Farm City (English)

Novella Carpenter reveals how she transformed a vacant lot near her home in Oakland, California, into a fully functioning farm, complete with livestock and a thriving swarm of honeybees. Carpenter, who grew up on a ranch in Idaho, started with a modest vegetable garden, but soon began using the space to raise ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, rabbits, and pigs. Of course, we all know what happens to cute, fuzzy creatures down on the farm, and Novella's riotous tale is punctuated by grimacing incidents of carnage, as she beheads one of her ducks, takes a shovel to a pesky opossum, and watches in horror as one of her pigs is inhumanely slaughtered. While her unusual hobby led to memorable encounters with hungry stray dogs and angry neighbors complaining of the stench, as of 2009, Novella's remarkable urban farm is still thriving after 10 years, and her compelling and irreverent memoir is sure to enjoy equal success. minimize