Small Wonder


It’s gotten so that if I’m not listening to a book while I’m working – in the shed, in the yard and even doing housework sometimes, I feel like I’m not making full use of my time. I’ve “read" 5 books in the last month ranging from Hemmingway to Stephen King to Barbara Kingsolver. The one I finished today while digging roots out of the yard was Small Wonder a collection of 23 essays by Barbara Kingsolver. These essays express her thoughts about the world immediately after 9/11. The author is a bleeding heart liberal environmentalist but her writing is well researched, well reasoned, and full of insight into what is wrong and what is right about our country.


I started this book 3 years ago on our trip to Alaska but the subject mater was not one that lent itself to vacation reading. Her writing bothers me because her views are so far to the left and so different from what I have been conditioned to believe. I have to admit that she has affected my thinking on a number of issues. She is by no means simplistic in her views. She backs her arguments with logic, statistics and just good common sense. If everyone in the world had her insight there would be no war and we would all display all those human characteristics that are good and life giving.


Here is one critic’s description of the book:

"The 23 essays in this sterling collection tug at the heart and soul with their searing truths about the American way of life, the meaning of patriotism, the culture's acceptance of violence as a way to solve problems, the inherent global dangers of conspicuous consumption and the ravaging of the earth. "

I consider myself a conservative. Although I had to force myself to listen to a couple of these essays without screaming at her about her naivety, by the time she was done I at least understood why she believed what she did. If you want to read something different and thought provoking I would recommend this book(in the audio version). Small Wonder was read by the author. Her reading is a special bonus because of the emotion she adds to the reading.

I had sufficient time to listen to this book because of the nasty set of roots I ran into on the west side of the yard. Of course they are right where I need to run one of the sprinkler lines.

Here are the before pictures.

And here is the after. I gave my back and shoulders a good test. I'm sore, but I think it is OK.

Time will tell.