Praised as ?a book-long spell?hypnotic" in the Los Angeles Times, this remarkable book by the celebrated writer Alice Walker tells the story of her flock of chickens. Over time, her blossoming relationship with ?her girls" became a source of inspiration, strength, and spiritual exploration, and helped Walker connect more profoundly with her own past as a girl in rural Georgia.
Walker has recorded this journey in The Chicken Chronicles, an extraordinary document of personal discovery, political commitment, and the joys of relating to animals. Hailed by Utne Reader as ?poignant and wonderfully eccentric," each of Walker's thirty-seven essays addresses ?her girls" directly, sometimes from the intimate proximity of her yard, other times at a great distance, from her journeys to Bali and Dharamsala as a witness and activist for peace and justice.
With ?illuminating and wonderfully wacky ruminations" (Kirkus), The Chicken Chronicles is a new treat for Walker fans, a powerful touchstone for anyone seeking a deeper connection with the natural world, and a celebration of chickens everywhere!
Industry Reviews
"Rich, with offbeat, unexpected details... [an] ideal blend between earnestness and self-deprecation that makes this book so engaging."--The Washington Post "With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprising wry humor... The Chicken Chronicles is work bringing home to roost."--The Philadelphia Tribune "[These] poignant and wonderfully eccentric short essays... illuminate some of life's weightiest lessons. Who knew all of this could be found in a backyard henhouse?"--Utne Reader Rich, with offbeat, unexpected details [an] ideal blend between earnestness and self-deprecation that makes this book so engaging. The Washington Post With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprising wry humor The Chicken Chronicles is work bringing home to roost. The Philadelphia Tribune [These] poignant and wonderfully eccentric short essays illuminate some of life s weightiest lessons. Who knew all of this could be found in a backyard henhouse? Utne Reader" "Rich, with offbeat, unexpected details... [an] ideal blend between earnestness and self-deprecation that makes this book so engaging."--"The Washington Post" "With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprising wry humor... "The Chicken Chronicles" is work bringing home to roost."--"The Philadelphia Tribune" "[These] poignant and wonderfully eccentric short essays... illuminate some of life's weightiest lessons. Who knew all of this could be found in a backyard henhouse?"--"Utne Reader" "That is when you realize how powerful Walker is, how she draws you through trauma into an Eternity, a chicken house on her peaceful bit of land in Northern California, next to her garden, where she sits on a green metal stool and watches her chickens. It's a book-long spell--hypnotic."--"Los Angeles Times" "With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprisingly wry humor, author Alice Walker shakes up fans with a memoir that's nothing like her novels. Instead, "The Chicken Chronicles" is a series of enchanted musings on Walker's life and charitable works, the richly-imagined life of her pets, and a powerful sense of gratitude for friends, the Earth, and its gifts. I flew through this book, loving every page of it. For pet lovers, chicken people, or anyone who craves a perfectly charming memoir, here's one to read. "The Chicken Chronicles" is worth bringing home to roost."--Terri Schlichenmeyer, "Life After 50" "Walker invites her readers into her personal spaces t The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of imparts life lessons and sage wisdom through the care and feeding of a delightful flock of chickens. Walker ("Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: New Poems, " 2010, etc.) realized that as a serious egg-lover, it would behoove her to "get to know the chickens laying them." She soon hatched an agreement with a family nearby to raise them together in the rudimentary Northern California wine country neighborhood where she's lived for 30 years. As offbeat as it may seem, Walker developed a profound attachment and an intrinsic contentment by befriending her nine "undeniably gorgeous" chickens. Often found crouched and crowing in her lap and balanced upon her shoulders, the author named each of them personally (Gertrude Stein, Babe, Rufus, Gladys, Glorious, etc.), contemplated their behaviors and researched their varietal breeds. The memoir is, in part, an assemblage of chronological entries from the author's blog, and spans from present-day farming