“Every amazing and wonderful thing that happened to us was because of an animal that most people don’t think of as more than a barcode in a grocery store.”
It’s hard to not to go all fangirl when I think about Esther the Wonder Pig. I’ve been a Facebook fan of Esther’s for a long time now. Her substantial physiognomy and wry sense sense of humor (not to mention her wardrobe!) have never failed to put a smile on my face. Needless to say, I was very excited when I heard there was to be a book written about Esther, her dads, and their journey. I even had an idea of how the book would go:
- Esther’s dads find that there’s a pig that needs a home. (I did know they initially thought she was a micro or mini pig.)
- After much research on the rearing of pigs and much discussion and thought, they agree to adopt said pig.
- The aforementioned pig grows slightly larger than they’d anticipated but it’s all good because she’s super cute and was so easy to train.
- They love having a giant pig so much they purchase a farm so they can have have even more pigs.
- Everyone lives Happily Ever Esther!
WRONG!!
Esther’s story is so much more than I ever realized. First, there are the small details of how Esther came to live with Steve and Derek. Which I can totally relate to because I currently have 5 dogs living in our home (one is a foster) and sometimes you just have to sneak one in under the radar. But I don’t like spoilers so I’ll leave it at that.
Then there’s all the things they went through as they learned to adapt to life (with what would turn out to be a 650lb) commercial pig. And it’s a lot. As it turns out, raising and training Esther was no easy job. And not exactly glamourous. But there is a one-word explanation for why it ultimately worked: COMMITMENT. Sure they loved her, but that was the easy part. Who wouldn’t? Steve and Derek stuck it out when the going got really, really tough.
Then, on a totally uncharacteristic whim, Steve decided to give Esther her own Facebook page. And that’s when life became even more exciting. Esther became an overnight celebrity. Steve and Derek gave Esther a voice and she began to use it to communicate with kindness and humor. As it became painfully obvious their family had outgrown their modest home, Esther used her voice to help her dads raise some of the necessary funds to relocate to the farm which is now the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary.
Esther the Wonder Pig is a fantastic, fun, quick read that will make you laugh and cry. I loved the honesty and humor!
5/5 stars
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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