High Tide in Tucson - by Barbara Kingsolver (Paperback)

About the Book

The bestselling author of Pigs in Heaven and Animal Dreams now turns her talents to the world of nonfiction in an exciting, illustrated collection of 25 essays. Beautifully packaged, and featuring original illustrations by well-known artist Paul Micocha, these wise lessons on the urgent business of being alive run the gamut of topics, from motherhood to the history of provate property to the suspended citizenship of human beings in the Animal Kingdom. NPR sponsorship.

Book Synopsis

"Clever. . . magical. . . beautifully crafted. Kingsolver spins you around the philosophic world a dozen times." -- Milwaukee Sentinel

"Kingsolver's essays should be savored like quiet afternoons with a friend." --New York Times Book Review

In this brilliant essay collection, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver turns to her favored literary terrain to explore themes of family, community, and the natural world.

With the eyes of a scientist and the vision of a poet, Kingsolver writes about notions as diverse as modern motherhood, the history of private property, and the suspended citizenship of humans in the animal kingdom. Kingsolver's canny pursuit of meaning from an inscrutable world compels us to find instructions for life in surprising places: a museum of atomic bomb relics, a West African voodoo love charm, an iconographic family of paper dolls, the ethics of a wild pig who persistently invades a garden, a battle of wills with a two-year-old, or a troop of oysters who observe high tide in the middle of Illinois.

In sharing her thoughts about the urgent business of being alive, Kingsolver the essayist employs the same keen eyes, persuasive tongue, and understanding heart that characterize her acclaimed fiction. In High Tide in Tucson, Kingsolver is defiant, funny, and courageously honest.

From the Back Cover

"There is no one quite like Barbara Kingsolver in contemporary literature," raves the Washington Post Book World, and it is right. She has been nominated three times for the ABBY award, and her critically acclaimed writings consistently enjoy spectacular commercial success as they entertain and touch her legions of loyal fans.

In High Tide in Tucson, she returnsto her familiar themes of family, community, the common good and the natural world. The title essay considers Buster, a hermit crab that accidentally stows away on Kingsolver's return trip from the Bahamas to her desert home, and turns out to have manic-depressive tendencies. Buster is running around for all he's worth -- one can only presume it's high tide in Tucson. Kingsolver brings a moral vision and refreshing sense of humor to subjects ranging from modern motherhood to the history of private property to the suspended citizenship of human beings in the Animal Kingdom.

Beautifully packaged, with original illustrations by well-known illustrator Paul Mirocha, these wise lessons on the urgent business of being alive make it a perfect gift for Kingsolver's many fans.

Review Quotes

"Whether cultural, personal, or theoretical, Kingsolver's nonfiction is a delight." - Seattle Times

"A book full of discoveries." - Cleveland Plain Dealer

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

"Brilliant. . . lucid, well thought-out, and remarkably sensitive. Kingsolver's power will linger long after you've finished High Tide in Tucson." - Kansas City Star

"Clever. . . magical. . . beautifully crafted. Kingsolver spins you around the philosophic world a dozen times." - Milwaukee Sentinel

"Kingsolver's essays should be savored like quiet afternoons with a friend. . . . [She] speaks in a language rich with music and replete with good sense." - New York Times Book Review

"Kingsolver possesses the rare ability to see the natural world with the keenness of both the poet and the naturalist." - Washington Times

"The acclaimed novelist's extraordinary powers of observations and understanding of character serve her beautifully in this collection of essays." - Entertainment Weekly