Edible Explorations Book Club: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

In trying to decide what to write about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (with Steven Hopp and Camille Kingsolver), I was conflicted. On the one hand, the book is full of useful and interesting information, both about eating locally and about raising animals and vegetables on your own. However, while I was reading the book, the tone of Kingsolver's writing failed to resonate with me as a reader.

The idea of living locally for a year is not unique, but it is interesting to read about how the changes in the land and the climate affect one's ability to live off the land. I found the family's ability to avoid processed and large-scale produced food to be most interesting and relevant for me personally, as opposed to the accounts of living mainly off of their own land. Since I do not own a farm in Appalachia (as she does), I cannot sustain myself by growing my own vegetables and raising my own poultry. However, this book did inspire me to try harder to live locally, and mainly to continue my quest to eat seasonally.

Although the book presented an interesting narrative, it did read more like a novel than a non-fiction account of a family's experiences on their farm. At times, I would have liked to learn more specifically about how they accomplished their feats. Kingsolver does present her story as educational for the general public, but omits the details of how we, the masses, can really try to accomplish some of what her family has done.

Returning to my conflicted feelings for a minute, I have been trying to decide what to write about the tone of the book. I found it difficult to connect with Kingsolver's writing, as it was at times preachy and overly-saccharine. She seemed to be trying to tell the reader what he/she should be doing to live more sustainably, but without backing that up with real ideas or facts.

If you are interested in a light read about food culture, this is a good book for you. However, if you are reading it expecting to educate yourself on how to implement these ideas on your own, you may want to look elsewhere for your information. I would recommend Anna Lappe's books as a more informative, less self-righteous body of work.