Good Soil

“A big-hearted meditation on belonging, compassion, and the transformative power of friendship . . . I needed this book. I think you need it, too.”—Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

In his late thirties, Jeff Chu leaves his job as a magazine writer and enrolls at Princeton Theological Seminary. There he takes a class at the “Farminary,” a twenty-one-acre working farm where students learn to cultivate the earth while examining life’s biggest questions. In this book, Chu unpacks what he learns about creating “good soil”—both literally and figuratively—drawing lessons from the rhythms of growth, decay, and regeneration that define life on the land, as well as through the chickens, goats, and zinnias that seasonally share that space.

In a series of reflections, Chu introduces us to the cast of characters, human and not, who become his teachers. While observing the egrets that visit the pond, the worms that turn waste into fertile soil, and the Chinese long beans that get passed over in the farm’s CSA, Chu also considers our desire to belong, our relationship with food, and the significance of his own roots. What is the earth trying to tell us, if we’ll only stop and listen?

In gorgeous, transporting prose, Good Soil helps readers connect to the land and to one another at a time when we all seem more drawn to the distractions of modern technology. For nature lovers, foodies, and anyone who has sought more fulfillment, this book shows how love flourishes when all do their part to cultivate acceptance and nurture friendship.