Book

I read Barbara Kingsolver's excellent novel The Bean Trees last week. I loved it. This book resonated with me on many levels. Her characters are vivid and sympathetic.

In particular, Kingsolver captured the major themes of my upbringing with her portrayal of the paranoid Lou Ann. This particular passage could have been written about my own dear mother:

"Lou Ann's life was ruled by the fear of salmonella, to the extent that she claimed the only safe way to eat potato salad was to stick your head in the refrigerator and eat it there."

Love it. Mom loved it too.

I haven't done it justice by highlighting only this passage, but it's a beautiful book, and I recommend it very highly.