Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$10.99

NOOK Book

——

$10.99

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (eBook) Pub. Date: 10/13/2009 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
$3.05

$11.98

Paperback

$3.05

$11.98

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Reprint) Pub. Date: 4/29/2008 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

$5.00

——

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Large Print) Pub. Date: 5/1/2007 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
$1.60

$18.43

Hardcover

$1.60

$18.43

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life Pub. Date: 5/1/2007 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

——

$24.20

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life Pub. Date: 5/28/2008 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

$230.35

——

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Library Binding) Pub. Date: 10/8/2008 Publisher: Baker & Taylor, CATS
$10.10

$34.15

Audiobook

$10.10

$34.15

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (CD - Unabridged, 12 Cds, 14 1/2 Hours) Pub. Date: 5/1/2007 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

——

$20.74

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (MP3 - Unabridged) Pub. Date: 5/1/2007 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

$23.96

$26.95

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (CD - Unabridged, 1 MP3 CD, 14.5 Hrs.) Pub. Date: 8/28/2007 Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

ADVERTISING

Overview

Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver describes her family's adventure as they move to a farm in southern Appalachia and realign their lives with the local food chain.

When Kingsolver and her family move from suburban Arizona to rural Appalachia, they take on a new challenge: to spend a year on a locally produced diet, paying close attention to the provenance of all they consume. "Our highest shopping goal was to get our food from so close to home, we'd know the person who grew it. Often that turned out to be ourselves as we learned to produce what we needed, starting with dirt, seeds, and enough knowledge to muddle through. Or starting with baby animals, and enough sense to refrain from naming them."

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle follows the family through the first year of their experiment. They find themselves eager to move away from the typical food scenario of American families: a refrigerator packed with processed, factory-farmed foods transported long distances using nonrenewable fuels. In their search for another way to eat and live, they begin to recover what Kingsolver considers our nation's lost appreciation for farms and the natural processes of food production. American citizens spend less of their income on food than has any culture in the history of the world, but pay dearly in other ways -- losing the flavors, diversity and creative food cultures of earlier times. The environmental costs are also high, and the nutritional sacrifice is undeniable: on our modern industrial food supply, Americans are now raising the first generation of children to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

Believing that most of us have better options available, Kingsolver and her family set out to prove for themselves that a local diet is not just better for the economy and environment but also better on the table. Their search leads them through a season of planting, pulling weeds, expanding their kitchen skills, harvesting their own animals, joining the effort to save heritage crops from extinction, and learning the time-honored rural art of getting rid of zucchini. Inspired by the flavors and culinary arts of a local food culture, they explore farmers' markets and diversified organic farms at home and across the country, discovering a booming movement with devotees from the Deep South to Alaska. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, and complete with original recipes, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life, and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Novelist Barbara Kingsolver once wrote, "If we can't, as artists, improve on real life, we should put down our pencils and go bake bread." In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, she manages to do both, applying her literary skills to a new food environment. In her seamless diary narrative, Kingsolver tells how she and her family relocated to southern Appalachia after suffering through years of drought in Arizona. The purpose of the move was simple: The Kingsolvers sought to "live in a place that could feed us" by growing their own food and living among a community of local organic growers.

BookPage

“Faithful, funny, and thought-provoking...Readers-whether vegetarian or carnivore-will not go hungry, literally or literarily.”

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews

From The Critics

“I defy anyone to read this book and walk away from it without gaining at least the desire to change.”

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780060852559
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 5/1/2007
Pages: 384
Sales rank: 380,583
Product dimensions: 6.12 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.17 (d)

Meet the Author

Barbara Kingsolver

Equally at home with poetry, novels, and nonfiction narratives, Barbara Kingsolver credits her careers in scientific writing and journalism with instilling in her a love of nature, a writer's discipline, and a strong sense of social justice.

Biography

According to the biography on her website, Barbara Kingsolver began writing around the age of nine. Her early "oeuvre" included poems, short stories, and essays, including one noteworthy piece on school safety that was published in the local newspaper, helped to pass a local bond issue, and netted the author a $25 savings bond -- "on which she expected to live comfortably into adulthood."

