The naked farmer by Ben Brooksby

Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781760981068.
(Age: 17+) In 2017, Ben Brooksby posted a photograph of himself on social media. The photograph showed him lying naked on lentils in a truck. At first, he thought that his followers might learn about the importance of agriculture, but his own recovery from anxiety attacks after a difficult childhood suggested another goal. Ben founded the Naked Farmer movement to encourage people in rural areas to speak up about their experiences of mental illness.
In The naked farmer, Ben has assembled thirty-two stories about men and women who have confronted challenges ranging from grief, depression and chronic illness to marriage breakdown and the disclosure of same-sex attraction. Any of these experiences would be difficult to deal with in a city but in the country, sufferers can face the additional problems of loneliness, a culture of stoicism and remoteness from health facilities. This book does not provide expert medical opinion. Instead, it presents a variety of experiences of mental illness and the ways in which sufferers have dealt with them. Common threads emerge, including the need to discuss the problem with an understanding relative, friend or health professional, and the eventual realisation that every life has value. Some of the stories are told in the first person and one has been written in verse, but most have been reported by Ben and a team of storytellers. All the stories are told in a down-to-earth style that readers can experience as conversations with or about people who have revealed that they have been mentally ill. Their bravery explains the photographs. Ben believes that just as it takes courage to be photographed naked, it also requires courage to both admit to having a mental health problem and ask for help.
Ben Brooksby calls his book a 'conversation starter'. The naked farmer will have served its purpose if it encourages people who work in agriculture to discuss their mental health issues. It may also provide other Australians with insights into some of the difficulties confronting those who live in rural areas.
Elizabeth Bor