Local author weaves tale of community garden for all ages
Dori Stone, a volunteer with Central Coast Bioneers last year, has published her first novel, Growing Home. The book is a wonderful tale of a young girl, Talia, her emotionally unstable mother, and their search for a permanent home. In the fictional California town of El Chorro, Talia stumbles onto a community garden, where she meets a collection of warm and caring people who take her and her mother under their wings. When the garden is threatened with a proposed development, Talia jumps into action to try to save it. The story is ageless. I loved it, my 87-year-old mother enjoyed it, and I know Talia’s story would appeal to young adults as well.
Dori was inspired to write the book by the struggle to save South Central Farm in Los Angeles, the largest community garden in the U.S. “I was deeply impacted by the struggle to save South Central Farm in 2006,” says Dori, “and I decided to write a story that would help restore my own sense of hope.” Dori’s goal was to write a story for young people that had no “good guys” and “bad guys” but instead tried to emphasize with all of the characters and understand their motivations. “I wrote this book in hope that it would contribute to a more peaceful world, in which people find solutions that work for everyone,” says Dori. Dori was named the 2013 Author of the Year for Common Ground Worldwide, a nonprofit devoted to humanitarian outreach and education about global religions and cultures.
Proceeds from the sales of Growing Home will support the founding of Loving Life Farm, a community garden and center for nonviolent communication, which will be based on property in the Santa Lucia Mountains near Lake Nacimiento. The book can be purchased at Volumes of Pleasure in Los Osos or online at Growing Home where you can also get more information about Loving Life Farm and local upcoming books signings.
