Book Review – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I almost didn’t write a review of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle because 1) it’s so last year, and 2) you should just blow off reading this review and go get the book.  But it also feels odd to not review what, for me, has become a foundation of my understanding of local food, even if a ton of other people have already said what I’m about to say.  So I’ll be brief and at least try to say something a little bit new about this wonderful book .

What’s It About?

This book is a lovely mosaic of anecdote, humor, education and commentary about one family’s year-long attempt to eat local food, much of which they grew themselves.  Beginning in March, it follows the Kingsolver family through the seasons, narrating their journey as well as their reasons for embarking on this adventure in the first place.  The book also features contributions by Kingsolver’s husband and older daughter, which allow the reader to follow the family’s adventure through different eyes.

As you might imagine, the bits about industrial agriculture are both fascinating and horrifying.  But through Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Kingsolver offers us a glimpse of a different future; one in which we are consciously and sustainably connected to our communities and the planet through the food that we eat.  Her vision is one that I can (and did, and DO) buy into and believe in.

Read This Book

Seriously, if you are at all interested in sustainable agriculture, local food systems, or just plain good food, you should read this book.  Or if you don’t know anything about turkey sex, but feel like your life would be infinitely better if you did.  If you like adventures in the unconventional and the unknown, if you find yourself vegging out in front of the Food Network, if you need a nudge to pursue a bizarre and difficult dream, if you’re a fan of Kingsolver’s other work, or if you just love good writing, read this book.

Finally – maybe this is going a bit far, maybe it’s not – if you consumer of food in the US, you should read this book.  There are things we should know about the food we eat.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an accessible and, most importantly, fundamentally enjoyable exploration of some of the food issues we face as a country.

But Don’t Get Discouraged

I know it’s easy to get discouraged when you read about a project of this magnitude.  It’s a big undertaking, and not all of us are starting with the same advantages.  The Kingsolver family owned a piece of property that was perfectly suited for this experiment.  They also had jobs that were flexible enough that they could continue to support themselves throughout the project.  And they had kids who were old enough to be engaged in the project as active (and helpful) participants.

But remember that an experiment such as this doesn’t come about all at once.  Innumerable steps, small changes, research and groundwork laid the path for the first sentence, when the journey begins.  And time… it takes time.  (But time is usually less interesting than the actual journey, so guess what ends up in the book?)

At its heart, this is a story about priorities, and pursuing what the things that are important to you.  It probably would have been easier for them to stay in Arizona.  It definitely would have been easier for all of them to stay within their comfort zones.  But they didn’t.  And we don’t have to either.  The first step is just as important as the one that follows, and each of us can start stepping outside of our own comfort zones, bit by bit, one day at a time.

Related posts:

• The Transition Handbook Review & Giveaway
• Hyperlocavore Book Club: The Transition Town Handbook