Grow: Stories from the Urban Food Movement

by Stephen Grace

What do a rapper, a returned soldier, a reformed gangster, a grandmother, a petroleum geologist, a bestselling author, and a microchip engineer have in common? They are all wresting control of food from an industrial system responsible for a plague of poor personal and planetary health. In his landmark work, Stories from the Urban Food Movement , Stephen Grace embarks on a journey of discovery to understand what motivates these urbanites working to reinvent the way we feed ourselves. From the driver of a repurposed garbage truck healing the soil to a guerrilla gardener bombing the city with seeds, a cast of extraordinary characters emerges as Grace makes his way into the heart of a revolution. He discovers that food can be a means to tackle some of our most pressing problems, from youth crime to the healthcare crisis, from resource depletion to climate change. Instead of succumbing to despair over global challenges, the citizens of Denver profiled in Grow find the creativity and fortitude to begin rebuilding the food system in their own backyard. This shift in the Mile High City is a microcosm of a movement redefining our relationships with farming and food-and with each other. Grow is concerned with what we put on our plates, but its true subject is the stories we tell as we struggle to repair our severed connections to nature and our fellow citizens. In the tradition of great travel writing, Grow encounters worlds as diverse as permaculture and hip-hop with expansive curiosity and irresistible humor. Whether joining a crop mob or collecting compostable waste in an alley, whether foraging for cactus or seeking refuge in a café founded on compassion, Grace illuminates moments of growth as he explores the hardest parts of the city. "Grace gives us the stories of those on the ground and in the dirt and thereby gives us all hope and know-how. I absolutely loved this book. A must-read­-for everyone." - Laura Pritchett , author of Stars Go Blue "Grow is gorgeously written and a true pleasure to read. Grace is a lovely writer and here he puts his mastery to the highest purpose-changing the way we live so that we can take care of our planet." - Helen Thorpe , author of Just Like Us and Soldier Girls "Stephen Grace has written with passion, wisdom, and-yes-grace about the backstory of the food on our plates, and about the people in Denver who are working to bring that story closer to home..." - Nick Arvin , author of The Reconstructionist "Stephen Grace serves up generous helpings of nutrient-dense stories of farmers and farming in the gritty urban tangle of a sprawling metropolis, revealing a hidden revolution with the power to quietly heal lives and communities...." - Michael Brownlee , Publisher, Local Food Shift magazine "A highly engaged and engaging conversation, a compassionate conversation, with the foragers, restaurateurs, vintners, waste farmers and community gardeners who are building the soil of a restorative economy." - Woody Tasch , Founder and Chairman of Slow Money "Years from now, people will read this book by Stephen Grace and think, 'That's how we did it! That's how people in cities figured out how to feed themselves instead of relying on food trucked in from thousands of miles away!'" - Kristin Ohlson , author of The Soil Will Save Us

Genres: Gardening

238 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2015

About the author

Stephen Grace is the author of a novel and several nonfiction books. While caretaking a house where the poet T.S. Eliot lived, he studied novel writing with Stratis Haviaras, founding editor of Harvard Review. To publish a book about the historical cartography of Colorado, he worked with Library of Congress curators and with Vincent Virga, called "America's foremost picture editor." While researching a narrative nonfiction book about China, he sought out experiences as diverse as studying skyscrapers in Shanghai and trail running in Tibet. To write his most recent book, DAM NATION: HOW WATER SHAPED THE WEST AND WILL DETERMINE ITS FUTURE, he followed the flow of water across the topography of the West and charted currents throughout the region's history. He is currently at work on a book about the urban agriculture movement, which has led to him working on a trash truck in Denver and volunteering on an organic farm in Uganda.

Reviews

[Lanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about the local food scene in Denver. The people we are introduced to are entertaining characters in their own right, but are all working in some way to bring fresh food to the inner city. I found it an easy but though-proviking read. (In the interest of full-disclosure, was provided a free copy of the book by the publisher.)

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from netgalley.

I really loved reading this book. After I finished, I felt a lot better about the world, and the people working hard to make it a better place.

This is a very readable book of stories about some pretty incredible people. Every one of these people could probably make a lot of money in corporate America, but they became the innovators of urban farming. They are the ones picking up rotting food for compost, building greenhouses in food deserts, and changing the unhealthy diets of urban children.

During WWII, 25 % of the nation's fruit and vegetables came from family gardens, and we were healthier for it. Fast food is killing us. The answer to America's health problems is to bring back the urban gardens, and learn to feed ourselves.

This was a truly inspiring book.

[Polly Krize · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

These stories are a beacon to all of us struggling with the problems facing us in regard to food choices in this world. Food activists all, these are the heroes we should be listening to, not wasting our time with vapid so-called celebrities and reality television shows. I recommend this book to anyone that eats, and also to anyone with a conscience as to what we put into our bodies and where it comes from. Locavores unite!

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: a thoughtful, hopeful primer on a complex issue, complete with an excellent (and extensive) reference list for further reading.

My full review is online here: http://en.healthnexus.ca/news/book-re... (in English only for the time being; I may translate it into French eventually)