Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.) by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)
Book Review: Local food 101
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book and Kingsolver is a great writer. For all those curious about food/ all apreciators and lovers of food, live vicariously through Kingsolver and her family as they embark upon a year long experiment with living off of the land in upstate new york. It will change the way you view the seasons and your food choices. Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Summary: 5 Stars
A book for anyone who is interested in the process of getting off the food pipeline to being as self-sufficient as possible in our global cacophony of food production. Writer Barbara Kingsolver shares the stage in the this fantastic book with her husband and daughter. This is a personal yearly voyage of a family seeking the meaning of real food as an extension of their environment. "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" shares potent, relevant and vital information about food production (past and present), "green" networks and nutrition.
Domenico Petrillo, Beacon, NY
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)
Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Summary: 5 Stars
This book could change your life. Barbara Kingsolver is a wonderfully witty writer who invites you into a year of life as she and her family eat food which is grown locally using sustainable agriculture. Much of the food they grow themselves. In inserts throughout the book, her husband, Steven L. Hopp, contributes pertinent information about various agricultural issues and suggestions for action. In each chapter Barbara's college age daughter, Camille Kingsolver, tells about their cooking experiences and includes recipes. I have never had so much fun learning about what's good for me. Book Review: A good message, but why so smug?
Summary: 3 Stars
While I was reading this book, I went back and forth from between being inspired to being annoyed. The message is good, but the condescending tone just gets to be too much. I wish everyone could read what they say about the feedlot fattening operations - I think many would be inspired to seek out free range meat. Likewise with the heirloom vegetables.
The superior attitude and preachy tone works against their message, though. Why be so snarky towards such easy targets as the vegan starlet? Also, it seems more than a little condescending to say that certain Hindus weren't really vegetarian because of the insect parts contaminating their flour. I don't understand why they seem so determined to diminish the value of vegetarianism - it would have been better to emphasize that this is another good way to reduce the negative impact on the earth.
Trying to persuade people to change their habits is difficult, and it requires a sense of humor, and respect for the people you are trying to reach. It's too bad, but I think most of the people that are going to be persuaded by this book were probably almost there already.
Book Review: Elightening, Informative and Entertaining - A Great Book in Every Way
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll be purchasing several copies of this book as Christmas presents. I wish everyone I knew could read it. In fact, I think all high school kids should read it, after reading Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Here, in lyrical, easy-to-read and entertaining language is an inspirational narrative that tells the real truth about how to eat healthy, sustainable, economically and environmentally GOOD FOOD. Even if you never garden, the choices you make when you purchase food have power. This book is not just for those who are interested in growing a garden or raising chickens. Thank you, Ms. Kingsolver.