When Taylor stops for food in Oklahoma, a Cherokee woman insists that she take the toddler she has with her. She chooses Taylor based on a town she drives through. She decides that getting a fresh start also means changing her name. She saves her money, buys a car, and then heads into the unknown. She, however, wants to take a different path.

Most of the girls in Marietta (Missy) Greer’s rural Kentucky town want nothing more than to marry and have children. And if the retail value of your order is at least $2,500, you'll save 35% on all your paperbacks.

If the retail value of your order is at least $500, you'll save 30%. You'll always save at least 25% on any paperback you order. Take a road trip with us to find out more about Taylor’s story below. For example, students could use a chart, word map, or storyboard to trace various symbolic iterations of birds in relation to Taylor’s growth. Lastly, Kingsolver’s liberal use of literary devices, such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and allusion, allows for many different kinds of activities. In doing so, they will have a timeline of both her literal and figurative journey. They could accompany each plot point with a journal entry from Taylor’s perspective. Students will be able to visualize Taylor’s travels by plotting significant locations on a map. Students will enjoy her wit, and they’ll relate to her quest to find her identity. The main character, Taylor, is a young adult who faces some weighty challenges as she travels across the country on a journey of self-discovery. This novel presents a coming-of-age story, perfect as an introduction to the genre or for comparison with similar works. You could follow that with a class discussion or project that draws comparisons to today’s society. A lesson on the Cherokee Trail of Tears and the Sanctuary Movement during the Guatemalan Civil War will give students important background information to better understand the social injustice issues addressed in the novel. The story also includes themes about human rights, colonialism, nature, and community, among others. Women are the primary focus in the novel: their roles, children, family, friendships, support, and struggles. Considered an early feminist novel, The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, addresses many societal issues that are still relevant today.

The bean trees