1. By Barbara Kingsolver Jiyu Lin THE BEAN TREES

2.  Born in 1955 in Annapolis, MD, but grew up in rural Kentucky  Loved outdoor adventures and reading books  Lived in the Republic of Congo, France, and the Spanish Canary Islands.  Graduated from DePauw University and the University of Arizona  Started freelance writing in 1985  Works include Pigs in Heaven (1993), The Poisonwood Bible (1998), and The Lacuna (2009).  The Bean Trees was her very first novel, published in 1988  Kingsolver lives in VA with her husband Steven Hopp, and has two daughters – Camille and Lily. BARBARA KINGSOLVER

3.  Southern and western parts of the United States.  Starts in Kentucky  Midwestern bread basket  Oklahoma plains  Tucson, Arizona.  The novel was written in the 1980s, but its events could also occur today. SETTING

4.  Taylor Greer (originally Marietta Greer)  A spunky girl in her early 20s, leaves her hick town in Pittman County, Kentucky, for the adventure of a lifetime.  Smart, sassy, and full of life, she adopts an orphaned Indian girl  finds refuge in a vegetable garden behind a used tire shop and becomes best friends with a recent divorcée named Lou Ann.  Turtle  Taylor’s nickname for the little girl she finds at a bar in Oklahoma  Her name comes from a type of mud turtle that clings to rocks.  Physically and sexually abused as a baby, is  Very afraid, silent, and detached.  Slowly opens up to Taylor and inspires everyone around her to forgive, trust, and love MAIN CHARACTERS

5.  Lou Ann Ruiz  starts searching for a roommate when her husband walks out  Very similar to Taylor  Has many fears; is extremely protective of her son  becomes Taylor’s mentor and friend  Mattie  Owns the mechanic shop near Lou Ann’s home called Jesus Is Lord Used Tires.  Also a safe-house for Native American/Hispanic refugees  a model of strength and wisdom in Taylor’s life.  Introduces Taylor to her garden of “bean trees” and the hope they represent  Estevan and Esperanza  Young Guatemalan couple  Their daughter was kidnapped by a corrupt government terrorist association.  Taylor falls in love with Estevan  She also learns from his gentle wife Esperanza what it is to lose a loved one, and how one must forgive to live again MORE CHARACTERS

6.  Taylor Greer leaves home  She doesn’t really know where she is going, or why she is going at all, but she goes with determination and spirit.  She is also given a small child, Turtle, by a strange Native American woman sitting in a bar. Taylor discovers the toddler had been abused and takes her with her to Tuscon, Arizona.  There she meets Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray, Estevan and Esperanza, Mattie, and many other characters.  Helps Lou Ann get over her ex-husband  She also helps Estevan and Esperanza, two fugitives from Guatemala, find a home on a Native American reservation.  Legally adopts Turtle as her own daughter PLOT

7.  Growing up and Friendship  Taylor is barely twenty years old; just finished high school and a job at the local hospital  The biggest worry up until that point in Taylor’s life was avoiding pregnancy  Just wants to “get away”  First time away from home; forced to learn the responsibilities of motherhood  surrounded by strong women who all mentor her and encourage her.  remains close to her mother Alice; they have a warm and supportive relationship CENTRAL THEME

8.  Page 3  But I stayed in school. I was not the smartest or even particularly outstanding but I was there and staying out of trouble and I intended to finish. This is not to say that I was unfamiliar with the back seat of a Chevrolet. I knew the scenery of Greenup Road, which we called Steam-It-Up Road, and I knew what a pecker looked like, and none of these sights had so far inspired me to get hogtied to a future as a tobacco farmer’s wife. Mama always said barefoot and pregnant was not my style. She knew. SELECTION

9.  Well-written and Inspirational  Readers of all ages  Easy to read  Clear narration and symbolism  Very genuine, relatable characters RECOMMENDATION