The radio talks I most like to write are the one's wherein I recommend a book or a writer. First of all, such radio talks are easy to write, but best of all they introduce you to a book or a writer, and there is no greater favor one can do for me than to introduce to me a writer I learn to love. Once the introduction has been made I am in for countless hours of pleasure.
Someone I respect recommended Barbara Kingsolver to me and I am in the process of reading everything she's written, and she is an active writer -- books by her appear every few years.
My highest recommendation goes to a very recent book by her: The Poisonwood Bible. The book deals with a white family, a missionaries’ family, stay in Africa. A great book cannot be summarized. Its greatness lies in the way it tells its story, in the words that are woven together, and Barbara Kingsolver is a superb writer, an insightful thinker. She has so much to say about Africa, about the west's attitude towards Africa, about Missionaries, about fathers & mothers & children. The structure of the book is convoluted & captivating: different members of the family tell the story from their point of view & early on we are told a tragedy will happen. I kept reading, turning pages, wondering what will happen to whom. A highly rewarding, highly intelligent book.
After I read The Poisonwood Bible I read a book of essays by her: I knew I wanted to hear her think. I didn't want plot & characters to get in the way. I just wanted to know what she thought about what she encountered. Here are some lines from her book of essays entitled High Tide in Tucson. A mother is talking about her young child who is always obedient: "She works so hard to please everybody I'm afraid she'll never know how to please herself." On our inability, in modern times, to at times feel: "We seem to be living in the age of anesthesia....Confronted with knowledge of dozens of apparently random disasters each day, what can a human heart do but slam its doors." On her pet crab who was "the perfect housemate: quiet, entertaining, and willing to eat up the trash."
The next book of hers I read turned out to be her very first published work The Bean Trees. It is a wonderful novel full of characters you never want to let go of, and you don't have to. Her next book, Pigs in Heaven, contains all the same characters you encountered, and learned to love, in The Bean Trees.
She's written a couple of other novels and non-fiction books which I haven't read yet, but I intend to read them very soon. As I said, I plan to read everything she's ever written or will write. Barbara Kingsolver is a wonderful writer. Read any book she's written, you'll enjoy it. Again, my favorites, and really, my favorites are very book I've read by her so far, are The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven and her essays, High Tide in Tucson. Read & enjoy.
Copyright © 2004 Henry Morgenstein