Well, I told you I was into books about food.
The book is a year long food journey - the author and her family decided to leave Tucson, AZ and head to Appalachia,VA to live on a farm, grow their own food, and eat as locally as possible. Each family member (with the exception of the youngest daughter) wrote parts of the book, each giving the reader something different.
Barbara Kingsolver wrote the bulk of it, documenting each month with stories of how they were able to cut the strings to mass produced food, grow their own food, or eat within the community in which they lived. One might not think this would be at all entertaining, but it was. Her writing style is witty and funny, while being informative.
Her husband, Stephen L. Hopp, who teaches at Emory and Henry College, wrote little sidebars with information on FAO (The UN Food and Agriculture Organization), CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), The Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976, food sellers, mass farms, etc. Very interesting stuff.
Her daughter, Camille, a student at Duke University, gives us recipes, food ideas, thoughts on types of food you can grow and general stories about being a teenager/young adult in a house growing it's own food.
The book was not only informative, but it was also very entertaining. It was also nice to hear that they used to live in Tucson, just a short drive from Phoenix. Hey, they're just like me! :) Ok, maybe not.
I highly recommend this book to anyone - especially urbanites - as it gives a new perspective on food, knowing where your food comes from, and the impact your food choices have.
Here is a 10 minute video of her reading some excerpts from the book:
And you can view her website for the book at:
http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/
Enjoy!
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