Farm City
If you care about what you eat and where it comes from, read this book. It is honest, heartfelt and shocking at times as Novella Carpenter opens herself and her experience as an urban farmer in the rawest of forms. It can be uncomfortable, but always the reader feels like they are having an intimate conversation with Novella about her experiences; which I found to be irresistible.
I first saw Farm City the week it came out as a staff pick at Powell’s bookstore in Portland. I read a little and thought it looked intriguing. Not sure why I didn’t buy it there, but I bought it a week later and once I started reading, couldn’t put it down; it was done in one sitting.
Novella lives in the ghetto in Oakland with crack ho’s and drug dealers. She is a squatter on the lot next to her apartment, and raises livestock in her backyard… bees, chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, pigs, and goats.
Each chapter is a dialog about what’s going on with the garden, animals, and often most interesting, her psyche. The book was written a couple of years ago and now I am addicted to her blog which is updated regularly. Novella is an incredible voice and resource for raising livestock in an urban environment as well as putting the moral dilemmas that she is faced with on a daily basis out there for us to think about.
I’ve been sucked in, and what she writes about inspires me to think about what I grow, what I eat, where it comes from, and yes, I’ve even considered raising farm animals myself… if only I had the space or lot to squat on…. or maybe the community garden would be open to bee hives and chickens…. 
As ironic as it sounds, some of the most beautiful parts of the book and blog is the spiritual component of how the animal is honored before its life is taken. There is a tremendous amount of respect for each animal, from the humane way it is raised, the quality of food it is fed, how it is nurtured and loved as it grows, and finally, the way it meets the maker. Every animal is honored and all parts of it are put to good use.
Shortly after reading the book I had the opportunity to meet Novella. She was exactly as expected which made her even more authentic. This woman is a true urban farmer and a pioneer of once conventional but now unusual practices. Cheers to her and the thoughts and conversations that her metheods provoke in us.
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