Bioremediate or bust! Terra Fluxus brings Chicago residents (and beyond) a valuable blueprint for environmental and psychic health with this well-designed, holistic citizen’s guide to the grit and glory of urban gardening.

 With a good balance of facts and feels, Ground Rules is larded with useful, ground-level tips on how to locally grow both food and community out of the mean city streets. Contains detailed instructions on how to research growing sites, assess your soil, understand weeds, build good compost, and clear soil of toxins (whether they be lead, mercury, cadmium or landlords).

It’s also got Interviews and case studies from Chicago neighborhood sussing out the subtle yet deep ways a garden strengthens community solidarity, inspires spontaneous and fulfilling IRL interactions, makes free food, combats gentrification and “blight,” and generally raises our quality of life.

Anyone losing hope of ever getting back to the land while trapped under a skyscraper's shadow will def find this a cornucopia of education & inspiration. ~GS