Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening, by Carol Wall. This book.
I had picked up this title from the library some seven years ago. At the time all I wanted to read was how to farm, farming books, farming memoirs, homesteading how to, and homesteading memoirs (I do tend to get obsessed.), and I wasn’t interested in this book after reading the first chapter. It wasn’t about farming food at all, but rather stories on individuals and real life with beautiful gardens in symbiotic tale. I took it back to the library after the first chapter.
The book called me again from the library shelf and this time I was ready. And what a lovely book it is. Mrs. Wall’s prose and honesty captured me, and her stories of confusion, pain, triumph, and the beauty and real life of real people inspired me and made me a better person. That is a pretty high honor for a book to be able to change people’s lives. As her neglected yard slowly changes into a lovely respite and beautiful garden, so does her own experience. I love this book.
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