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The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood | 
 enlarge | Author: Sy Montgomery
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $3.07
You Save: $10.88 (78%)
New (37) Used (54) Collectible (1) from $3.07
Avg. Customer Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 11682
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 0345496094
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.40887
EAN: 9780345496096
ASIN: 0345496094
Publication Date: April 17, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ex-Library. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.
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Product Description
“Christopher Hogwood came home on my lap in a shoebox. He was a creature who would prove in many ways to be more human than I am.”
–from The Good Good Pig
A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own among wild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always felt more comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladly opened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away from nourishing meals by his stronger siblings. Yet Sy had no inkling that this piglet, later named Christopher Hogwood, would not only survive but flourish–and she soon found herself engaged with her small-town community in ways she had never dreamed possible. Unexpectedly, Christopher provided this peripatetic traveler with something she had sought all her life: an anchor (eventually weighing 750 pounds) to family and home.
The Good Good Pig celebrates Christopher Hogwood in all his glory, from his inauspicious infancy to hog heaven in rural New Hampshire, where his boundless zest for life and his large, loving heart made him absolute monarch over a (mostly) peaceable kingdom. At first, his domain included only Sy’s cosseted hens and her beautiful border collie, Tess. Then the neighbors began fetching Christopher home from his unauthorized jaunts, the little girls next door started giving him warm, soapy baths, and the villagers brought him delicious leftovers. His intelligence and fame increased along with his girth. He was featured in USA Today and on several National Public Radio environmental programs. On election day, some voters even wrote in Christopher’s name on their ballots.
But as this enchanting book describes, Christopher Hogwood’s influence extended far beyond celebrity; for he was, as a friend said, a great big Buddha master. Sy reveals what she and others learned from this generous soul who just so happened to be a pig–lessons about self-acceptance, the meaning of family, the value of community, and the pleasures of the sweet green Earth. The Good Good Pig provides proof that with love, almost anything is possible.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...
 A real letdown June 19, 2008
Of all the many books I've read since childhood about pets and animals, this one left me cold. Nothing the author said about this pig was at all out of the ordinary and if he had a special personality the author was not up to the task of convincing me of this. Ok, so he would pull a strawberry out of his slops and savor it and he loved to have his belly rubbed but what exactly made him special? The book has gotten good reviews but I just felt sorry for the author's mother and annoyed at her shameless self-promotion and narcissism. I've saved all my other books on animals to pass down to my grandchildren but this one is already in the recycling bin.
 A good, good pig with a good, good story May 10, 2008
If you love true memoirs in this type of animal genre you'll enjoy this book. Sy Montgomery is an excellent & intelligent writer. She writes in a very easy and flowing fashion. In spite of her noticeable intelligence she doesn't write in a haute style. I loved the fact that she used no foul language or cursing in this book. I was quickly drawn into this story and it held my interest right to the end. I found myself identifing with many of the author's experiences.
The author, Sy Montgomery was a somewhat eccentric nature lover who had always thought herself more animal than human. She was estranged from her parents and had few close friends. That was before the sweet Christopher Hogwood came into her life. When Sy and her husband Howard get Christopher they nurse him slowly back to health. He soon is getting into loads of trouble all over town. Thanks to some very understanding neighbors, Christopher Hogwood is soon the most popular member of the neighborhood. Of course when people hear about Christopher they want to meet him. Pretty soon Chris is a celebrity too. In turn, Sy is forced into human relationships. The surprise is that she finds that she's actually enjoying it. Christopher Hogwood ends up touching everyone's life that he comes in contact with, until the day he dies. It was like he was sent into Sy's life to reconcile all her human relationships. Christopher is truely a special pig.
The reason I gave this charming book only 4 stars? At times the author goes into a few personal musings about her extensive travels, beliefs about religions or about people who eat meat. Whether or not, you would agree with her opinions- it doesn't really add to this otherwise awesome story. Also, at times Ms. Montgomery 'name drops' a bit too much for my tastes.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes stories on human/animal relationships. I'd read this again. Very well written and touching story.
 A Gentle Read without any smarm March 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ms. Montgomery writes in a forthright manner and has documented an unlikely partnership in an authentic style. My appreciation for pigs in general has grown exponentially as a result of her frienship with Christopher Hogwood, a fellow creature who lived comfortably - very comfortably - in his own skin and through his immediate circumstances. The author describes how one's delights in ordinary abundance sets an example for every one of us - this would be the pig doing the treaching by example. If anyone of your associates should ever call you piggish you will know, having read this book yourself, that it is a deep compliment. For a biography I can ask no more than a book like this provides. Treat yourself.
Charismatic Christopher February 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a delightful book! I do so wish I could have met Christopher - he really was an excellent pig. Sy Montgomery's life sounds so interesting, and she writes in a very easy, readable way. I have recommended this book to several people, as well as buying a couple of copies as gifts.
Great story, great pig! December 4, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved this book. I read it in less than 2 days, I couldn't put it down. People have so much to learn about animals and I think this book reminds us that if we stop our busy lives for one minute and get to know an animal in a different way it would change the way many of us think. This book teaches you more about yourself than anything. Great book, though now I want a pig of my own!
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