"This unflinching, original work is a powerful meditation on history, place, work, grief, community, class, and human dignity in the face of disorder, prejudice, and adversity. It deserves a place in the philosophical tradition of Montaigne and Camus."Raymond Geuss, University of Cambridge"Amy Olberding writes with depth, authority, and compassion in the context of lived-in rural poverty. There are quotable gems on practically every other page: real insights grounded in real life, carefully crafted in a voice all her own. I am reminded of some of the great American writers."Justin Weinberg, University of South Carolina"Amy Olberding understands grief ‒ and communicates it with such tenderness, clarity, and humor ‒ because of her hard-earned agrarian wisdom. Yet in this book on death and mourning, she teaches us just as much about life and love. Olberding's writing will move you in unexpected, and at times profound, ways."Brooks Lamb, author of Love for the Land: Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place"This is a beautiful book from a philosopher ‒ so rare in our era! ‒ who has refused to separate philosophy from life itself. Reading her, one is reminded just how hostile philosophy is to the experience of rural life. In her singular and moving style, she reminds us just how much of our common humanity this exclusion leaves out."Justin Smith-Ruiu, Université Paris Cité"Olberding traces the long, sad shadows of evanescence with elegiac mischief. Through her skill and humor, we learn to discern and remember with more care. In so doing, we are nudged back on the winding path toward wisdom."Eric Schliesser, University of Amsterdam