The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 12 March 2001
by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver has established herself as an emotional and moving voice of compassion and occasionally frustration at the state of the world in which we live. This collection of essays spans much of her writing across that emotional spectrum. The title piece is a warm tribute to our animal nature and its ability to tune itself into the natural rhythms of life, despite ourselves and our absorption in a world full of wants. Other essays travel the globe, from Tucson to Hawai'i, from a Boston hotel room to a fort in Benin. Throughout is Kingsolver's impassioned zest for life, and appeal to the concerns of our children, the environment, and the political forces that spawn such dark episodes as the various wars in the Persian Gulf. There are sparks of humor, as well, with biographical notes and revealing vignettes of the writer's life. The emotional tone is marvelously balanced, and the book opinionated, sharply political, beautifully written. It should make you concerned about the health of the planet, and the health of just one hermit crab.
Also by Kingsolver: [Unsheltered] [Prodigal Summer] [The Poisonwood Bible] [Pigs in Heaven] [Holding the Line] [The Bean Trees]