Author: Paul Fleischman
Website: http://www.paulfleischman.net/works.htm
Summary: A 1997 children's book about the impromptu creation of a community garden in an inner-city Cleveland. As it comes alive, it breathes new life into an erstwhile sterile neighborhood. This book is not told from the perspective of a single character, but in a series of vignettes written from a first-person perspective of a very diverse group of characters. Some of the characters are young, some are old; some are new to America, some were born there. They all have their own reasons for coming to the garden and the significance it takes on for each of them is very different. They represent a variety of colors and cultures but come together to form a real community.
My Take: A good book for young and older adults, showing how tough it can be to become a real community but also showing that people really want it, just aren't always sure how to get it.
It points out that even in the myriad of differences of people, we all want the same thing: to be known and acknowledged. It really can only take something as simple as a community garden to accomplish this feat.
No comments:
Post a Comment