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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I would give it a 3.5 because it was longer than it needed to be, but I rounded up. I learned SO much from this book. Buying almost all organic since reading it and I can’t wait to start shopping at the Farmers Market. I especially liked listening to Camille (one of the daughters) read—such a nice voice. 😊
I'll confess it. Though Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, I put off reading this book for years because I was afraid it was going to be too preachy. It wasn't. Is she telling us all to live off the land like she and her family did for a year? No. She provides a compelling case for being more mindful about the when and where of the food we buy.
I found it a little amusing that they gave up fresh fruit out of season, but not coffee. To each his or her own, I guess.
They make an interesting case against GMO foods--perhaps the best I've heard. There is nothing wrong with GMO foods in terms of how they impact our health. But in the current economics of agriculture and food production, they can certainly have adverse environmental effects, especially if they replace the natural diversity of food products that were sustained in the days of smaller farms. I won't recreate the argument here, but it was the only ant-GMO thing I've ever read that made some sense to me.
I found the book charming (turkey sex anyone?), and I have been spending more time at the local farm stand as a result of reading it.
Recommend.
I found it a little amusing that they gave up fresh fruit out of season, but not coffee. To each his or her own, I guess.
They make an interesting case against GMO foods--perhaps the best I've heard. There is nothing wrong with GMO foods in terms of how they impact our health. But in the current economics of agriculture and food production, they can certainly have adverse environmental effects, especially if they replace the natural diversity of food products that were sustained in the days of smaller farms. I won't recreate the argument here, but it was the only ant-GMO thing I've ever read that made some sense to me.
I found the book charming (turkey sex anyone?), and I have been spending more time at the local farm stand as a result of reading it.
Recommend.
As per usual with much of this sort of writing about food and food politics, I LOVE the specifics but get cranky with the more philosophical/political passages. I like her food experiment of eating mostly local (with a few exceptions) for a year, and I'm making plans to eat more locally, especially in the summer when that's easier and less expensive.
However, I had issues with several parts of that book.
1. I didn't buy her rationalization for why we should speak of 'harvesting' animals rather than use "slaughter" or "kill." Please understand that I'm totally OK with her eating chickens she raised herself, but 'harvesting' is still a euphemism.
2. She repeats, not just once but TWICE, the now-debunked assertion that the "childhood-obesity-crisis-OMG" means that this generation of children will have shorter lives than their parents. This is, to put it plainly, bullshit nonsense. Her husband, who co-authored, also references the "obesity crisis" once too often for my taste a well.
3. Her daughter contributes sidebars about nutrition and made an error in referring to LDL as the "good cholesterol." It's not. The "good" cholesterol is "HDL" and that is an embarrassing mistake.
4. Kingsolver uses embarrassingly sloppy shortcuts for some ideas. For instance, she refers to an organic farmer as "not wanting to put chemicals" on his land. Uh, Barbara, as someone with a degree in evolutionary biology, you should know that all life, including organic cow manure, is made up of "chemicals." That was an ignorant thing to write, and should have been phrased something more like "synthetic herbicides and pesticides."
Don't get me wrong- I'm glad I read the book, and I really do believe in eating local and many of the other greater goods that progressives preach about. But I'm not always crazy about some of the bullshit that seems to come along with food politics discussions.
However, I had issues with several parts of that book.
1. I didn't buy her rationalization for why we should speak of 'harvesting' animals rather than use "slaughter" or "kill." Please understand that I'm totally OK with her eating chickens she raised herself, but 'harvesting' is still a euphemism.
2. She repeats, not just once but TWICE, the now-debunked assertion that the "childhood-obesity-crisis-OMG" means that this generation of children will have shorter lives than their parents. This is, to put it plainly, bullshit nonsense. Her husband, who co-authored, also references the "obesity crisis" once too often for my taste a well.
3. Her daughter contributes sidebars about nutrition and made an error in referring to LDL as the "good cholesterol." It's not. The "good" cholesterol is "HDL" and that is an embarrassing mistake.
4. Kingsolver uses embarrassingly sloppy shortcuts for some ideas. For instance, she refers to an organic farmer as "not wanting to put chemicals" on his land. Uh, Barbara, as someone with a degree in evolutionary biology, you should know that all life, including organic cow manure, is made up of "chemicals." That was an ignorant thing to write, and should have been phrased something more like "synthetic herbicides and pesticides."
