Our book group choice for July 2021 is The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away.
The Bean Trees is a coming-of-age novel about Taylor Greer, a young woman who leaves her home in rural Kentucky to start a new life in Tucson, Arizona. Along the way, she meets a variety of people who help her to grow and learn about herself.
Taylor is a strong and independent woman, but she is also vulnerable and searching for her place in the world. She is determined to avoid getting pregnant, but she soon finds herself taking care of a three-year-old Native American girl named Turtle. Turtle was abandoned by her mother at a gas station, and Taylor feels a connection to her because they are both outsiders.
Taylor and Turtle travel to Tucson together, where they meet Lou Ann Ruiz, a young mother with a young daughter of her own. Lou Ann is struggling to make ends meet, but she is kind and generous, and she quickly becomes Taylor’s friend.
Taylor gets a job at a tire shop, where she meets Estevan, a Guatemalan refugee. Estevan is kind and gentle, and he helps Taylor to learn about the importance of family and community.
Taylor, Lou Ann, Turtle, and Estevan form a close-knit group of friends. They support each other through good times and bad, and they help each other to find their place in the world.
The Bean Trees is a story about love, friendship, and belonging. It is also a story about the importance of fighting for what you believe in. Taylor is a strong and determined woman, and she is an inspiration to us all.
Here are some of the major themes of The Bean Trees:
- Coming of age: Taylor Greer is a young woman who is trying to find her place in the world. She is faced with many challenges, but she ultimately learns to embrace her own strength and independence.
- Motherhood: Taylor becomes the unexpected mother of Turtle, a three-year-old Native American girl. Taylor learns to love and care for Turtle, and she comes to understand the importance of motherhood.
- Friendship: Taylor forms close friendships with Lou Ann Ruiz and Estevan. These friendships provide her with support and strength during difficult times.
- Community: Taylor finds a sense of belonging in the community of Tucson. She learns that she is not alone, and that there are people who care about her and want to help her.
- Social justice: The Bean Trees is a novel with a social conscience. Kingsolver explores issues such as poverty, immigration, and racism. She shows how these issues can impact people’s lives, and she calls for us to work together to create a more just world.
Discussion Questions for The Bean Trees
- Did you enjoy the book?
- What did you think of the story’s arc? Did you understand where it was going?
- Who was your favourite character and how did they develop during the book?
- What did you think of the women’s world in the bean trees?
- The books name gives the image of bean trees that can grow in ground that is not fertile thanks to the micro bugs that create fertiliser and allow the plant to thrive. How does this reflect the community around Taylor?
- The author talks about a number of different places, were you able to imagine them and if you’ve been there does it conjure up an accurate picture?
- Immigration is a key theme, with lots of people moving across the country, legally or otherwise. How do you feel this theme is represented and what is the author telling us?
- What is Turtle’s purpose in the story?
- Kingsolver is also a poet; do you feel this is reflected in the prose and imagery?
- Would you read anything else by the author/recommend the book?
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