Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?: My Confused, Guilt-Ridden, and Stressful Struggle to Raise a Green Family

Novelist and columnist Harding (The Secret Desires of a Soccer Mom) faces chagrin, one-upsmanship and the potential of a nervous breakdown as she strives to save the planet for her children-who, understandably, don't always appreciate her efforts. Resettling in Canada after an ill-fated move to Australia, Harding and family land in the trendiest, most environmentally correct part of Vancouver, B.C., where keeping up with the Joneses becomes, literally, keeping up with the Greens-Valerie Green, that is, who even shops for furniture with a bike and trailer. Harding recounts her search for sustainable mercury-free seafood, milk from genuinely happy cows, and chicken legs that once roamed free; as green birthday parties for her kids lead to green Christmas for the extended family (and increased household legume consumption gives way to increased methane emissions), Harding finds herself at odds with everyone she loves, including her own mother. Harding's sense of humor and keenly observed account of social mores in the new ecology will keep modern parents, especially those with opinions on the green movement, tickled throughout.