| Vendor | |
|---|---|
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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher |
| Original language | |
| English | |
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| Weblink | |
| http://www.carolwall.com/ | |
MISTER OWITA'S GUIDE TO GARDENING
MISTER OWITA’S GUIDE TO GARDENING, a debut memoir from Carol Wall, is the inspiring true story of an unlikely friendship between a teacher living in the heart of Middle America and the intriguing African man who arrives one day to tend her yard.
Carol Wall was a white woman living in a lily-white neighborhood in a small Virginia town still bearing vestiges of segregation. She was at a crossroads in her life. Her children were grown and flown from the nest. She had already successfully survived a bout with cancer that upended her idyllic existence and forced her to question her own assumptions about what truly gives life meaning. Her beloved parents were getting older, and the heavy burden of caring for their future resided on her shoulders. Her property was showing obvious signs of neglect, but the last thing in the world she thought she would start doing is taking up something as frivolous as gardening. Yet one day, while driving by her neighbor’s house, she notices a dark skinned man tending the yard. And as if drawn by an inexplicable force, she finds herself calling her neighbor to gather more information about the stranger. His name is Giles Owita. He came from Kenya and is good at gardening.
Soon Giles is showing up at Carol’s doorstep and transforming not only her yard, but her life. While at first Carol is patronizing—she learns that Giles’ day job is bagging groceries at the supermarket, after all—and she attributes his skill to the fact that he’s from Kenya and “they’re more in touch with the earth.” Nevertheless, a caring friendship grows between these two seemingly dissimilar people. Carol will soon realize that Giles is not who she thought he was. Not only does he hold a Ph.D. in horticulture, but he also holds a secret that will create a bond between the two of them that very few share.
MISTER OWITA’S GUIDE TO GARDENING is an account of the remarkable friendship that sustains Carol during another battle with cancer and the loss of both her parents. It is the memoir of a woman who at mid-life finds there is so much more to learn about herself and others. But it is also, perhaps more importantly, an ode to Giles Owita himself, an intelligent and complex man coping privately and gracefully with his own challenges.
Carol Wall is a writer whose essays and articles have appeared over many years in Southern Living Magazine and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Soon Giles is showing up at Carol’s doorstep and transforming not only her yard, but her life. While at first Carol is patronizing—she learns that Giles’ day job is bagging groceries at the supermarket, after all—and she attributes his skill to the fact that he’s from Kenya and “they’re more in touch with the earth.” Nevertheless, a caring friendship grows between these two seemingly dissimilar people. Carol will soon realize that Giles is not who she thought he was. Not only does he hold a Ph.D. in horticulture, but he also holds a secret that will create a bond between the two of them that very few share.
MISTER OWITA’S GUIDE TO GARDENING is an account of the remarkable friendship that sustains Carol during another battle with cancer and the loss of both her parents. It is the memoir of a woman who at mid-life finds there is so much more to learn about herself and others. But it is also, perhaps more importantly, an ode to Giles Owita himself, an intelligent and complex man coping privately and gracefully with his own challenges.
Carol Wall is a writer whose essays and articles have appeared over many years in Southern Living Magazine and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Published 2014-03-01 by Amy Einhorn Books |
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Published 2014-03-01 by Amy Einhorn Books |