Plow the Dirt but Watch the Sky: True Tales of Manure, Media, Militaries, and More

Despite—or maybe because of—the repetitious toil, regular exposure to weather extremes, andsmelly proximity of large animals, farm life on the Great Plains was a blessing for Martin Kufus.It instilled a work ethic, tolerance for unpleasantness, and appreciation of the outdoors—even ifKufus didn’t follow his forefathers into agriculture. The tractor-driving, manure-shoveling farmboy instead would become a camera-packing newspaper reporter, Russian-speaking Armyparatrooper, foreign correspondent (briefly) in the Middle East, editor of a controversial militarymagazine, volunteer firefighter and flood rescuer, homeland-security specialist, and armed guardon a cargo ship in African-pirate waters. These and other experiences comprise 26 whistle stops,chapters “A is for America” through “Z is for Zodiac,” in the narrative journey Plow the Dirt butWatch the Sky. Kufus’ unvarnished descriptions of mistakes, tragedies, and family dysfunction.additionally give this book a self-revelatory quality (perhaps familiar to readers of working-classnonfiction like J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy). A well-lived life doesn’t require wealth, a famoussurname, or a metropolitan upbringing.