I started it that night and gobbled it up as night-reading over the next few weeks.Novella, the author, builds herself a little garden/farm in downtown Oakland, in an abandoned lot next door. She shares stories of her chicken, turkey, rabbit, and pig-raising, with drama and whimsy. The white-girl-making-it-in-the-ghetto narrative to be a touch annoying at first, but as she settles in, the outsider descriptions lessen and stories seem almost unfiltered. For me, a complete joy to read. I'd love to quit my job, grow things full-time, and fight the aphids that nested in my Brussels sprout plant instead of cutting off the leaves and banishing the pot to the downstairs mini-deck. And I still want chickens. I just need a backyard. Lastly, I realized I'm fairly comfortable with meat-eaters who raise, kill, and prepare animals for food. I get it. Not a temptation to my commitment to vegetarianism, but I get it. I'd also recommend the book.
