Robin Chotzinoff, the granddaughter of the famous pianist and music critic Samuel Chotzinoff, grew up in New York City. Educated at prestigious Brearley School in New York and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Chotzinoff also attended Bryn Mawr for a year before dropping out to look for adventure in Berkeley and Arizona. During her journey, Chotzinoff worked as a waitress, shined shoes, drove a delivery truck, and played the piano for some forgettable bands. Chotzinoff became interested in gardening at the age of 16 after watching her aunt plant a bag of white onion sets. In 1997, Chotzinoff wrote the book People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening, a best-selling… collection of essays detailing the obsessions of some of the more eccentric gardeners in the country. A recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts fellowship in 1987, Chotzinoff is a staff writer for Westword, an alternative newspaper in Denver. Her articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines throughout the country. Chotzinoff lives in a log cabin in Indian Hills, Colorado.
Introduction. 1. Rustling Roses. 2. Heat. 3. Winter: Bugs and Seeds. 4. City Dirt. 5. Estates. 6. Long Island Roots. 7. Tomatoes. 8. Natives. 9. Road Trip: Medicine. 10. Road Trip: Three Days in Oregon. 11. What People Keep. Acknowledgments.