A Farewell to Farms is a memoir and covers the time period from the author's birth in a small farming town in rural Southern Virginia in the mid-1950s, to the present. The author focuses on specific parts of his life in the 1960s and 1970s. Included is an in-depth reflection of his family's struggle to make a living on a tobacco farm and in a textile mill.
The author discusses the anguish of dealing with an alcoholic father, the struggle to find meaningful employment and establish close personal relationships. The author writes about the closeness shared with his mom and the strength she provided to her children. Then there were the happy times spent with his grandparents and other relatives, hanging out on the front porch or under an old oak tree shelling butterbeans, or at the old country store just having a cold soda.
The author intersperses stories of his childhood adventures, entertainment and games. He also shares some of the history of his town and relates how it's important to preserve and share history. He shares historical information about childhood labor, race relations/integration and poverty.
Mr. Howerton discusses the challenges of writing, obtaining a good education and his twenty-seven-year struggle to obtain a degree.
A Farewell to Farms provides the reader a window into a simpler time. The author invites the reader to share in his journey from a small tobacco farming town in Southern Virginia to the halls of social work in Southern California. It is important to embrace the future, but remember the past.