Librarians from the Camden-Jackson Township Public Library, Delphi Public Library, and the Flora-Monroe Township Public Library worked together in recent months reviewing and discussing books to consider for the third annual Carroll County on the Same Page program.

Similar to "One Book, One Community" efforts across the nation, Carroll County on the Same Page is designed to encourage the entire county to read the same book, share ideas, and promote discussion in order to build a better community.

"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver is the 2008 CCSP selection. Kingsolver has recorded the story of her family's decision to live a rural life and buy food raised in their neighborhood, grow or raise it themselves, or learn to live without it.

Their experiment required physical labor, sacrificing favorite foods and finding new favorites, and cooking entirely from scratch. Kingsolver focuses on connection to the land, to neighbors, and the challenges of the changing seasons in the down-to-earth, homespun style that has made her an award-winning author.

Her husband, Steven L. Hopp, who teaches environmental studies at Emory & Henry College, provides informative sidebars on agri-business, CAFOs, pesticides, and the politics of food production.

Her daughter, Camille Kingsolver, a student at Duke University, participates fully in the family's experiment, lives it while away from home, and gives a teenager's perspective as she continues her studies.

One reviewer calls it a "hybrid book… part memoir, part call to action, part education, part recipe collection." Another critic says it is "charming, zestful, funny, and poetic. The authors add three powerful voices to the swelling chorus of concern about the food we grow, buy, and eat."

Beginning June 2, copies of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" will be available at all three libraries to any Carroll County resident, including those who do not live in a library district.

The librarians encourage everyone to read the book, attend programs being planned to complement portions of the story, and participate in a book discussion(s) to be held during the summer at each of the libraries. Help get all of Carroll County on the Same Page!