Breaking Through Concrete

February 1, 2012

This is urban American agriculture as road trip. Brothers David (a freelance journalist) and Michael (a freelance photographer) Hanson, together with Marty, founder of the nonprofit Jones Valley Farm in downtown Birmingham, AL, traveled cross-country to 12 urban gardens, starting in Seattle and ending in Illinois. Featured projects include a Santa Cruz garden tended by the homeless, a New Orleans congregational garden run by Vietnamese immigrants, and a Detroit teaching farm for teenage mothers. Short essays describe each site as do many enticing photographs; chapters end with how-to guides. Fundamentally, these gardens are about rebuilding the local link between food production and consumption. All are bound up with social action, be it improving lives, teaching about healthy food, or revitalizing brownfields, but a few are moving beyond philanthropy into profit-generating enterprises. VERDICT Gardeners and foodies may be inspired by this book to hit the road themselves and visit some of the urban oases described. Even better, some may stay home, follow the book's good advice, and cultivate their own food garden.--R. Eagan, Windsor P.L., Ont.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.