High Tide in Tucson

Kingsolver grew up in a household of hand-me-downs and practical clothing. Receiving most of her clothes from her slightly older cousin, she was always several years behind the high school fashion trends. One Christmas around eighth grade, she desperately hoped for white go-go boots, which she believed would finally make her cool. Instead, her mom bought her a pair of practical white rubber boots. She writes, “My mother loved me, but had missed the point” (55).

As she grew older, Kingsolver learned to sew and attempted to make her own trendy clothes, but quickly realized that the time spent on making things was not worth it, given the short window in which they were cool. In college, she developed an offbeat fashion sense, wearing a long Army jacket and a pith helmet. Finally, upon moving to Arizona, she found that wearing what made her most comfortable was the best way to be stylish. She adopted a uniform of flannel shirts, cowboy boots, and flowing summer dresses. Similarly, one of her friends wears leather moccasins every day in the Tasmanian jungle because that is what makes her comfortable. She puts plastic covers over them to keep out the rain.

Kingsolver’s young daughter does not have the same need to feel fashionable that Kingsolver had as a child.