Unsheltered

Unpopular opinion, but I don’t normally enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s writing. However, in a moment of being "between books" and needing something to read, I gave it a shot. I enjoyed this story for two reasons.

1) The present-day part of the story was an unvarnished picture of a family truly struggling to get by. Bills, a dilapidated house, a multigenerational living situation, and the overwhelm that comes with those things. It’s not often that fiction books address ‘real’ life.

2) I enjoyed the historical fiction side, which spoke about religious zealotry and resistance to scientific fact, with horrible consequences for… show more.

This book caused a seismic thinking shift as it relates to the American Dream and real estate investment.

Married professionals spend their careers following the rules and chasing the dream. They struggle with disillusionment when their adult children’s work choices, old house, and a cranky parent in ill health don’t jibe with their ‘vision’ of retirement.

After a series of attention-holding family dramas, the tide turns when they chuck the expected and reframe their hope for the future.

As a history buff, I liked learning about an early, unknown female botanist in the subplot. I also enjoyed the book because… show more.

As weird as Portugal is, and has been, it may become weirder yet as it absorbs masses of migrants from unexpected places. Unsheltered is fiction that I found accurately portrays the shock and terror of American life for hundreds of millions of families, driving many to migrate. The family portrayed in the book are solidly middle-class, educated professionals. They “did everything right” in the “richest country on the planet,” yet find themselves on a downward slide with no way back to security. Vineland, New Jersey in its present state, and in its 19th-century aspirational origin is the compelling setting. One… show more.