Book Review: Diddly Squat - A Year on the Farm

Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm is a book written by British television presenter turned farmer, Jeremy Clarkson.  It serves as a personal reflection on his time taking over and running his own farm called Diddly Squat back in 2019 when the previous farmer he paid to run it retired.  The book is structured as a year-long retread through the ins and outs of rural British farming from Clarkson’s first-hand perspective since taking over directly.  The main appeal behind the book is Clarkson is known to be quite a blunt and stubborn man who has spent most of his life driving past farms in his fast cars, so to see how he fares running one along with his trademark commentary serves as the core draw behind the book in itself.  Each chapter is written to provide Jeremy’s own perspective on the numerous struggles farmers face day in and day out against many things including mother nature and governmental regulation.

I have a love/hate relationship with Jeremy Clarkson. From my time watching him on Top Gear and Clarksons Farm, I do tend to enjoy his work when he stays on point.  He’s a lot smarter than he plays himself off as though and with his intelligence there comes a condescending nature that often peaks into his work that rubs me the wrong way.  In his TV shows you’re able to move past his snarky judgments because the show has to keep a consistent pace.  In his written work however, that gripe becomes an ever more prevalent issue that sadly ruined my engagement with this book.  When Clarkson discusses the world of farming, the book can actually be quite insightful and fun to read.  Yet Clarkson can never stick to a general topic for long before he diverts into his cynical and ignorant judgment on anyone and everything outside of his own world of understanding.  I can’t tell you how many times the book would turn into an arrogant tirade on vegans, young people or environmentalism.  For a man trying to showcase the farming industry and highlight struggles he wasn’t aware off before, it heavily dilutes that message when Clarkson still insists on spouting his ignorance on a constant-basis.

Despite my main grievances with Clarkson’s ignorant tirades, when the book actually focuses on the topic of farming, the book becomes quite engaging. Clarkson makes it clear from the offset he knows little about the job or the industry, but its through his willingness to dive into this world and recount his experience within it that the book offers its main quality.  Clarkson makes a conscious effort to highlight the joys and woes that the world of farming brings along with his own brand of commentary.  Again, when he stays on point with his general commentary, this works well in the same vein as his actual TV show does.  I also feel there’s more room for Jeremy to expand on certain topics in the book that the format of TV doesn’t quite afford, so that is another positive to recognize.

Your general appreciation of this book will heavily depend on how much you align yourself with Jeremy Clarkson’s perspective on the world.  For someone who can be a conceited man-child at times, I cannot deny his contribution to the British farming industry deserves to be recognized.  When he devotes his time in this book to highlighting that, that’s clearly where the book works best. The book however also highlights his worst elements with how incapable he is of not trying to target and alienate people and topics he has little desire to understand; the side remarks and comments really weigh this book down for me personally.