Kingsolver left her native Kentucky to attend DePauw University on a piano scholarship; but intellectual curiosity (the same quality that informs her writing) prompted her to transfer from the music school to the college of liberal arts where she majored in biology. Immediately after college, she traveled in Greece and France and returned to the U.S. to pursue her master's degree in science from the University of Arizona. She worked for a while as a science writer for the university before becoming a freelance journalist. In 1986 she won an Arizona Press Club Award.

Kingsolver's first novel, The Bean Trees, was composed entirely at night during a period of chronic, pregnancy-related insomnia. Published in 1988, this story of a young woman transplanted from Kentucky to Tucson was reviewed enthusiastically by critics. " As clear as air," rhapsodized The New York Times Book Review. "It is the southern novel taken west, its colors as translucent and polished as one of those slices of rose agate from a desert shop." Readers, too, proclaimed the story a delight.

Since then, Kingsolver has produced a string of bestselling novels, including Pigs in Heaven, The Poisonwood Bible (an Oprah's Book club selection), and Prodigal Summer. She has also authored collections of her poems (Another America), short stories (Homeland), and essays (Small Wonders); as well as nonfiction narratives like Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Good To Know

In 2008, Kingsolver delivered the commencement address at Duke University, offering graduates advice on "How to be Hopeful."

She is a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock and roll band consisting of published writers, including Amy Tan, Matt Groening, Dave Barry, and Stephen King among others.

1. Date of Birth:
  
  April 8, 1955
2. Place of Birth:
  
  Annapolis, Maryland
1. Education:
  
  B.A., DePauw University, 1977; M.S., University of Arizona, 1981
2. Website:
  
  http://www.kingsolver.com

Called Home     1
Waiting for Asparagus: Late March     23
Springing Forward     43
Stalking the Vegetannual     63
Molly Mooching: April     70
The Birds and the Bees     86
Gratitude: May     100
Growing Trust: Mid-June     111
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Late June     124
Eating Neighborly: Late June     148
Slow Food Nations: Late June     154
Zucchini Larceny: July     173
Life in a Red State: August     196
You Can't Run Away on Harvest Day: September     219
Where Fish Wear Crowns: September     242
Smashing Pumpkins: October     259
Celebration Days: November-December     277
What Do You Eat in January?     296
Hungry Month: February-March     315
Time Begins     334
Acknowledgments     353
References     355
Organizations     358
Sidebar Resources     364

First Chapter

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Chapter One

Called Home

This story about good food begins in a quick-stop convenience market. It was our family's last day in Arizona, where I'd lived half my life and raised two kids for the whole of theirs. Now we were moving away forever, taking our nostalgic inventory of the things we would never see again: the bush where the roadrunner built a nest and fed lizards to her weird-looking babies; the tree Camille crashed into learning to ride a bike; the exact spot where Lily touched a dead snake. Our driveway was just the first tributary on a memory river sweeping us out.

One person's picture postcard is someone else's normal. This was the landscape whose every face we knew: giant saguaro cacti, coyotes, mountains, the wicked sun reflecting off bare gravel. We were leaving it now in one of its uglier moments, which made good-bye easier, but also seemed like a cheap shot—like ending a romance right when your partner has really bad bed hair. The desert that day looked like a nasty case of prickly heat caught in a long, naked wince.

This was the end of May. Our rainfall since Thanksgiving had measured less than one inch. The cacti, denizens of deprivation, looked ready to pull up roots and hitch a ride out if they could. The prickly pears waved good-bye with puckered, grayish pads. The tall, dehydrated saguaros stood around all teetery and sucked-in like very prickly supermodels. Even in the best of times desert creatures live on the edge of survival, getting by mostly on vapor and their own life savings. Now, as the southern tier of U.S. states came into a third consecutive yearof drought, people elsewhere debated how seriously they should take global warming. We were staring it in the face.

Away went our little family, like rats leaping off the burning ship. It hurt to think about everything at once: our friends, our desert, old home, new home. We felt giddy and tragic as we pulled up at a little gas-and-go market on the outside edge of Tucson. Before we set off to seek our fortunes we had to gas up, of course, and buy snacks for the road. We did have a cooler in the back seat packed with respectable lunch fare. But we had more than two thousand miles to go. Before we crossed a few state lines we'd need to give our car a salt treatment and indulge in some things that go crunch.

