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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
LOVED this book! So many ideas to implement and concepts to apply. Thank you for opening my eyes!
I've long had this on my "I'd like to read this someday but probably never will" list, so I was glad when somebody picked it for book club. (Even more fun was that we actually had an entire eat-local meal in early September, so squash and tomatoes abounded, as well as local meat from Polyface Farms and other such delights.)
The book was fascinating. I was impressed by the Hopp/Kingsolver family's commitment to local eating, and I liked the way that they presented information, with Barbara's narrative, Stephen's informational sidebars, and Camille's essays and recipes. I learned a lot about the year in plants, where to get food if you don't get it from the big box retailers, etc. (I did know a lot of the evils of the food industry already - like everyone my age, I've seen Food, Inc. The news about oil consumption was interesting though!)
They make it clear that not everyone has the ability to sustain themselves 100% from their own land or local producers, but that little changes can make a big difference in individual health and local economy. Just because you can't go all in doesn't mean you can't lay down a few chips. To that end, the reader gets a lot of useful information within the narrative - although a lot of subjects made me want to shout "Tell me more!" (How do I braid onions to preserve them? How does one start canning? What goes into making homemade bread? And so on and so on!)
I think this is fascinating reading, and in a more concise form it could be required reading for the entire world. Many different kinds of people could get valuable insight from different bits here and there. I would definitely recommend this book.
Also, yay Virginia! :)
The book was fascinating. I was impressed by the Hopp/Kingsolver family's commitment to local eating, and I liked the way that they presented information, with Barbara's narrative, Stephen's informational sidebars, and Camille's essays and recipes. I learned a lot about the year in plants, where to get food if you don't get it from the big box retailers, etc. (I did know a lot of the evils of the food industry already - like everyone my age, I've seen Food, Inc. The news about oil consumption was interesting though!)
They make it clear that not everyone has the ability to sustain themselves 100% from their own land or local producers, but that little changes can make a big difference in individual health and local economy. Just because you can't go all in doesn't mean you can't lay down a few chips. To that end, the reader gets a lot of useful information within the narrative - although a lot of subjects made me want to shout "Tell me more!" (How do I braid onions to preserve them? How does one start canning? What goes into making homemade bread? And so on and so on!)
I think this is fascinating reading, and in a more concise form it could be required reading for the entire world. Many different kinds of people could get valuable insight from different bits here and there. I would definitely recommend this book.
Also, yay Virginia! :)
So interesting to read this book as my current setting went from large metro area to more rural! And as I've gotten older, my outlook has changed too. I still enjoyed this book and think it was before its time, but I do think this third time around, the preachiness hit me a little more. Can't wait to talk to book club about it though :D
This book really made me want to make my garden huge and plant as much as we can in the space we have. Who knows what will happen this year but hopefully we will have a wonderfully abundant garden.
This book was incredible. I've been a vegetarian for sustainability and animal-treatment related reasons for nearly 15 years (basically, the "no meat from CAFOs = no meat" position Kingsolver's family was in). This book definitely is pushing me to rethink the "no meat" part, given that local, sustainably raised meat IS now an option, and in fact NEEDS people to eat it if it's going to stay an option. I had always held that it's better for me to not eat meat (since I don't actually miss it much) to "make up for" the folks who won't reduce meat intake, but I'm thinking its a bit more complicated than that, since my 0 meat intake isn't really being subtracted from the CAFO-meat eater ledger in the first place. Her points about the fossil fuel use (and things like bird/rodent death) that fuel a vegetarian diet are definitely making me think. I was already in agreement with her points re:the unsustainability/impossibility of veganism (and in fact, those were why I've always been vegetarian, rather than vegan), and the need for animals (their grazing, their manure, etc) as part of sustainable organic food production. In the end, I'm still not sure I'd become a meat-eater, but I'm at least open to the idea, if I know its providence. I don't really have the skills or knowledge to prepare meat for eating, anyway, so someone would have to make a project of me. What I definitely do see changing is the way I structure our vegetarian menu planning. We rely FAR too heavily on out-of-season produce and organic or not, the "easy" processed freezer stuff we get likely has a fairly enormous carbon footprint. Yes, we're busy, but I do enjoy food prep and I have a schedule that gives me time off in the summer to do canning/preserving (though that's another skill set I'd need to acquire), and we have an incredible Public Market that I really could be taking advantage of. I enjoy gardening (or at least, trying to). I need to let these thoughts percolate more, and see if I can get my spouse on the same page, but I definitely think this book has changed me, and hopefully I'll change my life as a result.
