Grace from the Garden - An Inspirational Garden Book.

**A*@aol.com**

Friends,

Some of you may remember when author Debra Landwehr Engle visited the ACGA 
listserve, about two years ago, to find community gardeners to interview for a 
book that she was writing for the Rodale Press. 

The project grew into  this really cute, hardcover book, with a pair of dirt 
covered gardener's hand holding a very large apple on the cover (I'd love like 
to find the variety: either the hands are those of a kid, or it's a Gala 
apple on steroids!)  Because this book is a tiny thing, (h 7  1/4"  x  w5  1/8", 
240 pgs) it fits well in a garden bag or the hand of a skeptical decisionmaker 
who doesn't understand how one can save the world, one garden at a time.  

The book is a remarkable tribute to gardeners who make a difference 
throughout the country feeding folks, teaching kids, creating community through 
community gardens, helping people heal from disease , child abuse and the ravages of 
war... and a couple of forgettable pages about a wiseguy in NYC - no author is 
perfect .) 

Here's the publisher's blurb. 

Now I won't sell anything on this listserve, except ACGA membership,  but the 
price (which is a hair under $20 in the US, $30 in Canada, cheaper if you use 
one of those on-line sources) wouldn't break your local public library's 
budget, if you know what I mean. 

Best wishes,
Adam Honigman

"Grace From The Garden 
Changing the World
One Garden At A Time 
by Debra Landwehr Engle 

In these pages, we travel the country with Debra Landwehr Engle as she visits 
20 gardens and gardeners from California to Maine and Minnesota to Arkansas, 
showing us that grassroots campaigns actually can and do involve roots — and 
seeds and garden trowels. That any person with a steadfast resolve and an open 
patch of dirt can help bridge the gap between multinational refugees. That 
lush vegetation and running water and cool stones can help spark the fading 
memories of our elderly. And that our children can learn about where food comes 
from, labyrinths, wetlands systems, and healing from grief and loss just by 
digging in the earth with a caring adult hand to guide them. 
As the stories in this remarkable collection demonstrate, the simplest act of 
gardening can produce significant changes in the lives of people we might 
never even meet. Consider the man who sends seedlings and greenhouses halfway 
around the world to feed hospital patients, or the immigrant woman who began 
selling her own flowers as a way to raise money for overseas charities, or the 
couple who offers their land as a midday retreat for the residents of nearby 
nursing homes. These acts and others are not heroic — or even unusual — as Ms. 
Engle tells us. We see ourselves in these uplifting tales from the garden, as 
they inspire us to transform our own little parts of the world into places of 
greater peace, repose, play and healing. For gardeners, community activists, and 
those who understand the spiritual value of putting spade in the soil, these 
notes capture the promise renewed each time we plant a seed and give us fresh 
ideas for changing the world, one garden at a time."

Debra Engle's stories and essays have appeared in Country Home, Country 
Gardens, and Better Homes and Gardens magazines, as well as other regional and 
national publications. She live in Madison County, Iowa, with her husband, Bob and 
dog, Wolf.  

______________________________________________________
The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

To post an e-mail to the list:  community_garden@mallorn.com

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription:  https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden