Reading......The Egg and I

About a month ago, I went to the library and checked out Scott and Helen Nearing's Living the Good Life, which chronicles their experience creating a self-sufficient life for themselves in rural Vermont. Self-sufficiency and simple living have been at the forefront of our consciousness lately, as we try to whittle down our dependency on a consumer driven economy (baby steps at a time), and, of course, the Nearings are at the helm of this movement. So, I read the book, and I found it encouraging and informative from both a practical and philosophical perspective. However, I can't honestly say that I heartily enjoyed reading it. It was a bit dry, and I couldn't help but feel that the overall tone was a bit pompous and self-inflating.

However, a few books down on the same shelf, I came across The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald. I picked it up, read the inside jacket cover, and knew immediately that this was a book I would like. I vaguely recalled hearing the title before, and remembered that Mark and I had watched a collection of Ma and Pa Kettle movies over the winter, and The Egg and I was the first film.

Well, I just finished reading the book, and what a riot! On more than one occasion, I've found myself laughing out loud at the writer's razor sharp wit and hilarious storytelling. Like the Nearings, Betty also found herself living a life of virtual self-sufficiency as a chicken rancher in Washington State. However, her reason for living this life was hardly as high minded or principled as the Nearings. Basically, living in the country and owning a chicken ranch was her husband's dream, and as her mother had instructed her it was a woman's supreme duty to follow and encourage her husband's dream, Betty finds herself living this "dream" too. Her memoir exposes both the good and the bad one will encounter in living a life "in a little place in the country, away from it all." And while the hardships and frustrations of such isolated living are not glossed over or idealized, the author's sense of humor smoothes over these rough edges, so the tone is never bitter.

Honestly, I don't remember the film being nearly as funny. Or perhaps I should say, I don't remember the character of Betty being as central to the story. The Kettles are only secondary characters in the book, but their role takes on much greater prominence in the film (and rightly so from a marketing perspective, as the Ma and Pa Kettle series this original film spawned would go on to be a huge commercial success). I think I'd like to watch the film again now, having read the book and knowing a bit more about the back story.

It's always exciting to find a "new" favorite author, and I've already added Betty MacDonald's other books to my ever growing book list. I'm especially excited about her children's book series, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, that I think Kate will enjoy too.