The Bean Trees

I just finished reading The Bean Trees by Barbra Kingsolver a book about belonging and the love that one can find in the most unlikely places. The book starts out as a girl named Taylor Greer sets out to escape from the small town in Kentucky where she grew up. Taylor heads west in her '55 Volkswagen in hopes of finding an adventure. However, when she stops because of problem with her car, she is given a young Indian baby, and is thrown into the world of motherhood. And when Taylor's car finally breaks down near a small town in Arizona, she learns that even in the desert you can find a life of love and happiness.

Barbra Kingsolver is a wonderful author who captures the trials and triumphs of Taylor as she struggles to give her adopted child a good life. This book is one of the best I have read this year because it offers a great insight into the way that humans interact with each other. On the outside this is a book about a mother and a daughter, but the deeper you delve into the story, the more you realize that this is a book about humanity and the human condition. The deeper truths that this book revealed are what made it all the more enjoyable for me, and hopefully for you too.