At Crossroads with Chickens: A “What If It Works?” Adventure in Off-Grid Living & Quest for Home

A chicken lady and her flock find their home in rural New Hampshire.

At Crossroads with Chickens by Tory McCagg is a thoughtful memoir about the author and her husband as they search for and create various homes, seeking the place where they, and their chicks, really belong. It skims the surface of various otherworldly issues—climate change, animal cruelty, confinement, and use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers—but at its core, the book is about a search for home: where it is, what it means, and who belongs there with you.

McCagg’s transformation from weekend gardener to chicken lady and off-grid extraordinaire is an entertaining read with some really good one-liners, a lot of anxiety, and oh so many chickens. Readers familiar with the Rhode Island/New Hampshire area will be able to appreciate the geography, and chicken aficionados will empathize with aggressive roosters and the need for good fencing. McCagg’s journey from daughter to caregiver is equally poignant as she processes her mother’s battle with Parkinson’s disease. At Crossroads with Chickens is off-grid, off-beat, and a very satisfying read.