Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 05.30.07
A year of food life by Barbara Kingsolver and with contributions by her husband Steven L.Hoff and older daughter Camille Kingsolver. Her younger daughter also plays a big part in the story. This as you can see is a family adventure into living courageously. Together they pledge to eat only food that they either grow themselves or if they knew who did (with exceptions, such as coffee, purchasing only fair trade).
Growing and eating their own produce includes animals too, with excellent chapters on the history of breeding eating turkeys, a restaurant that uses only local produce and the changes in small independent farming. Explorations in food includes making cheese, organising a party for over a hundred people using only produce from neighbouring farms, the romance of the first asparagus of the season and the practicalities of raising chickens.
The everyday life on the farm is intermingled with Barbara's intense, passionate and well researched history and knowledge of food production and fuel consumption in America, Camille's teenage viewpoint and recipes, and Steven's deeper investigations of certain subjects. It is the whole package that makes this story work; a families life adventure turned into a family project of writing the book.
Full of irony, wit and love this book is a must read for anyone interested in growing their own food and everyone else interested in how the food they eat arrives at their table and the consequences of our indulgences for the planet.
::Animal, Vegetable, Miracle website
Apparently Barbara Kingsolver, in all her literary goodness, must have forgotten that one of those critical steps in sustainability is not eating meat. What a shame. Guess she can jump in-line with Michael Pollan in the partially-useful-books-for-people-who-won't-take-the-next-step.
as hard it is for you to believe, eating meat can be sustainable if you don't eat in excess and you go for completely pastured animals and not animals raised in CAFOs. in fact, by carefully managing grazing operations, grasses thrive.
Veganjoe apparently has a chip on his shoulder and while I'm sure intentions are well meant, jumping to conclusions and writing someone off based on your view of the world (without taking into account their’s) is making a mindless assumption. We all know that factory farming is bad, and large scale cattle operations and the like are damaging to the earth, the animals themselves and the people who eat them; Barbara Kingsolver certainly knows this. The depth of her knowledge, the wit of her writing and the message she is bringing to us in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is certainly not compromised by raising a few turkeys and harvesting the eggs from hens raised with care and compassion. That is just a fraction of the story presented in this book. The fact is, and anyone who reads the book will plainly see this, Kingsolver lives a completely sustainable life and shows us the way to sustainability as well. It was a pleasure to read, a trove of insight and all around heartwarming.
I have a Raw Organic Vegan Eco Recipe book titled RAW IN TEN MINUTES it is available on Amazon.com. I did not know where else to post this info! All my recipes are under 10 minutes to make and ready to eat! I have combined everyone's version of junk food and comfort food with fast, easy, super delicious RAW Organic Recipes so you get all the benefits of RAW Organic Food. I saw that Tree Hugger suggested RAW ORGANIC FOOD that is RAWsome! Check out my website: http://www.RawInTen.com
I also have a National TV SHOW SERIES airing this FALL in September based on my book, recipes but also empowering people to be more eco/green/environmentally friendly in fun, delicious and fashionable ways my show is called RAW ORGANIC SAVING THE PLANET with Bryan Au in the coming months you will see it in all major media and everywhere!
Eating Raw Organic Food and wearing Organic clothing really can save the World! People will look and feel great saving our Planet.:)
Bryan Au
http://www.RawInTen.com
Fifty years of wedded bliss is the miracle of love.