Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is an American author. Her latest book 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' shows how she and her family eat home grown and local food instead of industrially produced foodstuff.
Her most popular book is The Poisonwood Bible, a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959.
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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life - by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp
Michael Pollan has long been celebrated as a leading voice in the exploration of local food systems and the problematic nature of industrial farming, and now he finds a counterpart in novelist Kingsolver. She shares her family's journey of a year dedicated to consuming only what they grow or source locally.
The Kingsolver family, adept in gardening, cultivates a robust garden in the southern Appalachian region, engaging in the traditional practice of preserving food for the off-season. Their culinary creations range from pickles and chutney to homemade mozzarella. With their nine-year-old daughter leading a heritage poultry venture, the family's diet is rich and varied. For items they don't produce themselves, like lamb, beef, and apples, they rely on nearby farms. As winter approaches, their diet shifts to stored and root vegetables, eagerly anticipating the spring's fresh produce. Initially foregoing industrial meat, the family gradually embraces ethical meat consumption, exploring the benefits of responsible meat-eating.
"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" stands out in the crowded field of sustainable agriculture literature by blending diary-like introspection, environmental advocacy, and practical gardening advice with Kingsolver's refined literary craftsmanship. The narrative captivates with its engaging prose, blending humor and insight while avoiding the pitfall of elitism that can often accompany such topics. Kingsolver approaches her subject with the thoroughness of a journalist and the precision of a scientist, offering clear explanations on a range of topics from dietary choices to the ecological benefits of integrated farming.
Far from being preachy, Kingsolver's work is imbued with a light, humorous tone, extending equal appreciation to the marvels of heirloom varieties and the achievements of modern agriculture. The book is enriched with side notes on food ecology (contributed by Steven Hopp) and recipes (by Camille Kingsolver), emphasizing the collective effort required to embrace local food—from cultivation and preparation to consumption and storytelling. This narrative not only critiques America's food consumption patterns and the impact of large-scale agriculture but also presents a vivid, actionable guide to a more sustainable and fulfilling way of living with food.
A Year of Food Life
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them all they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil.
This tale of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction, over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa, is set against history's most dramatic political parables.
The Poisonwood Bible dances between the darkly comic human failings and inspiring poetic justices of our times. In a compelling exploration of religion, conscience, imperialist arrogance, and the many paths to redemption, Barbara Kingsolver has brought forth her most ambitious work ever.
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Barbara Kingsolver Books - The Poisonwood Bible
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Barbara Kingsolver Bibliography
Barbara Kingsolver Book List - Books written by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Bean Trees, 1988
- Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983, 1989
- Homeland and Other Stories, 1989
- Animal Dreams, 1990
- Another America, 1992
- Pigs in Heaven, 1993
- High Tide in Tucson, 1995,
- The Poisonwood Bible, 1998
- Prodigal Summer, 2000
- Small Wonder: Essays, 2002
- Last Stand: America's Virgin Lands, 2002
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle 2007
- The Lacuna. , 2009
- Flight Behavior. , 2012
- Unsheltered. , 2018
- How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) 2020
- Demon Copperhead. 2022
