Cow tipping and veracity in literature.

        Perhaps you've had the experience of a friend telling you that when they were in college they went 'cow tipping.' In the dark of night they entered a cow pasture and tipped cows over. There are at least three good reasons to doubt their veracity. First, cows sleep lying down. They do not have the bone structures in their knees which horses have which horse can lock allowing them to sleep standing up. Second, no self respecting cow would allow a stranger to get within cow tipping distance, they'd quickly move a safe distance away. Third, even if a college student, or anyone else could approach a standing cow it wouldn't be physically possible to tip it over. Cows have excellent balance and even a very small cow would weigh 600 pounds and many holstein cows weigh 1200 pounds or even more.    

       Is anyone wondering what set me off about cow tipping?  Reading a memoir of a man's recollections through childhood and high school, in mentioning his adolescent misadventures, he mentioned cow tipping.  After reading the first paragraph of this blog it should be apparent to readers that I don't believe anyone goes cow tipping. Reading his claim immediately raised in my mind questions of the author's veracity. If he would make up fictitious cow tipping as fact what else may he have fabricated? 

       Perhaps it really doesn't matter as the memoir is fascinating, readable and searing as a "misfit" navigates teenage angst. The book is SIGH GONE: A Misfit's memoir  of Great books, Punk Rock. and the Fight To fit In, Phuc Tran. Tran accompanied his parents to America as a small boy when they fled Vietnam as Saigon fell to the communists. Settling in Carlisle, PA., the book details his struggles to assimilate and survive. Racism, both overt and covert, complicates the struggle to come of age in a foreign culture. Read this to get a first hand account of the pain of being refugee in a alien place. 

       Tran's redemption comes through his love of literature. Obviously brilliant, when he discovers great literature he finds an entry into academic acceptance and a place in society. As he enters high school he affiliates with punk culture and cohort. While this leads to significant delinquency the total acceptance ethic of punkism allows him to also be a serious student. His punk friends are mostly academically unmotivated but they celebrate his academic success. Graduating 14th in his class he is voted by his classmates as one of four to speak at graduation. The books concludes with his high school graduation.

      I highly recommend it.

Takk for alt,

Al