Synopsis
In this collection of essays, popular novelist Barbara Kingsolver writes equally well about nature and human nature. Kingsolver studied biology in graduate school, and in her pieces on frogs, crabs, and the Grand Canyon, she conveys an appreciation of the natural world and its connection to ours. A letter to her mother about writing, and one to her daughter about good parenting versus the right to privacy, convey honest family values, as does a piece on Columbine, both the flower and the massacre ("Life Is Precious Or It's Not"). The essays that stand out, and that give this collection its resonance, are several that address issues of 9/11. A friend in New York asked Kingsolver, "How do I live with anger?" Without revenge, she answers, and without flag-waving. Kingsolver's personable, accessible essays somehow reinforce what we already know: that life matters because of its small wonders.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2002-03-01 | | Edition Description: | Unabridged |
| Size | | Height: | 6.0 in | | Width: | 4.3 in | | Thickness: | 2.8 in | | Weight: | 9.6 oz |
Publisher's Note
In her new essay collection, the beloved author of High Tide in Tucson brings to us from one of history's darker moments an extended love song to the world we still have. From its opening parable gleaned from recent news about a lost child saved in an astonishing way, the book moves on to consider a world of surprising and hopeful prospects, ranging from an inventive conservation scheme in a remote jungle to the backyard flock of chickens tended by the author's small daughter. 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 those places, too. In the voice Kingsolver's readers have come to rely on -- 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.
Industry Reviews
"No matter what issue she takes on, Kingsolver remains a novelist at heart, one would would persuade by way of story rather than stated opinion. But her opinions are always clear....SMALL WONDER is both a pleasure to read and a powerful manifesto."
Bloomsbury Review - Ann McCutchan
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