Prodigal Summer by: Barbara Kingsolver
review by: Anne Samuelson '05
Did you know that pesticides actually increase the number of pests in a garden? In the same way that anti-bacterial soaps kill the good bacteria and leave the bad bacteria; pesticides kill "good" bugs and leave the harmful ones. In the book, Prodigal Summer, author Barbara Kingsolver addresses the ecological issues of herbicides, pesticides and biological engineering. Sound boring to you? It's not. For my first reading, I checked Prodigal Summer out from the public library, but I wished I owned a copy so I could underline excellent passages and mark certain pages.Both sides of the ecological argument are explored in discussions, arguments, and debates between two couples. Couple number one, although they would never admit to liking each other, is comprised of elderly neighbors, Nannie and Mr. Walker, who feud over the benefits (Mr. Walker) versus the harms (Nannie) of pesticides and herbicides on the environment. Couple number two is headed by Deanna Wolfe, a naturalist, who attempts to convert her hunter lover, Eddie Bondo, into an animal lover by showing him the ways in which all life is connected. Although using different perspectives and arguments both Nannie and Deanna teach that "everything alive is connected to every other by fine, invisible treads. Things you don't see can help you plenty, and things you try to control will often rear back and bite youŠThe world is a sight more complicated than we like to let on" (p. 216). The truth of their words is shown as science, romance, humor and a little mystery intertwine in their lives creating both connections and complications.
Prodigal Summer is an engrossing book, but also a very effective teaching tool. The arguments for organic gardening were convincing enough for me to begin researching its benefits and the story is worth a second read. Even if science or gardening hold no interest for you, Prodigal Summer prepares a reader to enter the current debate about the effect of chemicals on our food and health. Since we all eat, that is a debate that should concern us all.