The West Valley Book Club's February selection is The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. Originally published in 1988, this was Kingsolver's debut novel, and she has since received numerous literary awards and acclaim, most notably for her subsequent fiction and non-fiction works such as The Poisonwood Bible and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

"Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places." (Amazon.com)

The West Valley Book Club meets on Wednesday, February 8 at 6:30pm. Join us for spirited literary discussion and to help choose next month's selection.