is a collection of essays, mostly, as I understand it, written post 9-11. I know I've read a few elsewhere before. I particularly remember the one about her daughter and the chickens she raises for eggs. I've always wanted chickens. Everyone I know scoffs at the idea but it still sits there. One day, I will have chickens. In the meantime, I read about them...The essays are not about 9-11. They are about our world today: it's problems, our hopes, the small things we can do, the small wonder we can appreciate in everyday life. She covers gene-altered seeds, the rainforest, eating local (and hopefully growing some of your own food), oil and energy, violence, television... My only disappointment is that she seems to still feel religion offers something of value and I see it as a cause for most of the violence of the world. And she admits that, but still holds out hope that some good can come from it.
Regardless of your particular religious or political beliefs, I think (and hope) the essays here would cause just about anyone to THINK. And to me, that is the key. If we could all just be a bit more intentional in our deeds, things would change. If you think about the impact of things and do what small things you can do to make things better, the world WILL be a better place in some fashion. I like Kingsolver's attitudes about many things, and I think that's the gist: Do what you can do. Don't feel like it's an all or nothing thing. If you can buy local food from your farmer's markets rather than food from halfway around the world, you're doing something. If you grown your own tomatoes, you're doing something. Tread lightly and consciously. If you have to commute an hour to your job, then so be it. You do what you can do and you look for opportunities to do more.
And I have the light on late at night so I can read this book and savor it. But it may be the book that convinces me to go get those chickens.... And in the long run, maybe that's a good trade-off.
