My Father and Other Animals by Sam Vincent | Black Inc.

My Father and Other Animals : How I Took on the Family Farm

Awards for My Father and Other Animals

  • Winner, Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Nonfiction 2023

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About the author

Sam Vincent

Sam Vincent’s writing has appeared in The MonthlyThe Saturday PaperGriffith Review and The Best Australian Essays. His first book, Blood and Guts, was longlisted for the Walkley …

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Praise for My Father and Other Animals

‘For any reader desiring to understand contemporary rural Australia, this entertaining and important book is a must-read.’ —Charles Massy, author of Call of the Reed Warbler

‘At once a rollicking comic memoir and a thoughtful meditation on Australian farming, My Father and Other Animals is a warm, surprising and beautifully crafted book.’ —Billy Griffiths, author of Deep Time Dreaming

‘Bloody hilarious and salt-of-the-earth heartwarming, My Father and Other Animals is an absolute treasure of a book.’ —Anna Krien, author of Act of GraceNight Games and Into the Woods

‘A farmer, his son … what to forget and what to remember, how to inherit and when to change. Sam Vincent has learned a few things from his dad, and among them is how to pay attention. For those of us who hunt our food plastic-wrapped in aisle three, this is a funny, kindly and observant introduction to the landscape that wraps around our cities, keeps us alive and means the world.’ —Kate Holden, author of The Winter Road

‘Sam Vincent probes deeply into some of the biggest issues of our time ... This book is a celebration of the love of land and builds bridges of understanding that will appeal to a broad cross section of readers.’ —Judges’ comments, Prime Minister’s Literary Awards

‘My Father and Other Animals is a beautiful tale of legacy, family, and a millennial finding his place in the world.’ —Samuel Bernard, The Weekend Australian ‘Notable Books’

‘True to his title, Vincent recounts it all in a droll, amused and bemused Durrell-esque style. It’s also a window onto the new rural Australia.’Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald

‘He is a careful observer and fine writer who can do justice to complex issues, and this book is a cracker’ —Robyn Douglass, The Daily Telegraph

‘His memoir recounts, with humour and warmth, the many ups and downs that ensued as he gradually came to think differently not only about farming, but also his relationship with his father.’ —Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian

‘A story of how a son learns about his own family just as much as how he learns to become a farmer.’ —The Guardian

‘The combination of personal reflection and serious analysis, when done well, can be a winning formula. This is certainly true of Sam Vincent’s appealing memoir My Father and Other Animals.’ —James Ley, Sydney Review of Books

‘[My Father and Other Animals] is both community history and personal musing, a delight for the reader with its candour and thoughtful examination of things too often left unsaid.’ —Barbie Robinson, Riotact ‘The Canberra Bookshelf’

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