Book #22: Atomic Farmgirl

The book: Atomic Farmgirl by Teri Hein

What is this book about: This book is a memoir of growing up on a farm in Eastern Washington, and how the area was potentially poisoned by the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Why did I read this book: Teri Hein is the executive director of 826 Seattle, a great organization that I would volunteer for if they ever called me back. I mean, seriously, every time they e-mail to say they are updating their volunteer list, I write them back. Then they never call. But I digress. I can forgive them, because it’s such a good organization.

Also, I’m reading all my Washington state books right now, and I knew a little about this topic from work.

What did I think of this book: Well, I wanted to really like this book, but it was really hard. The Hanford stuff seemed kind of tacked on to the beginning and the end, or it was sporadically in a chapter or two and then it would disappear. It’s really a memoir about growing up on a farm, which is all well and good, but I was expecting more of the controversy/background regarding Hanford. Also, she seemed to jump all over the place, making it kind of hard just to keep track of who the people were, which made it slightly harder to be upset when they died. She kind of kept repeating herself…I think this book could have been great with a good editor (just peeked at the Amazon reviews for an earlier version of the book and people seem to agree). But for evoking a sense of place and time, this book did it better at times than The Good Rain (last book I read).

What was my favorite part of this book: One of the chapters deals with a neighborhood boy who grew up to become a good farmer in his own right. He had a special friendship with Teri Hein’s father, and seemed like a good, funny guy. Then he died. It was a heartbreaking but beautiful chapter, and fulfilled the promise of what I thought the book was going to be about.

What did I learn from this book: What it’s like to grow up on a farm, and how glad I am that I didn’t grow up on a farm.

What grade do I give this book: C