Flat Broke with Two Goats

A Memoir

By: Jennifer McGaha

Narrated by: Pam Ward

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Jennifer McGaha never expected to own a goat named Merle. Or to be setting Merle up on dates and naming his doeling Merlene. She didn't expect to be buying organic yogurt for her chickens. She never thought she would be pulling camouflage carpet off her ceiling or rescuing opossums from her barn and calling it "date night." Most importantly, Jennifer never thought she would only have $4.57 in her bank account.

When Jennifer discovered that she and her husband owed back taxes - a lot of back taxes - her world changed. Now desperate to save money, they foreclosed on their beloved suburban home and moved their family to a 100-year-old cabin in a North Carolina holler. Soon enough, Jennifer's life began to more closely resemble the lives of her Appalachian ancestors than the life she experienced in her middle class upbringing. But what started as a last-ditch effort to settle debts became a journey that revealed both the joys and challenges of living close to the land.

Told with bold wit, unflinching honesty, and a firm foot in the traditions of Appalachia, Flat Broke with Two Goats blends stories of homesteading with the journey of two people rediscovering the true meaning of home.

©2018 Jennifer McGaha (P)2018 Tantor

Critic reviews

" Flat Broke with Two Goats is a funny, moving and unflinchingly honest reckoning. This sweet miracle of a memoir tells the story of a struggling couple who have to lose their house, and just about everything else, to find home." (Tommy Hays, author of The Pleasure Was Mine)

Wonderfully Beautiful

I had thought this was an educational book on Goats. I ended up being both a grat story and Educational to boot. Very nice. Narrator did a great job.

good yet lacking

I was very disappointed in the abrupt ending felt unfinished.
Would've liked more human depth less goat mating details.

A comic tale of the economic bust

I enjoyed learning the life lessons of scaling back, facing your marriage and financial situations head on through the humorous and somewhat awkward way of the narrator. Homesteading wouldn't be for me, but the way its portrayed in the book, makes me think I would try for a weekend.

Flat Broke with Two Goats

Loved this book! True transformation from a slick, shallow city girl forced to try again in the country after losing it all in the city. She becomes a competent, self sufficient woman but not without a LOT of troubles and trials! Inspirational!

A Story About Finding Yourself

Great story; beginning to end. Love stories where we think we have our life planned out, or we have ideas about how it should be or could be, then we find ourselves living our best life in ways we could have never imagined.

I don’t understand the reviews about not liking the first part? That’s part of the story, and the bad stuff is where we find the good stuff

An inspiring story

This beautifully crafted memoir is generous in life lessons that will inspire us all but especially those who may struggle with debt and poverty. The narrative is honest, friendly, and often humorous. A lovely read.

Kudos to the author for her honest sharing

I valued the author’s candor in writing about her life and life’s challenges. I enjoyed witnessing how her perspective waxed and waned then waxed again. Wondering if she will write a sequel...and whether she and Denise can reconcile....

.....wait for it

it turns out to be a really good book but if you pick this book out for the homesteading aspect or the goats or the chickens then you're going to be waiting quite a while for the author to go through her slightly irrelevant personal experience up until they move to the cabin.
backstory is important but not that much back story.
if you want to get into the meat and potatoes of the book skip to chapter 10 and that's when she gets into the cabin where she finally starts getting animals in a farm and learning about herself etc etc
good performance of the narrator

Excellent Story and Lessons

I loved the story told through this memoir. There’s highs and lows, and just enough humor to always keep me smiling. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the reader’s style but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of listening. Overall, a wonderful, inspiring, feel-good read.

Loved this story

Great narration and wonderful articulate writing. l live in an old cabin now,after living in a beautiful neighborhood for 18 years and raising 5 kids there. When I needed some clothes to go on a trip to go back home to Phoenix, I walked into a Talbots. I hadn't shopped in a store like that in years. When I wen't to go check out with all the discounts of 50% sale prices, the ladies asked me where I was from. I explained my new life of goats and chickens and livestock guardian dogs. One of the the ladies said you have to read this book. So I downloaded it, and really enjoyed it. Great descriptive writing
and very inspiring in many ways.