A Day No Pigs Would Die
Encyclopedia
A Day No Pigs Would Die is a 1972
coming of age
story by Robert Newton Peck
about a 13-year-old boy named Robert. It is Peck's first novel; the sequel, A Part of the Sky, was published in 1994.
, and his pet pig named Pinky, and is set in the fictional town of Learning, Vermont
. Robert Newton Peck uses his own childhood as a Shaker to reveal the problems Robert faces growing into manhood. For example, he helps his neighbor's cow have two baby bulls and saves one's life, while risking his. As reward his neighbor gives him his prized pet pig. As the pig grows to maturity it turns out to be sterile, though otherwise ideal. Eventually the family faces such economic hardship that Pinky is slaughtered. The slaughter and butchering of Pinky is extremely graphic, but accurate. The boy assists his father in this act, holding his beloved pet down while his father kills and makes sausage out of it.
The book takes place roughly during the Calvin Coolidge
presidency. The novel is loosely based on Peck's own life, though there is much dispute about the accuracy of known information about Peck's childhood.
This book has often been challenged, that is, people have demanded that it be removed from libraries. It was 16th on the American Library Association
's list of books most often challenged in the 1990s.
1972 in literature
The year 1972 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Fiction:*Richard Adams - Watership Down*Jorge Amado - Teresa Batista Cansada da Guerra *Martin Amis - The Rachel Papers...
coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
story by Robert Newton Peck
Robert Newton Peck
Robert Newton Peck is an American author who writes young adult novels. His works include Soup and A Day No Pigs Would Die. He claims his birth date as February 17, 1928, but refused to specify where. Similarly, he states he graduated from a high school in Texas, yet again refuses to identify the...
about a 13-year-old boy named Robert. It is Peck's first novel; the sequel, A Part of the Sky, was published in 1994.
Background
The novel is focused around the boy developing a strong bond with his father, a butcher who slaughters hogsPig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, and his pet pig named Pinky, and is set in the fictional town of Learning, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. Robert Newton Peck uses his own childhood as a Shaker to reveal the problems Robert faces growing into manhood. For example, he helps his neighbor's cow have two baby bulls and saves one's life, while risking his. As reward his neighbor gives him his prized pet pig. As the pig grows to maturity it turns out to be sterile, though otherwise ideal. Eventually the family faces such economic hardship that Pinky is slaughtered. The slaughter and butchering of Pinky is extremely graphic, but accurate. The boy assists his father in this act, holding his beloved pet down while his father kills and makes sausage out of it.
The book takes place roughly during the Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
presidency. The novel is loosely based on Peck's own life, though there is much dispute about the accuracy of known information about Peck's childhood.
This book has often been challenged, that is, people have demanded that it be removed from libraries. It was 16th on the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
's list of books most often challenged in the 1990s.