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Next Read: Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening

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I'm excited to be starting our book group with such a wonderful book.  Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart by Carol Wall. 

Don't let the title fool you! Gardening is not a requirement for enjoying this book!

This book is about an unlikely friendship between Carol Wall and Giles Owita. Carol compares her neglected unruly garden with her life. She believes her neighbours gardener might be what her yard needs to be renewed and to flourish. 

Enter Mr. Owita, a recent immigrant from Kenya. He is a gardener, works at a local nursery as well as the supermarket bagging groceries. 

Like many of her generation, Carol makes assumptions about Mr. Owita's education and experience and proceeds to instruct him on plants and pruning.

Carol then discovers there is more to Mr. Owita than she first thought. So, begins a friendship of sharing that uncovers similar aspects of their lives. Mr. Owita transforms not only Carol's yard, but her life. 

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening is a lesson for us all in appreciating our differences, recognizing what we have in common and how assumptions get in the way of kindness. 

Join the New Perspectives Up North Facebook group for more frequent updates and online discussion. And mark your calendars for our first meeting, March 25th.  

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