I love Barbara Kingsolver’s writing. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life has always been one of my favorite books of Kingsolver’s because knowing where my food comes from and by whom it’s grown, and growing some of our food in our backyard garden in the summer is so important to me.
Like Animal…, Demon Copperhead also takes place in rural Appalachia, written from a boy’s point of view. Kingsolver’s way of speaking in Demon’s rural Appalachia voice and following him through his heartbreaking existence, made me feel like I was reading a memoir I couldn’t put down.
I laughed and cried on the same pages, and I wanted to start at the beginning again when I’d finished.
Demon's story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking 'like a little blue prizefighter.' For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.
In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends. 'Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster…
The Last Animal has a storyline I’ve never encountered before. Asubel writes in such a readable way about extinct creatures and science but also about typical teen challenges and family relationships.
I was so moved by the baby mammoth – what it symbolized about our existence on this planet and our connections to each other. Having two daughters about the same age as Eve and Vera, and growing up with sisters myself, I could deeply relate to both their relationship and what it is like to be their mother, Jane.
This book is both fantastical and yet completely believable in ways at the same time and the ending made me teary.
“Whip-smart and compulsively readable. . . both a wildly entertaining adventure story and a meditation on what it means to love your children—fiercely and imperfectly.”—Oprah Daily
“Springs alive to explore questions that stump scientists and families, problems of the head and the heart.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
“A full-hearted portrait of sisterhood, family and the ways we process grief. Charming, wry, and original.” —People
A playful, witty, and resonant novel in which a single mother and her two teen daughters engage in a wild scientific experiment and discover themselves in…
I was transported into an entirely new world in this book.
Yunxian is raised to be an educated women’s doctor in 15th-century China yet is shackled by the constraints of an arranged marriage and the beliefs of the culture at the time. Her friendship with Meiling is powerful – connected and challenging in many ways, and the development of both as they move through this world is at times shocking and heartwarming.
Despite the cultural differences, I could deeply relate to Yunxian through her relationship with her daughters, her universal need to belong, and her desire to use her skills and wisdom to help expectant and new mothers and their babies. This story is beautifully written and told.
'Despite the inordinate limits placed on women, See allows their strengths to dominate their stories' Washington Post 'Poignant . . . quietly affecting' Time
In 15th century China two women are born under the same sign, the Metal Snake. But life will take the friends on very different paths.
According to Confucius, 'an educated woman is a worthless woman', but Tan Yunxian - born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separation and loneliness - is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. She begins her training in medicine with her grandmother and, as she navigates the…
Couples often spend surprisingly little time getting ready for this huge rite of passage. They may paint the nursery, but neglect discussing how their roles may change. They may have a car seat ready, but not a will.
The first of its kind, this interactive book provides couples with essential conversation-starters and action items to complete before becoming parents. In Preparing for Parenthood, you’ll discover how to transition to parenting in ways that best align with your own beliefs and values.
Parenting is simultaneously heart-opening and heart-wrenching, humbling and humorous, joyful and overwhelming. But this small and indispensable book will help you alleviate stress and answer some of the biggest questions you’ll want to address before your baby arrives.
