kegila's review

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3.75


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soggycedar's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.5


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thalia16's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.0


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buttermellow's review

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emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0


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sellnow_hannah's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

The best way I can describe this book is that it’s a book about diversity in many forms - species, gender, race, experiences, etc. 
Professor Dungy is a poet so her prose is lyrical and calming. She uses many metaphors to connect human experiences with the natural world. One such metaphor that I won’t soon forget is
that of the pronghorn who evolved to be incredibly fast, but no longer has predators that require such speed. She discusses this as the “ghosts of predators past” and this is used as a metaphor for the Black experience.

However, the writing style often feels meandering and stream of consciousness, which I struggled with at times. 

During our book club discussion, I realized how truly wide ranging the appeal of this book is. I personally connected most with the ideas of humans being a part of nature and needing to be better stewards of Mother Earth as well as the history of Fort Collins and the shared memories of living in Northern Colorado during 2020 wildfire season. Others in the group connected more with the stories of motherhood, racial segregation, gardening, pandemic experiences, or the poems. 

Overall, this book is about so much more than gardening. 

Read for League of Women Voters Larimer County’s Informed Citizens Book club 

(I don’t rate memoirs below a 4 star because I think it takes a lot of courage to be this vulnerable and share your life story. So for me 4-4.25 is good, 4.5-4.75 is great, 5.0 is fantastic.)

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ka_schulze's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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latashman's review

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I am having an issue getting 'into" this book. I love the historical references that I, as a white woman, was unaware of. I enjoyed the glimpses into Camille's life. I think her husband is an ass (based on the way he is portrayed during COVID).

I think it is the pacing of each essay/section that turned me away. It feels slow and holds a lot of literary references that I don't understand which slows me down even more. I might try this as an audiobook especially if the author is the narrator. I loved her poems interspersed in the text. 

I basically dreaded picking it up every time I sat down to read and felt like I was forcing myself. Life is too short to force myself to read a book that I am not enjoying. 

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fkshg8465's review

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

Beautiful book full of beautiful words, images, and outlooks, even among all the pain written throughout it.

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micklesreads's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is heavy at times, but it's also hopeful without feeling saccharine. I loved the author's reading, but but I think I might buy a copy because I learned through the acknowledgements that there were photographs and artwork throughout. I think this book will be a gift for some friends.

TW: police violence 

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beholderess's review

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informative medium-paced

4.0


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