Don't get me wrong- I'm glad I read the book, and I really do believe in eating local and many of the other greater goods that progressives preach about. But I'm not always crazy about some of the bullshit that seems to come along with food politics discussions.
This book really is for anyone who is interested in thinking about the environmental impact of food.
Not only did I learn so many facts, but there were several times throughout the book where I literally thought to myself "huh, I had never thought of that before!" Refreshingly, this book is informative about environmental eating and totes its benefits without being too preachy. I was also glad that it was void of those gross scare-tactic facts that food books often resort to.
The reason I settle at that because as far as a BOOK goes, I found it a bit tedious to read. Though I loved the content, it was a slow read for me, and at times I thought to myself "please just get on with it."
But I have been convinced to make some positive changes in the way my food choices impact the environment and economy, and I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who is even 10% "foodie."
Not only did I learn so many facts, but there were several times throughout the book where I literally thought to myself "huh, I had never thought of that before!" Refreshingly, this book is informative about environmental eating and totes its benefits without being too preachy. I was also glad that it was void of those gross scare-tactic facts that food books often resort to.
The reason I settle at that because as far as a BOOK goes, I found it a bit tedious to read. Though I loved the content, it was a slow read for me, and at times I thought to myself "please just get on with it."
But I have been convinced to make some positive changes in the way my food choices impact the environment and economy, and I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who is even 10% "foodie."
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This is a way way backlist title, things have likely changed (probably for the worse) in farming/agrobusiness but I will definitely be making some small changes!
Barb seems to be getting so much more out of life than me. She really seems to live in each and every moment. While I would have appreciated more of the difficulties I can understand why maybe they weren't shared. I listened to this one and the last 20 minutes or so was an interview with the author where she specifically said some moments were hers and her family's.
Barb seems to be getting so much more out of life than me. She really seems to live in each and every moment. While I would have appreciated more of the difficulties I can understand why maybe they weren't shared. I listened to this one and the last 20 minutes or so was an interview with the author where she specifically said some moments were hers and her family's.
I really enjoyed this book and was bummed when it was over. Loved reading about all they did and ate each month, totally made me wish I lived on a farm. :)
I found this book extremely sanctimonious and irritating. Even though I theoretically agree with a lot of what Kingsolver says, I found myself wanting to contradict her just because she seemed so smug. At one point, they have a house guest who requests that they pick up some bananas, and Kingsolver apparently lectured her about why bananas are the root of all the world's evil. For a much less judgmental take on these issues, try Michael Pollan, who is at least able to acknowledge some degree of complexity.
highly recommended! this is a great audiobook read by the authors that tells the story of their year of eating only local food. they manage to be inspiring, funny, insightful, educational and squeeze in some mouthwatering foodie descriptions while they’re at it. really excellent book and well-read.
I didn't love this book, but I did enjoy reading it. Much of the information on the dysfunction of the American food system, diet, etc. I was previously aware of on some level so this didn't feel like groundbreaking information. I enjoy Kingsolver's casual writing style, it's very easy to read and she has a lovely sense of humor.
I agree with much of what she is proposing in terms of eating organic, buying local, gardening, etc. so much of this was preaching to the choir. Despite being in agreement with her, though, her tone still struck me as a bit holier-than-thou at times, which was a turnoff. I also didn't care for the sidebars written by her daughter. She came across as too idealistic. For example, she really bemoans grabbing something at the cafeteria between classes, saying it was cheating as she should have grown her own lunch and packed it. Yeah, great, but welcome to reality, hon. Give it a couple of years and you'll probably put your ideals aside for a quick run into Chipotle too.
Overall a good book that those consuming unconsciously would do well to read.
I agree with much of what she is proposing in terms of eating organic, buying local, gardening, etc. so much of this was preaching to the choir. Despite being in agreement with her, though, her tone still struck me as a bit holier-than-thou at times, which was a turnoff. I also didn't care for the sidebars written by her daughter. She came across as too idealistic. For example, she really bemoans grabbing something at the cafeteria between classes, saying it was cheating as she should have grown her own lunch and packed it. Yeah, great, but welcome to reality, hon. Give it a couple of years and you'll probably put your ideals aside for a quick run into Chipotle too.
Overall a good book that those consuming unconsciously would do well to read.
informative
reflective