Epitaph for a Peach
four seasons on my family farm
Harper San Francisco / Harper Collins
256 pp,
Hardcover, June 1995
(four hard cover reprints) isbn 0-06-251024-X
Paperback, June 1996
(two paperback reprints) isbn 0-06-251025-8
"Sun Crest is one of the last remaining truly juicy peaches. When
you wash that treasure under a stream of cooling water, your fingertips
instinctively search for the gushy side of the fruit. Your mouth waters in
anticipation. You lean over the sink to make sure you don't drip on
yourself. Then you sink your teeth into the flesh and the juices trickle
down your cheeks and dangle on your chin. This is a real bite, a primal act,
a magical sensory celebration announcing that summer has arrived. " (from
the prologue)
As pleasurable as a perfect peach, Epitaph for a Peach tells the
passionate story of one farmer's attempt to rescue one of the last truly
sweet and juicy fruits from becoming obsolete in a world that increasingly
values commerciality over quality. The story of Mas Masumoto's Sun Crest
peaches begins on the day he turns the bulldozers away from his orchards and
vows to give himself four seasons to find a home for the fruits of his
labor.
At once a deeply personal story, a sharp commentary about the
state of American agriculture, a lighthearted rhapsody of nature, and an
intimate glimpse into the Asian American experience, Epitaph for a Peach is
about saving a peach, saving a farm, saving a family, saving a way of
life--it is a story about finding "home." |