Biography Essay

Barbara Kingsolver renews the Western literary landscape by debunking the myths of individuality and self-determination. Her heroines lead meaningful lives by relying on compromise and community. Kingsolver's work reflects the real West in which she lives—a West populated by people with different values, histories, and worldviews. Her devotion to social justice and her commitment to activism shape her vision. As she writes in High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never (1995), "Good art is political, whether it means to be or not, insofar as it provides the chance to understand points of view alien to our own." Single mothers, Guatemalan refugees, children, even a hermit crab, are among the points of view Kingsolver presents to her readers. She has enjoyed both critical acclaim and wide readership, and has been nominated three times for the ABBY (American Booksellers Book of the Year) award by...