The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood

I have bought and gifted this book many times. Have read it at least twice. Anything by Sy Montgomery is worth reading!

I read Sy Montgomery’s book “A Good Good Pig” during 10 days in the hospital with Covid-19…  Between Plasma IVs, blood thinners and massive dosages of steroids, then the anti-viral drug that stopped the virus in its tracks, this book, downloaded to my mobile, was just what the doctor ordered: A perfect escape from a dicey situation, and a great antidote to days and days where the hours drag on.This aside, “A Good Good Pig” is a unique and touching story in any situation – told flawlessly (I’m a journalist so I know a thing or two about putting words together in a propelling fashion). The appeal of this book is not only the product of the author’s experience as a writer, but because of the very - excuse me - human nature of a total pig...and the couple and the community who shared his life.The narrative (with nary a dull moment) is driven by Sy Montgomery’s undying love and compassion for all creatures large and small (she also wrote a book about gorillas), but all the more due to 'the nature of the beast' - one life-embracing pig named Christopher Hogwood whose personality and antics can teach us homo sapiens a lesson or two about making the most of life even if the cards we're dealt at birth are dismal. In this sense one could frame "A Good Good Pig" as a splendid non-fiction rendition and real-life sequel for all those who grew up on E B White's timeless tale - "Charlotte's Web".

A really fun, interesting read overall - gets a little slow in the middle but then becomes very interesting once again. Really a wonderful story of a loving friendship with one of the smartest animals around! Highly recommend for anyone who loves (big) animals.

The title of this book is a bit of a misnomer, since it's not just about the life of Christopher Hogwood, but is also a memoir by science writer Sy Montgomery about her own life. Some of her personal story intersects with the story of the pig in question, and some does not. However, since in this book the pig's place within her family clearly functions as a "center of condensation" for her ideas about her own life, nature, and community ties, the title was probably only a degree or so off target.Whether or not a memoir is interesting is generally a subjective matter, even in the cases of writings by hugely famous people. There are those who have written here that the book was no good because the pig was not extraordinary and the author wrote too much of herself. Well, if you can't write about yourself in a memoir, where can you?As for the pig, aside from sometimes making himself a nuisance, he effected many healings. There were the two girls who found happiness with him after being abandoned by their fathers. There was another young girl, dying of cancer, who depended on Christopher for much of the joy she experienced in her final months. There was the woman whom Christopher helped heal from the trauma of having seen a cherished pet shot to death. And there was the woman who distanced herself from an unhappy marriage, came to live by Christopher, befriended him along with the estranged parts of herself, and thereby healed herself and her marriage.Perhaps, though, it's true that Christopher was not so very different from any other pig. Anyone with a knack for communing with animals must admit that any animal whom we get to know deeply is indeed extraordinary. According to a recent article in Science News, scientists are starting to address the fact that even invertebrates such as spiders have personalities: that is, they have found differences within given Arachnid species between how various individuals react to their environments and events. In other words, even the so-called "lower order" animals are not predictable machines.The more biologically complex a species, the more variety we can expect between its members. In the case of humans, personalities seem to be as infinitely variable as fingerprints. Pigs have complex psyches and are extraordinarily intelligent, rivalling if not surpassing dogs (some of the data on this are discussed in the book), and thus any pig you meet who has been raised in an "enriched" social environment is going to really shine. Apparently Christopher Hogwood shone plenty, since he had enough admirers throughout the community to keep him fed to the tune of 750 pounds of body weight. And even if Christopher was not so different than any other pampered pig, clearly he was extraordinary to the woman who raised him. And after all the love and care she devoted to him, we must allow her that sentiment.I found the author's stories about herself, her town, and her pig to be hope-inspiring. The fact that there are still places where neighbors help each other, care about their animals, and mourn each others' losses is significant in our era of disintegrating social mores and increasing lack of decency. That there are people like Ms. Montgomery who make it their calling to act as interspecies ambassadors should encourage all of us who find our culture's anthropocentric insensitivity to animals insupportably brutish.What was extraordinary to me about Christopher was that he had such an impact on so many people. A personality of note not just in his home town but throughout New England and points beyond, his life must have held some measure of meaning in the eyes of those who admired him. Exactly what that meaning was of course would have varied among individuals, in accordance with their unique personalities. However, one thing is clear to all of us who love and respect other species: rather than mere objects for our use, those others can be fellow subjects in this miraculous world, subjects who feel, think, play, and often teach us profound lessons about ourselves.

If you have ever bonded with a four legged creature, you will love this book. Christopher Hogwood started his life as a runty piglet so sick he may not make another day. Well, he did make it to become a 750 lb. behemoth, dearly loved by his rescuers and all those friends fortunate enough to know him. Warning: you can not escape this book without several rounds of tears. I loved it!

I adore Sy Montgomery’s books and this was just as wonderful, emotional, funny, heartbreaking and beautiful as I knew it would be. If you love animals, Sy Montgomery is for you :)

I enjoyed the first half of this book very much. It was often funny and surprising! But the second half just repeated the same kinds of adventures of Christopher Hogwood and visits to this unusual pet; she could have shortened the book.

What a darling story of a couple who adopt a Pig as a pet...they bring it home in a shoe box...I learned as lot about pigs, learned to appreciate them and thoroughly enjoyed this story. I listened to it on audio on my walks and I didn't want I to end. Beautifully written. You learn about the author's life, and her profession as as writer....everything was interesting...and everyone falls in love with the silly Pig...A relaxing, fun book with lots of meaning...I enjoyed it so much.

Mr. Hogwood was so doggone swell and his pampered life so wonderful I hated to see the book end. I had alot in common with the author, too, as I'm the same age and grew up Congregational, and am an animal activist. It was surprising to see her Amazon author's page showing Sy Montgomery with a captive dolphin. You paid money for that experience?

I have a tender spot for pigs and there was much in this book to amuse and entertain me. In fact I ordered a second copy for a friend. I found the pig's diet a bit baffling - certainly not 'natural' for a pig, and that niggled me. But it was a good book and I intend to read the author's other books.

Normalerweise schreibt die Autorin über Tiere in fernen exotischen Ländern. In diesem Buch geht es aber um ein Schwein, welches sie neben Hühnern und Hunden selbst gehalten hat. Dieses Schwein kommt als kleines überzähliges Ferkel zu ihr. Es wird zur lokalen Berühmtheit in dem kleinen Ort, in welchem sie lebt. Viele Menschen machen es sich zur Gewohnheit, das Schwein mit Küchenabfällen zu versorgen. Entsprechend wächst das kleine Ferkel zu einem großen Schwein heran und wird so schwer, dass es hinterher sogar abnehmen muss. Das liebenswerte Schwein erhält Besuch von vielen Leuten und ist besonders beliebt bei Kindern. Darum geht es in diesem unterhaltsamen Buch. Wer sich für Schweine interessiert, wird an diesem Buch viel Freude haben.

Lovely, lovely book. Funny, thoughtful, affectionate and beautifully written. Suitable for readers of all ages.

Beautifully written, heartwarming and fun! I just loved it so much and was sad when I had finished it.The author's love of animals was therapeutic for me as I love them so much as well, and so many inthe human world do not.