“Seedfolks” is a short novella, coming in at only sixty-nine pages. Amazing how just sixty-nine pages can pack such a punch.
Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different person who lives near or along the edges of an old vacant lot, where garbage is piled high and vagrants come to spend the night. A run-down piece of ground in a run-down neighborhood, it becomes the site of a minor miracle.
We begin with Kim, a young Vietnamese girl who came to America not long ago. Her father died some years ago, and it’s the anniversary of his death. His picture hangs over a small altar in the home, and the family burns incense to show they still remember him, but Kim wants to do something more. He was a gardener, so she takes six lima bean seeds outside to the nearby vacant lot and buries them. There’s no source of water, so she has to lug it out there in a bottle. She’s sure that wherever her father is, he sees her caring for the seeds and knows that she remembers him.
Then we meet Ana, who loves to look out her window. She sees Kim out digging in the dirt, and is just sure that she’s burying drugs or stolen jewelry or something equally as sinister. After Kim leaves, she goes outside and feels around in the dirt, to find the seeds. Feeling ashamed of herself, she covers them back up and goes inside. She sees Kim come every day to water the plants, but then she doesn’t come for a day or two. Knowing the new seedlings need water, she goes outside herself to make sure they get what they need.
Next comes Wendall. He’s Ana’s neighbor and looks after her sometimes. He gets a call from her one day – she’s hurt her leg and needs his help. He goes over there to find that his task is to go outside and water some seeds. Ana can’t do it herself, and she just can’t let them die.
Little by little, more people from around the neighborhood get involved. Many bring seeds of their own and start gardens. One lady calls the city and insists that they come haul away all the garbage in the lot. Soon the ground is filled with vegetables of all kinds, and as the harvest comes in, these people who wouldn’t give each other the time of day before are now best friends. Hearts are touched and lives changed as they have worked together to create something of beauty in the middle of an inner city zoo.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It’s targeted for a young adult audience, but adult readers will find much to appreciate in it too.
(This book was published in 1997 by Harper Trophy.)
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