Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Book Review: Seedfolks



Time began in a garden. So too did community, according to the beautiful novella, Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman.

Seedfolks documents the journey of an inner city empty lot, clogged with old refrigerators, bed springs and beer bottles, from trash pit to community garden. Various members of the community garden - all from different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities - tell how they came to be involved in the garden and what it meant to them. Some find new life in the garden, new purpose. A pregnant teen mother uses it to come to terms with her child while a young man leverages the garden to court an old flame. Some find business opportunities and others sanity.

A short book, Seedfolks is just what the doctor ordered. And just what my blogging cohort promised me it would be. The global crises we face - climate change, mass extinction, an ocean of plastic - are often overwhelming and even paralyzing. The answer, for me, is to instead focus on what I can affect. To build local connections, to make changes that empower one's self and one's community, and to build hope. Seedfolks offers all those three things in abundance.

The book is appropriate for older children but I think adults would treasure it just as much. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and urge you to check out a copy from your local library and then get growing - a garden, a community, a home, anything.

7 comments:

audrey neal said...

I spotted this quite by accident about 4 years ago in our middle school library. My office was located in the back of the library, so I spent a lot of time passing through there. I noticed it on the shelf one day, and had just heard something about it on NPR a few days before, so I snatched it up and promptly fell in love with the story. It remains one of my favorites.

hmd said...

Sounds like a nice, uplifting read. I'll check it out!

Donna said...

OK, I'm game! I'll have to check and see if our library has it.

Kale for Sale said...

Thanks, g.b. This sounds wonderful.

Green Bean said...

Yay! Hope you all enjoy it. Let me know what you think. :)

Anonymous said...

I loved this book and have picked up a few copies at thrift stores to give away to gardening friends.

Hannah said...

I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as we did!