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“The journey began on a gurney,” writes Michael Perry, describing the debilitating kidney stone that led him to discover the essays of Michel de Montaigne. Reading the philosopher in a manner he equates to chickens pecking at scraps—including those eye-blinking moments when the bird gobbles something too big to swallow—the bestselling humorist embarks on a journey to glean what he can about life from the long-dead French nobleman.
Written in a spirit of exploration rather than declaration, Montaigne in Barn Boots is a down-to-earth (how do you pronounce that last name?) look into the ideas of a philosopher who “composed essays while ensconced in a castle tower overlooking his vineyard” channeled by a Midwestern American writing “in a room above the garage overlooking a disused pig pen.” Whether grabbing an electrified fencer, fighting fires, failing to fix a truck, or feeding chickens, Perry blends his personal experiences with Montaigne’s illuminating essays to write his own poignant (and hilarious) meditations on human nature. The result is a sincere, unflinching look at the vital need to be a better person and citizen in our modern world.