The 100 mile diet is not fiction for author Barbara Kingsolver, as she and her family decided to live off the land and buy only locally grown food for an entire year. Lucky for us, she recorded those 365 days in her latest book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Blending the art of the memoir with journalistic investigation, Kingsolver chronicles her family's move away from the industrial-food pipeline to southern Appalachia. As incredibly proficient gardeners, the family of four also "puts up food for the winter" by canning their own tomatoes and pickling their own veggies. After giving up meat due to overly industrialized production of meat, the family discovers the pleasures of "conscientious carnivory," as well as the surprises of animal husbandry. The book reminds me at times of The Little House on the Prairie, but with a decidedly political bent.

Kingsolver's writing is thoroughly enjoyable to read. Since I love her novels, it feels like a treat to read her prose on any subject matter. Not only is this book entertaining, it also provides helpful tips for shopping both seasonally and locally. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a convincing argument for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.

Buy it online for $18.86 (30% off the cover price) from Cody's Book Store.