Sometimes a book will come into your life at just the right moment. It will speak to you in a way that resonates so strongly with your beliefs that you become giddy with the pure joy if its discovery. You clutch it to your chest like a life preserver and know that its contents will change your life. Such was my experience when I happened upon a display for Animal, Vegetable, Miracle at my local book store.

Out of boredom, Phil and I had decided one evening to visit Borders and peruse the bargain books. We do this occasionally when we run out of ideas for occupying our free time at home, or when our apartment gets too warm and we want an excuse to hang out in some air-conditioning. It usually involves and hour or so of browsing, followed by a tasty beverage from the in-store cafe. Once in a while a book strikes our fancy enough to warrant the six-dollar price tag, and will earn a spot on our bookshelf. Like many Americans I am a sucker for sales, and hardly ever buy things full price. It’s just not in my DNA.

When I walked into the store, I was surprised to see a brand new book by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver. I was drawn in by the low gloss, earthy quality of the cover, and the subtitle: A Year of Food Life. I had been enamored with her fiction writing for years, but her nonfiction essays had never captured my attention in quite the same way. I wondered if a nonfiction book about food might be more to my liking. I plopped down in the middle of the isle and began flipping through the first chapter.

For the first time, Kingsolver’s nonfiction writing managed to captivate me right away. Her family immediately came to life for me, much in the same way her fictional characters do. I was inspired by their story, and their quest for a sustainable existence in an increasingly processed world. The goal itself is a noble one, but it hit especially close to home for me. While she was trading the arid desert of Arizona for the rich farmland of Virginia, I had made the opposite journey - out of the lush green valleys of central Pennsylvania and into the increasingly thirsty hills of San Diego, California. Water had been a growing concern of mine since making the big move west, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle addressed my concerns within the first three pages. It also amplified the guilt I felt since becoming an additional body to hydrate in a county that must import the majority of its water. I decided that new release or not, this book was coming home with me!

Over the next week I read and reread each chapter, often becoming overwhelmed by the story unfolding before me. It all seemed too good to be true. The book revealed many heart breaking facts about the current state of agriculture, yet managed to fill me with hope for the future. I hung on every word as the Kingsolver family proved that eating locally is not an impossible dream. I learned what it meant to be a locavore, and desperately wished to be counted as one. Living in a one bedroom apartment in the middle of a city, I knew that my journey would be a far cry from their experience on an small Appalachian farm. Without the ability to grow my own food, I would have to seek out other means of procuring local meats and produce. I would have to understand the growing seasons of my region, and make choices based on availability, rather than mood.

Over the last year I have struggled to find a balance between my ideals and the reality of daily life. I have encountered many wonderful products that are produced in Northern California, but have yet to find comparable counterparts made in Southern California. While I am pleased to have reduced some mileage from my food, I know that much of what I eat is still traveling too far. I have committed to organic foods at home, but still eat many meals in restaurants that probably use conventional produce and assembly line meats. With all my faults, I can’t honestly call myself a true locavore, but I know that I am on a path that will one day allow me to claim the title both in principle and in practice. Until then, I will continue to rely on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as a reference, a guidebook, and a source of inspiration.