Barn Gothic

Three Generations and the Death of the Family Dairy Farm

Ryan Dennis

$61.99

Hardback

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English

Island Press
13 November 2025

Memoirs; Food & society; Central government policies; Agriculture & farming

When Ryan Dennis's father was crushed by heavy machinery on their New York dairy farm, both men accepted the accident as a risk of agricultural life. But it was harder to comprehend being crushed by low milk prices, big banks, and the policies that destroyed America's family farms.

Even though Ryan grew up watching his father and grandfather struggle to survive, he always thought he would follow in their footsteps and take over the family farm. But as he milked cows and fed calves, the world outside the barn was changing. Between 2003 and 2020, 40,000 dairy farms went out of business in the United States.

Barn Gotl1ic is an elegy for family farmers and an intimate portrait of three generations laboring to be fathers and sons while their livelihood falls apart. Beautifully told with a farmer's restraint and a poet's grace, it is a story of personal loss amid corporate corruption and of finding a way forward when everything you know disappears.

By: Ryan Dennis
Imprint: Island Press
Country of Publication: United States
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781642834475
ISBN 10: 1642834475
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 13 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ryan Dennis grew up on a New York dairy farm. Since 2011 he has written the column ""The Milk House,"" which appears in print agricultural journals in four countries, including Progressive Dairy and Farm and Livestock Directory in the United States. His debut novel, The Beasts They Turned Away, was longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. He is also the editor of the literary journal The Milk House, which features writing on rural subjects.

Reviews for Barn Gothic: Three Generations and the Death of the Family Dairy Farm

""Barn Gothic is a good heartfelt read for anyone who thinks about our nation's farmers today, or who eats, drinks milk, or derives pleasure from a good farmscape along the road. If you're a family farmer now or once upon a time, you'll find it spot-on.""-- ""Ludington Daily News""