Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (2012)

Barbara Kingsolver has written another great book. First of all, it gives us an

insight into the nitty-gritty lives of rural Tennessee, where they work hard only to eke out a living, where no one aspires to college and the science teacher would rather shoot hoops with the kids than teach. My favorite part was where an environmentalist reads our main character a list of what people like her  should do to protect the environment, like take a container to a restaurant for leftovers. The woman had not eaten out for two years and almost all the things on the list she never did, because she could not afford to. She asked if it counted as reuse that they were on their third motor in the truck.

The story is told from the view of Dellarobia (name after wreaths arranged with natural things) who is dissatisfied by her narrow life and it is a joy to see her blossom and grow during the book. She does love her husband Cub (son of Bear) and kids Preston and Cordie. She is bright and had dreams of going to college, but she got pregnant, married, and stayed in the small town. But she thinks, and her common sense way of looking at life fascinated me. For instance, at one point she wonders what it would be like to work next to men without the flirtation. I lived in a small rural town for a few years, and it was scary to me when I ran into some of the narrow thinking. Dellarobia gets involved with the scientists studying the butterflies and she realizes she is capable of learning and doing more than just maintaining a house, farm and family.

Kingsolver would not be Kingsolver if she did not have some cause to share with her readers. The central event in the book is that the Monarch butterflies don’t migrate to Mexico for the winter, but land in Tennessee. As a scientist and his helpers come to research the butterflies, we learn a lot about the wondrous life cycles of generations of Monarchs. The author explains at the end of the book that everything except their landing in Tennessee is true. This leads to discussions of global warming and the destruction of habitats and milkweed as major issues for the survival of Monarchs. The professor's explanations got a bit heavy handed , but is an important issue.  I have to admit I have not been keeping on top of environmental issues as much as I used to and somehow have missed things like the 350 group. A friend just sent a link to an article on decreased Monarch population in Minnesota.

The last thing I would like to comment on is Kingsolver’s rich language and unusual metaphors. Since I listened to the book, I didn't get to mark down any passages, but here is an example: "He won people over in a different way, using his hands to push and pull his congregants as if kneading dough, making grace rise."