Book Review- The Long Winter

Disclosure:  I bought this book because I was interested in it.  I am not getting paid to read it or review it.  I just like to read.

I recently read Laura Ingalls Wilders' The Long Winter, one of the books in the Little House series.  It was a fascinating account of the winter her family nearly starved to death because the trains carrying food and supplies could not reach them due to 7 months of back-to-back blizzards.  It made me so grateful to have electricity, an abundant supply of food, and all the other modern conveniences we take for granted. 

The character that amazed me most was Ma Ingalls.  In the face of boredom, starvation, and cold, Ma survived.  She got up in the morning, got dressed, lit the fire, made breakfast, cleaned the house, encouraged the girls to study, served her husband dinner, ground wheat, etc.  She hardly ever said anything "cross", and when she did tell her husband he couldn't go searching for wheat in the middle of the prairie, it was a really dramatic moment.  I think that moment plus the moment she learned the trains would not be coming until spring were the only times in the whole book she was ever really angry.  The rest of the time she was looking for nice things to say.  They had only potatoes and bread to eat, but she said things like, "It was good of you, Charles, to get some tea.  It is so nice to have tea".  She didn't complain, criticize, blame, or nag.  She was also very thrifty, and made a light out of a button, some cloth, and some axle grease.  It's funny to me to read when she said things like "Back when I was a girl, we always had a light.  We didn't depend on this newfangled kerosene".  I guess I've never thought about how people made lights before there was kerosene.

This book opened up a whole new world for me.  Since moving out to the prairie I've often wondered how the people that came here before I did survived.  The Long Winter provides a glimpse of that.  I'm interested to read the rest of the Little House series now, to learn more about life on the American frontier.

Book Review- The Omnivore's Dilemma



Last week I finished reading Michael Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma.  Wow!  Was I blown away!  This is a must-read for anyone interested in food or the environment.  Pollan really is an excellent writer.
Some highlights for me:

I liked that he faulted not only big companies but also the government, whose subsidies and other legislative actions have really shaped our national food chain.

It opened my mind to the possibility of local, sustainable farms. 

It inspired me to eat less processed foods.

It inspired me to try new vegetables (Cabbage Casserole anyone?)

It encouraged me to keep on gardening and learning about growing our own produce.

It pointed out the flaws of 'industrial organic', so I have no guilt about not buying organic produce that's way out of my price range.

It inspired me to seek alternative sources for chicken and pork, since both animals suffer in the industrial food chain.  (I already know where my beef comes from!)
Just a week or two before I read this book, I had decided I should hunt a deer to feed my family (not that I like to hunt, just to introduce some truly grass-fed meat in our diet).  I loved the part about him hunting the pig, because he was honest about the emotions he experienced, and if he can do it, so can I!

A warning:
The section about the ethical implications of eating meat may be disturbing to some readers.  Heck, I've butchered my own beef and it bothered me!  However, I am happy to report that Pollan decides he can still justify eating meat (as long as it is locally and sustainably raised). 
To sum it up, Pollan inspired me to really be more mindful of what I am eating.

Have you read any good books lately?  Tell me about them!