Population

By Michael Perry,

Book cover of Population: 485

Book description

“Part portrait of a place, part rescue manual, part rumination of life and death, Population: 485 is a beautiful meditation on the things that matter.”  — Seattle Times

Welcome to New Auburn, Wisconsin (population: 485) where the local vigilante is a farmer’s wife armed with a pistol and a Bible,…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Population as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is my one non-fiction recommendation on this list, but it’s as entertaining as any literary comedic novel.

Perry’s distinct voice reflects his eclectic background—nurse, EMT, freelance journalist, volunteer firefighter, son of farmers—and his 2002 debut is filled with a cast of real-life characters who are exactly as you’d write them. Two decades later, Perry has published dozens of books and hundreds of columns (and recorded numerous CDs with his band), and he’s taken his storytelling act on the road and to radio airwaves.

He’s now a husband and father and recently published a novella (Forty Acres Deep) that deals…

From Maggie's list on the essence of small town Wisconsin.

Population 485 was the first book about EMS I ever read. I was just starting out as a volunteer in a rural area, so this book really resonated with me. The author, in moving back to his rural hometown in Wisconsin, joins the local fire department and shares with his readers the funny, crazy, and tragic stories that haunt his small town.

Perry’s writing is full of humility and wit. Population 485 is a portrait of “small-town America” but also serves as a peek behind the curtain at the education of a first responder.

From Dave's list on for and about emergency medicine.

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