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Plot 29 is on a London allotment site where people come together to grow. It's just that sometimes what Allan Jenkins grows there, along with marigolds and sorrel, is solace. When I am disturbed, even angry, gardening has been a therapy. When I don't want to talk I turn to plot 29, or to a wilder piece of land by a northern sea. There, among seeds and trees, my breathing slows; my heart rate too. My anxieties slip away. I nurture small plants from seeds, like when I was small and needed someone to care for me. I offer protection from danger, as I tried to for my brother. It's not all about healing, though it's there in abundance, like summer beans. Sometimes it's just the joy of growing food and flowers and sharing with people you love. A personal narrative blended with beautiful descriptions of gardening and the pleasures of losing yourself in the horticultural, Plot 29 weaves together memoir and memory, from the author's childhood to the present day.… (more)
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Mr. Jenkins juxtaposes the chaos and pain of his childhood, in
The benefits of gardening as a formal and structured adjunct therapy for various mental health conditions are well studied but perhaps are not well known to the general public. You might want to take a look at the literature. But the joy and peace that gardening brings has been documented since the mediaeval monks and so we should be pleased but not surprised that Mr. Jenkins' ties to the land throughout his adult life have brought him much pleasure and companionship.
I received a review copy of "Plot 29: A Love Affair With Land" by Allan Jenkins (HarperCollins UK, 4th Estate) through NetGalley.com.
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635.09421 |