A Day No Pigs Would Die

A Day No Pigs Would Die is a 1972 coming of age story by Robert Newton Peck about a 13-year-old boy named Robert. It is Peck's first novel; the sequel, A Part of the Sky, was published in 1994. The novel is focused around the boy developing a strong bond with his father, a butcher who slaughters hogs, and his pet pig named Pinky, and is set in the fictional town of Learning, Vermont. Robert Newton Peck uses his own childhood as a Shaker to reveal the problems Robert faces growing into manhood. For example, he helps his neighbor's cow have two baby bulls and saves one's life, while risking his. As reward his neighbor gives him his prized pet pig. As the pig grows to maturity it turns out to be sterile, though otherwise ideal. Eventually...