The Bean Trees-A Story of Family and Hope by Tegan

The Bean Trees-A Story of Family and Hope by Tegan - October 2020 Scholarship Essay

The best book I have read in all of 2020 would be the Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I originally had to read this book for my AP Literature class as an at-home reading. I had never heard of the book, and I am usually weary with what teachers give to me to read as it can sometimes be boring. However, when I started reading this book, I fell in love with the plot and the characters.
The main character, Taylor, was heavily relatable to girls who function better on their own and have worked hard to get where they are. The characters came to life throughout the books, and they weren't like fantasy characters either. These felt like real people with real problems that had real emotions. I was actually quite sad when I had finished the book because it was an adventure from start to end. Although all of the chapters weren't the most action-filled, it provided a great background and foreshadow of what may happen. It also had a great underlying message in that family is anyone who loves you no matter what and is willing to be with you through the hard times.
I chose this book out of all the books I had read because it was the one I was most surprised with and most interested in reading. As I said, I had never even heard of it, but it was such a great read anyway. The details were spot on, the people were almost real-life, and the ability to understand the points of view in the book was amazing. I think it is such a great book to read about that introduces topics such as refugees, adoption, moving cross country, and other topics.
Overall, I thought the Bean Trees was a fantastic read if someone likes to read about families and have a happy ending. It evoked such emotion and thought as I read it, and I think everyone should read it, too.