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Here is a glorious, offbeat, compassionate, and “eccentrically inspirational” (Kirkus Reviews) memoir in which Alice Walker shares her experiences raising and caring for a flock of chickens. In pieces that are by turns moving, thoughtful, and utterly captivating, Walker addresses her “girls” directly, sometimes from the intimate proximity of her yard, other times at a great distance, during her travels to Bali and Dharamsala as an activist for peace and justice. On the way, she invites readers along on a surprising journey of inspiration, strength, and spiritual discovery.
Uplifting, heartbreaking, and memorable, The Chicken Chronicles lets us see a new and deeply personal side of one of the most inspiring writers of our time. It is also a powerful touchstone for anyone seeking a deeper connection with the natural world.
Uplifting, heartbreaking, and memorable, The Chicken Chronicles lets us see a new and deeply personal side of one of the most inspiring writers of our time. It is also a powerful touchstone for anyone seeking a deeper connection with the natural world.
Price: $16.99
Pages: 208
Publisher: The New Press
Imprint: The New Press
Publication Date:
10 May 2011
ISBN: 9781595586896
Format: eBook
“With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprising wry humor… The Chicken Chronicles is work bringing home to roost.”
—The Philadelphia Tribune
“[These] poignant and wonderfully eccentric short essays… illuminate some of life’s weightiest lessons. Who knew all of this could be found in a backyard henhouse?”
—Utne Reader
“Rich with offbeat, unexpected details. There is deep sincerity in her gratitude and affection for her flock, along with an equally keen awareness that the idea of having a transformative relationship with chickens may sound a
bit odd. It’s this ideal blend between earnestness and self-deprecation that makes the book so engaging.”
—The Washington Post
"That is when you realize how powerful Walker is, how she draws you through trauma into an Eternity, a chicken house on her peaceful bit of land in Northern California, next to her garden, where she sits on a green metal stool and watches her chickens. It's a book-long spell—hypnotic."
—Los Angeles Times
"With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprisingly wry humor, author Alice Walker shakes up fans with a memoir that’s nothing like her novels. Instead, The Chicken Chronicles is a series of enchanted musings on Walker’s life and charitable works, the richly-imagined life of her pets, and a powerful sense of gratitude for friends, the Earth, and its gifts. I flew through this book, loving every page of it. For pet lovers, chicken people, or anyone who craves a perfectly charming memoir, here’s one to read. The Chicken Chronicles is worth bringing home to roost."
—Terri Schlichenmeyer, syndicated book reviewer
"Walker invites her readers into her personal spaces to share in the joy and wonder her chickens engender and to witness the trials collectively endured. One can readily conjure Walker as she comes inside from the chicken yard and writes down her thoughts and impressions."
—Library Journal
"The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of imparts life lessons and sage wisdom through the care and feeding of a delightful flock of chickens. Walker (Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: New Poems, 2010, etc.) realized that as a serious egg-lover, it would behoove her to 'get to know the chickens laying them.' She soon hatched an agreement with a family nearby to raise them together in the rudimentary Northern California wine country neighborhood where she’s lived for 30 years. As offbeat as it may seem, Walker developed a profound attachment and an intrinsic contentment by befriending her nine 'undeniably gorgeous' chickens. Often found crouched and crowing in her lap and balanced upon her shoulders, the author named each of them personally (Gertrude Stein, Babe, Rufus, Gladys, Glorious, etc.), contemplated their behaviors and researched their varietal breeds. The memoir is, in part, an assemblage of chronological entries from the author’s blog, and spans from present-day farming time to her youth in rural Georgia, where she acquired an appreciation for animals and music. The second half of the book includes poems and letters she’s written to the chickens while traveling. At their strongest, these short essays are illuminating and wonderfully wacky ruminations from the earth-conscious mind of a 'run-of-the-mill mostly vegetarian person.' Walker’s sage, compassionate memoir is meant to be savored and contemplated; fans will appreciate the devoted nurturing of her feathered backyard brood as the embodiment of a lifetime spent cultivating peace, harmony and the 'wonder and spontaneity of Nature.' Life-affirmative and eccentrically inspirational."
—Kirkus Reviews
—The Philadelphia Tribune
“[These] poignant and wonderfully eccentric short essays… illuminate some of life’s weightiest lessons. Who knew all of this could be found in a backyard henhouse?”
—Utne Reader
“Rich with offbeat, unexpected details. There is deep sincerity in her gratitude and affection for her flock, along with an equally keen awareness that the idea of having a transformative relationship with chickens may sound a
bit odd. It’s this ideal blend between earnestness and self-deprecation that makes the book so engaging.”
—The Washington Post
"That is when you realize how powerful Walker is, how she draws you through trauma into an Eternity, a chicken house on her peaceful bit of land in Northern California, next to her garden, where she sits on a green metal stool and watches her chickens. It's a book-long spell—hypnotic."
—Los Angeles Times
"With an eye for wonderment and plenty of surprisingly wry humor, author Alice Walker shakes up fans with a memoir that’s nothing like her novels. Instead, The Chicken Chronicles is a series of enchanted musings on Walker’s life and charitable works, the richly-imagined life of her pets, and a powerful sense of gratitude for friends, the Earth, and its gifts. I flew through this book, loving every page of it. For pet lovers, chicken people, or anyone who craves a perfectly charming memoir, here’s one to read. The Chicken Chronicles is worth bringing home to roost."
—Terri Schlichenmeyer, syndicated book reviewer
"Walker invites her readers into her personal spaces to share in the joy and wonder her chickens engender and to witness the trials collectively endured. One can readily conjure Walker as she comes inside from the chicken yard and writes down her thoughts and impressions."
—Library Journal
"The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of imparts life lessons and sage wisdom through the care and feeding of a delightful flock of chickens. Walker (Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: New Poems, 2010, etc.) realized that as a serious egg-lover, it would behoove her to 'get to know the chickens laying them.' She soon hatched an agreement with a family nearby to raise them together in the rudimentary Northern California wine country neighborhood where she’s lived for 30 years. As offbeat as it may seem, Walker developed a profound attachment and an intrinsic contentment by befriending her nine 'undeniably gorgeous' chickens. Often found crouched and crowing in her lap and balanced upon her shoulders, the author named each of them personally (Gertrude Stein, Babe, Rufus, Gladys, Glorious, etc.), contemplated their behaviors and researched their varietal breeds. The memoir is, in part, an assemblage of chronological entries from the author’s blog, and spans from present-day farming time to her youth in rural Georgia, where she acquired an appreciation for animals and music. The second half of the book includes poems and letters she’s written to the chickens while traveling. At their strongest, these short essays are illuminating and wonderfully wacky ruminations from the earth-conscious mind of a 'run-of-the-mill mostly vegetarian person.' Walker’s sage, compassionate memoir is meant to be savored and contemplated; fans will appreciate the devoted nurturing of her feathered backyard brood as the embodiment of a lifetime spent cultivating peace, harmony and the 'wonder and spontaneity of Nature.' Life-affirmative and eccentrically inspirational."
—Kirkus Reviews
Alice Walker is one of the most prolific writers of our time, known for her literary fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple, her many volumes of poetry, and her powerful nonfiction collections. Her advocacy for the dispossessed has spanned the globe.