Barbara Kingsolver:

The Brain Behind The Bean Trees

By Ms. Lerner

Childhood Born in 1955 in Annapolis,

Maryland Grew up in rural Kentucky Her important early influences

included: - “The Bookmobile”- The family vegetable garden- Living among fields and woods- Parents that instilled a love on nature, but did not allow TV

When she was eight her family moved to the Congo while it was gaining independence from the French. Her father worked as a doctor.

Love of Writing

Began keeping a journal around the age of nine

Won her first essay contest with a work called “Why We Need a New Elementary School”

Education

Spent part of her childhood in Congo while it was in the process of gaining independence from the French. Her father worked as a doctor.

After high school, Kingsolver left Kentucky to attend DePauw University on a piano scholarship

Had a desire to study “basically everything,” so transferred to the liberal arts school and graduated with a biology degree

Spent years abroad, moving to Arizona when she no longer had money

Received graduate degree in evolutionary biology

Her Life as Writer

At first, Kingsolver was a scientific writer, and then she became a freelance journalist

Short fiction and poetry was published during the mid-1980s

Wrote The Bean Trees entirely at night because of insomnia caused by a pregnancy

Recognition

Kingsolver has written twelve books, poetry, non-fiction, and essay collections

Received many major literary awards In 2000, won the National Humanities Medal,

America’s highest honor for service through the arts

Impact of Life on Novel Obvious biological and social influences within The

Bean Trees

- Nature is used to symbolize characters and their relationships

- When she worked as a woman in a typically male field (science), she developed an appreciation for the female voice and its power to overcome obstacles

Impact of Life on Novel Kingsolver also has an intense love for the Southwest

and its culture due to spending much of her life there. Her brief stay in Africa instilled a sense of empathy for other peoples.

Themes UNIFYING THEME: we need each other Identity / Home Nature / Environmentalism Feminism / Traditional vs. non-traditional

motherhood Friendship / motherly love Fate / Overcoming Fear Empathizing with Illegal Immigrants /

Appreciating Beauty of other Cultures Religion