This was the trip of our lives. We were ending our existence outside the city limits of Tucson, Arizona, to begin a rural one in southern Appalachia. We'd sold our house and stuffed the car with the most crucial things: birth certificates, books-on-tape, and a dog on drugs. (Just for the trip, I swear.) All other stuff would come in the moving van. For better or worse, we would soon be living on a farm.

For twenty years Steven had owned a piece of land in the southern Appalachians with a farmhouse, barn, orchards and fields, and a tax zoning known as farm use. He was living there when I met him, teaching college and fixing up his old house one salvaged window at a time. I'd come as a visiting writer, recently divorced, with something of a fixer-upper life. We proceeded to wreck our agendas in the predictable fashion by falling in love. My young daughter and I were attached to our community in Tucson; Steven was just as attached to his own green pastures and the birdsong chorus of deciduous eastern woodlands. My father-in-law to be, upon hearing the exciting news about us, asked Steven, Couldn't you find one closer?

Apparently not. We held on to the farm by renting the farmhouse to another family, and maintained marital happiness by migrating like birds: for the school year we lived in Tucson, but every summer headed back to our rich foraging grounds, the farm. For three months a year we lived in a tiny, extremely crooked log cabin in the woods behind the farmhouse, listening to wood thrushes, growing our own food. The girls (for another child came along shortly) loved playing in the creek, catching turtles, experiencing real mud. I liked working the land, and increasingly came to think of this place as my home too. When all of us were ready, we decided, we'd go there for keeps.

We had many conventional reasons for relocation, including extended family. My Kingsolver ancestors came from that county in Virginia; I'd grown up only a few hours away, over the Kentucky line. Returning now would allow my kids more than just a hit-and-run, holiday acquaintance with grandparents and cousins. In my adult life I'd hardly shared a phone book with anyone else using my last name. Now I could spend Memorial Day decorating my ancestors' graves with peonies from my backyard. Tucson had opened my eyes to the world and given me a writing career, legions of friends, and a taste for the sensory extravagance of red hot chiles and five-alarm sunsets. But after twenty-five years in the desert, I'd been called home.

There is another reason the move felt right to us, and it's the purview of this book. We wanted to live in a place that could feed us: where rain falls, crops grow, and drinking water bubbles right up out of the ground. This might seem an abstract reason for leaving beloved friends and one of the most idyllic destination cities in the United States. But it was real to us. As it closes in on the million-souls mark, Tucson's charms have made it one of this country's fastest-growing cities. It keeps its people serviced across the wide, wide spectrum of daily human wants, with its banks, shops, symphonies, colleges, art galleries, city parks, and more golf courses than you can shake a stick at. By all accounts . . .

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4

( 150 )

Rating Distribution

( 79 )
( 38 )
( 16 )
( 8 )
( 9 )

If you've bought this product, tell the world how you liked it.

Write a Review

Ed-Philosopher

Posted December 19, 2008

Don't miss this life-changing book

How can a memoir about food possibly be so enthralling, so inspiring? This is a book for every American. It is a key component to a more sustainable and responsible future, to living more in sync with our planet. I have made subtle changes in my diet over the years, trying to "eat right," but this book was the nudge I needed to go all the way. You will laugh about turkey sex and cry over poor farm children (and swear at the agribusiness conglomerates). Don't miss this life-changing book co-written by Barbara Kingsolver (my favorite author), her husband Steven Hopp (who adds thought-provoking inserts), and her daughter Camille Kingsolver (whose brief narratives and recipes left me begging for more).

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted February 8, 2008

Waste of my time

When referring to organic produce, the author asks who put the sanctimony into the phrase organic. If she has read her own book it should be crystal clear that it was none other than herself. Sanctimonious perfectly describes almost the entire book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I say almost, because the portions added by her daughter and husband are actually informative and enjoyable. The book must not be aimed at the American consumers to which it would be sold, because the author does not have one nice thing to say about her fellow Americans. She has even trained her younger daughter to deny her American heritage by saying that she is American, but not really. You can¿t possibly hope to influence people¿s attitudes by attacking them and then explaining why you are so much better, and this is what Kingsolver tries to do. The sad thing is that she even attacks like-minded people. She criticizes a ¿starlet¿ for wanting to save farm animals, saying that her logic is flawed. Then the author proceeds to say that dairy cows are bred to produce milk and cannot live without being milked. She should check out her facts before ridiculing someone else for getting them wrong. If a milking cow is not milked, the milk will eventually stop being produced, just like it does for us humans. For large-scale dairy farming, the cow could be milked less and less until the milk dries up. So it is pretty ridiculous to giggle about the starlet¿s stupidity and then say something really stupid herself. Ms. Kingsolver repeats over and over in the book that America has no food culture. This is totally untrue. America is a melting pot and has the richest food culture of anywhere else. America absorbed peoples from every nationality and their food cultures along with them. She also avows that the French sample McDonalds, but they don¿t really eat there. I hate to break it to her, but there are McDonalds restaurants in almost every European city, and if you want to buy a burger there you will have to wait in line. France is no different. The lines are always nearly out the door. I live in a European city with a population of only about 100,000 people, and there are no less than 4 McDonald¿s here. They are never empty. Ever. It was difficult for me to get all the way through the book. Most of the factual material was no news to me, and I think the book was a big waste of my time.

