The Pull of the Earth: Participatory Ethnography in the School Garden

The Pull of the Earth is Laurie Thorp’s dirt-under-the-fingernails ethnography of four years in an elementary school garden and the ways in which this garden catalyzed cultural transformation and inspired hope, growth, and community. Filled with photographs, sketches, poetry, and journal entries, Thorp’s engaging book describes the educational benefits of learning through the environment: lessons on nutrition, the rhythms and cycles found in nature, and the stability found in entering a reciprocal relationship with the land. It will be a valuable resource for educators, environmentalists, and ethnographers.