. Once she was in the freezer I had to pretend the pork chops were from a different pig. It was hard to eat her. But I digress. This book by Lyall Watson covers the history of all the different breeds of pigs in the world. It explains the relationship between pigs and humans. The book is divided into sections. After the introduction which is called "In a pig's eye" is the first chapter called "The first leg". It is explanations of definitions of exactly what a pig is and covers African pigs. The second chapter - "The second Leg" describes pigs of South America. The third chapter - "The Third Leg", examines human/pig relationships over history and includes the familiar pigs of the American midwest. And the fourth chapter - "The Fourth Leg", explores the mystery of pig intelligence. There is a conclusion - "When Pigs Fly", that explores current scientific studies of pigs. It is not a long book. An easy read of 193 pages. The copy my son leant me was hard cover and large with nice sized pictures throughout. This book held my attention and is an excellent non fiction read. Please click on the author's name and the book title above to learn more. And enjoy the following video of a modern day famous pig with lots of personality.
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