6 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted August 28, 2008

Inspiring!

I listened to this on CD, and absolutely loved it. Each portion is read by its author, and you can truly feel their passion for the process of sustainable living. 'My parents have organically composted their small vegetable garden for more than 35 years. Their produce is indeed far superior to that found in mass market chains.' Listening to this book was delightful. It reinforced my own belief in the power of each of us to make a difference. I really enjoyed the resources and recipes, and am planning the purchase of the book in written format for further review. This will definitely be one I will encourage my husband and teens to read.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted October 9, 2007

A reviewer

The delightful three person voice of this book can not hide the alarm it sounds for those Americans who eat, prepare or otherwise relate to food. It is a poignant rendering of the brainwashing of Americans in relationship with what they put into their bodies. In gentle tones the warning comes in side bar fashion along with hope, a plan to make positive changes for good healthy eating and is seasoned with some yummy recipes, too. It was an eye opening and life changing read. This book is a gift for anyone who eats and wants to be healthy.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted October 2, 2007

From one who lived the life for 17 years

Having lived on a farm the first 17 years of my life I have found that I want to share this book with all my siblings. I am the oldest of 10 and not all of us experienced the farm the same way. The youngest sibling taught me about 'range eggs' when I was 50 something. Learned that range eggs are the only kind we knew existed. Of what Barbara Kingsolver writes is the life we lived in south central North Dakota. We never had money but we worked sun up to sun down and beyond, chickens and roosters were all around and cows and horses were a part of daily life. We were never hungry but learned how to weed a garden and long rows of baby trees when we were 3 feet tall. 'To the reviewer who rated the book one star, all I can say is that if you want the good things you gotta work awfully hard -- money or rich or poor is not the limiting factor, only your work ethic'. The author has enlightened me about a few things such as the information about the rooster and chickens. I am about 75% finished reading and don't want the book to end. It will make fabulous Christmas gifts!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Ponytonitail

Posted April 20, 2009

Taking organic to the next level

Wow! In my part of the country, it's challenging enough to be a vegetarian trying to eat organic - but locally grown - Everything??!!. Kudos to Kingsolver and her family for taking "green" eating to the next level. Makes the rest of us more aware and inspired to do a little more ourselves.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted February 23, 2009

A must have for responsible living

Excellent. This book was used in a book club I belong to and I passed it on to my husband to read. We both felt inspired.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
EILEEN_07

Posted January 27, 2009

GREAT !

This is a great novel; there are many things that make it fascinating. First of all just the impressive writing of Barbara Kingsolver, her husband Steven, and her daughter Camille. Although my favorite part would have to be the segment Camille writes at the end of almost every chapter, she gives somewhat an overview and gives a recipe to a certain healthy dish. I have to say I have made one (Four Seasons Of Potato Salad [winter]) [pg.273] and it was very good.

Barbara¿s writing is inspirational she writes a lot about the fact that we as Americans have a lot to be proud of as a country. When it comes to something important as well such as food, we have fast food. Yes, it is quite good but what is really in it? Processed food, corn syrup (made from real corn but you get nothing good out if it) and basically just the unhealthy habits we as a whole have.

