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The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees. By Barbara Kingsolver Jiyu Lin. Barbara Kingsolver. Born in 1955 in Annapolis, MD, but grew up in rural Kentucky Loved outdoor adventures and reading books Lived in the Republic of Congo, France, and the Spanish Canary Islands.

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The Bean Trees

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  1. The Bean Trees By Barbara Kingsolver Jiyu Lin

  2. Barbara Kingsolver • Born in 1955 in Annapolis, MD, but grew up in rural Kentucky • Loved outdoor adventures and reading books • Lived in the Republic of Congo, France, and the Spanish Canary Islands. • Graduated from DePauw University and the University of Arizona • Started freelance writing in 1985 • Works include Pigs in Heaven (1993), The Poisonwood Bible (1998), and The Lacuna (2009). • The Bean Trees was her very first novel, published in 1988 • Kingsolver lives in VA with her husband Steven Hopp, and has two daughters – Camille and Lily.

  3. Setting • Southern and western parts of the United States. • Starts in Kentucky  Midwestern bread basket Oklahoma plains  Tucson, Arizona. • The novel was written in the 1980s, but its events could also occur today.

  4. Main Characters • Taylor Greer (originally Marietta Greer) • A spunky girl in her early 20s, leaves her hick town in Pittman County, Kentucky, for the adventure of a lifetime. • Smart, sassy, and full of life, she adopts an orphaned Indian girl • finds refuge in a vegetable garden behind a used tire shop and becomes best friends with a recent divorcée named Lou Ann.  • Turtle • Taylor’s nickname for the little girl she finds at a bar in Oklahoma • Her name comes from a type of mud turtle that clings to rocks. • Physically and sexually abused as a baby, is • Very afraid, silent, and detached. • Slowly opens up to Taylor and inspires everyone around her to forgive, trust, and love

  5. More characters • Lou Ann Ruiz • starts searching for a roommate when her husband walks out • Very similar to Taylor • Has many fears; is extremely protective of her son • becomes Taylor’s mentor and friend • Mattie • Owns the mechanic shop near Lou Ann’s home called Jesus Is Lord Used Tires. • Also a safe-house for Native American/Hispanic refugees • a model of strength and wisdom in Taylor’s life. • Introduces Taylor to her garden of “bean trees” and the hope they represent • Estevanand Esperanza • Young Guatemalan couple • Their daughter was kidnapped by a corrupt government terrorist association. • Taylor falls in love with Estevan • She also learns from his gentle wife Esperanza what it is to lose a loved one, and how one must forgive to live again

  6. Plot • Taylor Greer leaves home • She doesn’t really know where she is going, or why she is going at all, but she goes with determination and spirit. • She is also given a small child, Turtle, by a strange Native American woman sitting in a bar. Taylor discovers the toddler had been abused and takes her with her to Tuscon, Arizona. • There she meets Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray, Estevan and Esperanza, Mattie, and many other characters. • Helps Lou Ann get over her ex-husband • She also helps Estevan and Esperanza, two fugitives from Guatemala, find a home on a Native American reservation. • Legally adopts Turtle as her own daughter

  7. Central Theme • Growing up and Friendship • Taylor is barely twenty years old; just finished high school and a job at the local hospital • The biggest worry up until that point in Taylor’s life was avoiding pregnancy • Just wants to “get away” • First time away from home; forced to learn the responsibilities of motherhood • surrounded by strong women who all mentor her and encourage her. • remains close to her mother Alice; they have a warm and supportive relationship

  8. Selection • Page 3 • But I stayed in school. I was not the smartest or even particularly outstanding but I was there and staying out of trouble and I intended to finish. This is not to say that I was unfamiliar with the back seat of a Chevrolet. I knew the scenery of Greenup Road, which we called Steam-It-Up Road, and I knew what a pecker looked like, and none of these sights had so far inspired me to get hogtied to a future as a tobacco farmer’s wife. Mama always said barefoot and pregnant was not my style. She knew.

  9. Recommendation • Well-written and Inspirational • Readers of all ages • Easy to read • Clear narration and symbolism • Very genuine, relatable characters

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