Play Book Tag discussion

When Yummy Fuller, daughter of Idaho potato farmer, Lloyd, and his war bride, Momoko was fourteen she had an affair with her high school history teacher, found out she was pregnant, had an abortion and ran away from home. She has returned almost three decades later, with her three children after she learns of her parents' poor health. Her father is close to death and her mother is suffering from Alzheimer's.

Yummy's parents now make their living selling seeds. Somehow he's drawn the attention of a group of radical environmentalists who call themselves the Seeds of Resistance. They have travelled to Idaho to meet Lloyd and Momoko, who they believe are prophets of organic gardening. They want to team up with Lloyd in an anti-genetically modified foodstuff movement. I though this group was hilarious. They travel in an RV that consumes fuel recycled from french fry and fried chicken oil from McDonalds and KFC. They dress up as cows, or as Mr. Potato Head, infiltrate supermarket lines, and put scull and crossbones stickers on frozen vegetables.

Added to this band of weirdos is Yummy's former teacher, Elliot Rhodes. He's been hired as an Agribusiness PR expert to control protests and bolster sales. He and Yummy have some unfinished business.

All Over Creation is a family saga of death, dementia, anger, love and forgiveness. It documents what happens to America's food before it reaches the table, and discusses the unknowns of GMOs and the effect of big Agribusiness on the small family farmer.

I thought this story was thought-provoking and a little different from most of my recent reading. If you're in the market for something a little quirky, you might enjoy All Over Creation.

This is a helpful review. Thanks. It sounds like it has the spirit of My Year of Meats, which I really enjoyed. This is my year for learning more about ecology, and if it's combined with humor, so much the better. I think Ozeki's earlier books have a much lighter tone than her latest book (which is in the tournament of books this year). It's been a rough week and "quirky" might be just what I need.