Grab the Junk Food

My friend Mike, when describing a sorta cheesy read always says, "It's fun, like a Big Red and bag of Funyuns is fun." I was thinking of that as I was reading the new Barbara Kingsolver book, Animal Vegetable Miracle. Not because it's fun, cause it's not, but because that snack would be the antithesis of what she's writing about and I tend to get contrary when being beaten over the head.

The book tells the story of her family's decision to support themselves from their land eating only what they could grow or buy locally for a year. Since I am a big fan of Kingsolver's other work (she's a Kentucky girl too) and I believe in buying locally when possible, I thought I'd check it out. Her activism, which is kept more firmly under wraps in her fiction, is flying high in this book. Embedded in the family narrative are mini essays by her husband, Steven L. Hopp, explaining subjects like global warming and factory farming and vignettes and recipies written by her daughter, Camille Kingsolver. Though I get what they were going for with the different perspectives, as a reader I was distracted by the asides. I also grew tired of what felt like attacks. Unless a person was already interested in the subject I don't think they'd pick this one up-making those people who are already kind of on your side feel bad seems like poor activism to me which I assume was one of the goals of writing the book. It's the old hate the sin, love the sinner thing. More effective I think would be to tell the story compellingly and convincingly to encourage readers by example to do what they could (apartment dwellers like me would be hard pressed to completely comply no matter how large our balcony). If all I want to do is go eat junk food the Kingsolvers have failed in their mission with their 'hearts & minds' campaign. Perhaps they should have rewatched "An Inconvenient Truth"-though from my outside reading it seems like the stats Gore cites in that movie may have been inflated for emphasis, it's a good example of being convincing without alienating. (Though the Melissa Etheridge song truly sucks.) In the meantime, Big Red anyone?


*For those not in the know Big Red is a red cream soda and Funyuns? Well, I'm not really sure what Funyuns are and if you're going to eat them it's probably best not to know.*