She goes with her family and starts basically new. They don¿t have a lot of land to their name but they work as a family, grow their own produce, and make great healthy meals by it. It made me believe that many people could be like this if we just took the time away from our everyday hectic schedules. Like I stated already, it is inspirational and just makes you want to get up and do something.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted January 5, 2008

My favorite Christmas gift

A neighbor gave me the book for Christmas. I am loving it! We own a farm and, while we are not organic, raise most of our crops using the sustainable agriculture measures talked about in this book. It gives me great hope to see some one write about living what has been part of my life and passion for many years now. We have a CSA and two farm markets. If America could wake up and see that, not only does it take a village to raise a child, but it takes that village to save the village, our country will be stronger in the long run.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted September 4, 2007

Try it, you'll like it!

This is another winning book by Barbara Kingsolver. It is informative and highly entertaining. The Kingsolver family was very successful in eating locally and reducing their 'footprint' on the ecosystem in comparison with the average American. Obviously most of us are not going to devote ourselves to the degree that they did, but EVERYONE CAN make changes that improve their impact on the environment by better food choices. Buy the milk, eggs, meat, produce, whatever that traveled the shortest distance to reach you. How hard is that? Read the label. Support food producers that give a more ecofriendly alternate when you put some if not most or all things in your basket. By the way, she does write about some programs in place for lower income people. Ask if they are available where you live whether or not you are the family who qualifies. Can you make a difference? Yes, you can - one choice at a time. Try it, you'll like it!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted June 6, 2007

Best 'Diet' book I've ever read!

I think the reviewer who gave this a 'Poor' rating... ''This is an unrealistic personal account...'' is missing the point. I don't think Ms. Kingsolver is asking anyone to 'rough it', but to be aware that there are many choices we ALL have in making decisions that affect our health, our local economies, our enjoyment of fresh food... Only 80 pages into the book I was researching our Local Food Alliance and finding a CSA to join. Hardly 'roughing it' to start enjoying real fresh produce, and supporting a local farmer, to boot! This is a very enlightening book, written in her wonderful voice, that has changed my attitude about seasonal and local eating. I'm no green thumb, so I'm fortunate to live in a city where local growers are supported by many restaurants, daily farmers markets, and the Cooperative grocery. I'm sure these opportunities exist all around the US, if you are willing to seek them out.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted May 13, 2007

Don't miss this one!

Many people love Kingsolver's books - 'Poisonwood Bible', 'Prodigal Summer', etc. I, however, have not been a big fan of her work previously and would have passed it by entirely, except that the title and jacket cover caught my eye. If you are a 'Foodie' - or - someone who is interested in organic or healthy eating - or - worried about the petroleum problems this country is facing I think you will find this book a great read. It is extremely entertaining and humorous, but makes a great point for a new food lifestyle movement known as being a 'Locavore'. Reading the section about her daughter deciding to raise 'meat' chickens vs. laying chickens to earn money for a horse had my husband and I both in stitches. Maybe it is because spring and summer are a time for renewed energy, interest in growing things, or simply the thoughts of hitting the local farmers' market and EATING all that wonderful, fresh food, but this book really struck a cord with me and I have enjoyed it and been inspired from the first page of the prologue! So far, if I had to recommend one book to read this summer - this is it!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted May 25, 2007

A reviewer

I have read all books by Barbara Kingsolver and have enjoyed all of them. Different from her usual 'NORM' Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an outstanding book that EVERYONE will enjoy!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
mike-v

Posted November 4, 2008

more from this reviewer

I Also Recommend:

A top read for 2008; must-read if interested in our food.

After hearing an interview with the author--my first podcast!--I was intrigued enough to break out of my rut of social science, business, and economics books to read a book all about food. This family's year-long experiment in growing their own food was fascinating, like The Real World, but with vegetables. I was impressed by what they were able to do with not a whole lot of land, and I sometimes caught myself daydreaming about living that farm life...waking up before dawn to pick vegetables I would later make into dinner, etc. Not to mention the issues surrounding local and organic food and America's food security, which she weaves into the story.

Only four stars, though, because of a few distractions. Kingsolver's husband writes a sidebar article in each chapter--in the middle of it. They're interesting, but distracting. You have to find a good stopping point, read the sidebar, and hope you remember where you left off in the chapter. The daughter's sidebars at the end of each chapter were better.

Also, I got a little vibe of preachiness from Kingsolver from this book. She acknowledges that not everyone has a garden or can be expected to raise and slaughter their own poultry, but I get the feeling that she's a little disappointed by that. It just struck me as a little hypocritical that she becomes a local food grower for one year and now feels like we're not living quite as well as her unless we're growing our own mushrooms. I get her point, and it definitely opened my eyes, but she just kind of beat me over the head with it.

