Barbara Kingsolver calls This Organic Life "The most important book I've read in a while."

Set in the suburbs of New York City, This Organic Life follows Joan and her husband Alan, as they abandon the large victorian home where they raised their family and much of their food, to move onto a small suburban lot along the Hudson river. Their new home comes complete with an aging and decrepit Oddfellows hall that they hope to renovate, a feisty neighbor, and a whole new set of gardening challenges, from floods to varmints. Although the book is centered on Gussow's commitment to producing all of her own fruits and vegetables, woven through this entertaining, witty and sometimes sorrowful account of her suburban homesteading adventure, is a powerful case for locally based, ecologically sane, sustainable food systems. This Organic Life will inspire you to get out in the garden and think deeply about the world. Joan Dye Gussow weaves a tale that is both memoir and manifesto, then seasons it with gardening wisdom, and her favorite recipes. 273 pages.