What's not to love?? Personal stories, farm stories, nutrition science, climate science, social activism, human rights, delicious recipes... I want to be Barbara Kingsolver when I grow up.
After one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver, and her family moved from their Arizona desert to a farm on the hills of western Virginia, they made a huge decision: to try living for one year eating only food they grow themselves or that are procured from the local area around their home. They would eat "in season" or they would've had to have home processed it themselves for later use. It's a massive undertaking that I wasn't sure would keep my attention for 360 or so pages, but it totally did! It's not just the narrative of their family's experience with their own chickens and turkey, fruit trees and vegetables from their garden. It's also about using farmers markets and local farms, eating food that is fresh and trying to truly reduce the carbon footprint of your own meals. It's about changing the entire way you look at food as well as being aware of the context and socioeconomic impact of the entire food industry. It's a lofty order.
The truth is that I think it was super well written. I liked that we switched from Barbara's story of the year to her daughter Camille's essay's from her point of view to her husband's Mr. Scientist Man's articles giving background and actual science. I liked the practical ideas and just the uniqueness of the experience. Does it feel a little high-and-mighty? A little. Does it feel super overwhelming to imagine? It does, but I chose to let THAT part wash over me and just appreciate THEIR experience. I know that I just cannot do what they've done. #1, my children would NEVER be as perfect and eager to eat only whole foods for an entire year. The daughters in this family see edamame from the garden and rhubarb crisp as perfectly acceptable alternatives to dessert and snack foods, which is just not the case in my home. And #2, our lives are not set up to have our own farm. However, I DO think that I can make better food choices. I DO think I can be more aware of how my choices can affect the planet and even while I read I started ruminating on how I can make some small changes to our food culture in my home. I LOVED what she says at the end, about how we should never ridicule the small gesture, saying "Small, stepwise changes in personal habits aren't trivial. Ultimately they will, or won't, add up to having been the thing that mattered."
Also, parts made me chuckle out loud and at the end, I got a few tender tears that I was not expecting. Barbara Kingsolver is a magician with words and I'm glad that I let myself take this journey with her and her family.
The truth is that I think it was super well written. I liked that we switched from Barbara's story of the year to her daughter Camille's essay's from her point of view to her husband's Mr. Scientist Man's articles giving background and actual science. I liked the practical ideas and just the uniqueness of the experience. Does it feel a little high-and-mighty? A little. Does it feel super overwhelming to imagine? It does, but I chose to let THAT part wash over me and just appreciate THEIR experience. I know that I just cannot do what they've done. #1, my children would NEVER be as perfect and eager to eat only whole foods for an entire year. The daughters in this family see edamame from the garden and rhubarb crisp as perfectly acceptable alternatives to dessert and snack foods, which is just not the case in my home. And #2, our lives are not set up to have our own farm. However, I DO think that I can make better food choices. I DO think I can be more aware of how my choices can affect the planet and even while I read I started ruminating on how I can make some small changes to our food culture in my home. I LOVED what she says at the end, about how we should never ridicule the small gesture, saying "Small, stepwise changes in personal habits aren't trivial. Ultimately they will, or won't, add up to having been the thing that mattered."
Also, parts made me chuckle out loud and at the end, I got a few tender tears that I was not expecting. Barbara Kingsolver is a magician with words and I'm glad that I let myself take this journey with her and her family.
informative
inspiring
reflective
Apparently most negative reviews of this book are because it's "preachy" (ie: describing Kingsolver's lifestyle and explaining why it's beneficial) and makes people feel guilty. Um, if hearing the facts about the impact that your food buying/growing decisions have on the environment makes you feel bad about yourself...maybe you should change your behavior, not blame the messenger.
I learned a lot. I also wish that there was less judgement and more information on how to make some of the suggested behavior changes fit in more common lifestyles.