Overall, an excellent good book, and Kingsolver is an excellent, engaging writer

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Chet_Guevara

Posted October 8, 2008

more from this reviewer

The DIY Diet

A book that will change the way you eat. And the way you think about turkeys.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted July 17, 2007

A reviewer

Once again, Barbara Kingsolver has not disappointed me. She has taken a topic most people don't even consider, and made me pause and think. It is like sitting down with a cup of Fair Trade coffee and chatting with an old friend. I know my trip to the grocery store yesterday yielded different purchases. Her books always give me pause to consider and think - and then share what I have learned. I also enjoyed the added perspective from her daughter and husband. This is a book worth passing along to friends. Thanks for the wake-up call!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted May 12, 2007

funny, sweet AND important

Another wonderful book that only Kingsolver could have given us. Not that the topic hasn't been covered before -- it has, and thank God, it will get more coverage as time goes on. But only Barbara Kingsolver could bring the particular kind of self-deprecating, honest wit I appreciate so much, to her observations about humankind and its environs. Her husband and eldest daughter contribute to this book, too, which is an extra treat. Particularly as Camille's sections almost always include seasonal recipes. Her youngest daughter, too, is someone I'd like to meet someday. The whole family just seems a delight. Yeah, they'e probably got some money -- now, anyway -- but that is SO not the point, here. Anyone really can do a lot of what they're doing -- and even when we maybe can't, we can all decide to frequent farmers markets and stop eating the over-processed food that's killing us. I especially loved the reference in the book to Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa -- I know the place, since I live not far away -- and it is truly a national treasure!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
maidmarian

Posted January 2, 2010

more from this reviewer

Just not the book for me.

I have read Barbara Kingsolver before and absolutely LOVED her writing; however, our book club chose this book, and I could barely make it through the first four chapters. I felt so guilty as I sat there eating my Smartfood popcorn reading about how I am contributing to Global Warming and other ills of society. I certainly admire Ms Kingsolver and her family's dedication, and Barbara's writing style is as beautiful as ever, it's just that my personal reaction was difficult to overcome and I could not get lost in the book. A wonderful read for someone who is thinking of sustaining themselves on the fruits of their labor (I should note that the Kingsolver's neighbors also provided some of their necessities as well, but that they spurned anything that was mass produced and thus had to be shipped in from different parts of the country). Please try reading "The Bean Trees" before you give up on Barbara Kingsolver. She has the ability to captivate me, move me and leave me with a literature masterpiece that will live in my soul for some time to come.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
LeighMason

Posted December 12, 2009

Kingsolver's book is changing my life!

I have always loved her novels and short pieces, so I was not sure if I wanted to get into this book...but I could not put it down...Everyone should read it and apply it to one's life. I am now shopping at the farmers' markets for just about all of my veggies, fruits, eggs, some meat, and breads...We are eating less meat anyway and I've begun to make my own whole grain yeast breads again...We live on a "deer-infested" four acres (well, they were here first!), so cannot have a garden, but will sign up for one at a local park for 2010.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted May 20, 2008

jem

do you even know kingsolver's background? guess not. suggest you check that out, including growing up partially in africa, before you start lecturing on preconceived american biases. geesh, like we all haven't visited mickey d's in europe. 20 or so yrs ago. stick to the book, not your snobbish american comments. start with her older book, the poisonwood bible. this book is a very well written book on modern day food consumption in all countries that use petroleum to transport food. not to mention just back to supporting local farmers.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

Available on NOOK devices and apps

All Available Formats + Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Related Subjects

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

BookPage

From The Critics

Product Details

Meet the Author

Barbara Kingsolver

Biography

Good To Know

Table of Contents

First Chapter

Rating Distribution

Don't miss this life-changing book

Waste of my time

Inspiring!

A reviewer

From one who lived the life for 17 years

Taking organic to the next level

A must have for responsible living

GREAT !

My favorite Christmas gift

Try it, you'll like it!

Best 'Diet' book I've ever read!

Don't miss this one!

A reviewer

A top read for 2008; must-read if interested in our food.

The DIY Diet

A reviewer

funny, sweet AND important

Just not the book for me.

Kingsolver's book is changing my life!

jem