Small Wonder - by Barbara Kingsolver (Paperback)

About the Book

In 22 wonderfully articulate essays, the author of "The Poisonwood Bible" raises her voice in praise of nature, family, literature, and the joys of everyday life while examining the genesis of war, violence and poverty in the world. Illustrations.

Book Synopsis

In twenty-two wonderfully articulate essays, Barbara Kingsolver raises her voice in praise of nature, family, literature, and the joys of everyday life while examining the genesis of war, violence, and poverty in our world

From the author of High Tide in Tucson, comes Small Wonder, a new collection of essays that begins with a parable gleaned from recent news: villagers search for a missing infant boy and find him, unharmed, in the cave of a dangerous bear that has mothered him like one of her own. Clearly, our understanding of evil needs to be revised. What we fear most can save us. From this tale, Barbara Kingsolver goes on to consider the chasm between the privileged and the poor, which she sees as the root cause of violence and war in our time. She writes about her attachment to the land, to nature and wilderness, trees and mountains-the place from which she tells her stories. Whether worrying about the dangers of genetically engineered food crops, or creating opportunities for children to feel useful and competent - like growing food for the family's table - Kingsolver looks for small wonders, where they grow, and celebrates them.

From the Back Cover

In her new essay collection, the beloved author of High Tide in Tucson brings to us, out of one of history's darker moments, an extended love song to the world we still have.

Whether she is contemplating the Grand Canyon, her vegetable garden, motherhood, genetic engineering, or the future of a nation founded on the best of all human impulses, these essays are grounded in the author's belief that our largest problems have grown from the earth's remotest corners as well as our own backyards, and that answers may lie in both those places.

Sometimes grave, occasionally hilarious, and ultimately persuasive, Small Wonder is a hopeful examination of the people we seem to be, and what we might yet make of ourselves.

Review Quotes

"Observant, imaginative, and both lucid and impassioned." -- Book Magazine

"This book of essays by Barbara Kingsolver is like a visit from a cherished old friend." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Kingsolver possesses a rare depth of understanding of nature's complex mechanisms." -- San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"A delightful, challenging, and wonderfully informative book." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Essays ... [of] great skill and wisdom." -- Booklist