Community Garden Dreams

Leona is a woman who sees several characters on the land trying to plant crops; seeing this,

she decides to get involved by helping to remove the trash. Leona forces the mayor's office to

take action. The next day, workers arrive, and the area is cleaned up.

Sam organizes water collection and proposes a system for storing rainwater. In this chapter,

we see the world through the eyes of Sam, a seventy-eight-year-old man passionate about

community and gardening. Sam observes a group of men clearing a vacant lot, which sparks his

interest in transforming it into a garden—a “paradise,” a place where people can come together.

He connects with the people around him, bridging cultural differences by initiating