Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm
A hilarious memoir about a newly single mother who makes a seemingly impossible resolution: to stay in her century old-farmhouse and continue raising her three boys on well-water, chopping wood, and dirt.
"Glints with Link's raw, willful energy.... Possesses that rare, elusive, but much sought-after feeling of authenticity." (The New York Times Book Review)
When Mardi Jo Link finds herself newly single after nineteen years of marriage, she decides to stay in her old farmhouse with her three boys. Armed with an unflagging sense of humor and a relentless optimism that would put Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm to shame, Link and her resolute accomplices struggle through one long, hard year of blizzards, foxes, bargain cooking, rampaging poultry, a zucchini-growing contest, and other challenges.
About This Memoir
This paperback edition chronicles one transformative year in the life of a family adapting to their new reality. Link documents the practical challenges of maintaining a century-old farmhouse without modern conveniences, from chopping wood for heat to managing well-water systems. The narrative captures authentic rural Michigan life through seasonal changes, agricultural mishaps, and the daily realities of single parenthood on limited resources.
The memoir balances humor with honest reflection on financial hardship, resourcefulness, and family resilience. Readers follow Link and her three sons through winter blizzards, spring planting, summer garden competitions, and the unpredictable nature of farm animals. Each chapter reveals the determination required to maintain independence while building a sustainable life from scratch.
