The Chicken Chronicles

Sitting with the Angels Who Have Returned with My Memories: Glorious, Rufus, Gertrude Stein, Splendor, Hortensia, Agnes of God, the Gladyses, & Babe: A Memoir

Alice Walker

Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist, activist, and spiritual guide Alice Walker offers an extraordinary account of a year in the life of her flock of backyard chickens—a story of personal discovery, affirmation, and the joys of relating to animals

“Who knew what would happen next? Who could guess? That I would fall headlong into a mystery. That I would find myself pulled into the parallel universe all the other animals exist in, simultaneous with us. In other words, before a couple of days had passed, watering and feeding the chickens, I had fallen in love with them.” —from The Chicken Chronicles

Here is a glorious, offbeat, compassionate, and “eccentrically inspirational” (Kirkus Reviews) memoir in which Alice Walker shares her experiences raising and caring for a flock of chickens. In pieces that are by turns moving, thoughtful, and utterly captivating, Walker addresses her “girls” directly, sometimes from the intimate proximity of her yard, other times at a great distance, during her travels to Bali and Dharamsala as an activist for peace and justice. On the way, she invites readers along on a surprising journey of inspiration, strength, and spiritual discovery.

Uplifting, heartbreaking, and memorable, The Chicken Chronicles lets us see a new and deeply personal side of one of the most inspiring writers of our time. It is also a powerful touchstone for anyone seeking a deeper connection with the natural world.

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Praise

“[These] poignant and wonderfully eccentric short essays . . . illuminate some of life’s weightiest lessons. Who knew all of this could be found in a backyard henhouse?”