Unearthed

Unearthed is a tremendously powerful read about how essential our sense of belonging is to our overall wellbeing. For Claire Ratinon, a black woman born in England of Mauritian parents whose ancestry prior to living on that island was not recorded by the colonists who imported slave labour for their plantations, 'belonging' was an abstract concept. However through the fortuitous chance visit to a New York rooftop vegetable garden, Ratinon discovered what would come eventually to be her raison d'etre.

I recognised the Sussex area in which Ratinon and her partner, Sam, made their rural home as I lived not so far away myself for a decade. I could imagine all too well the mix of reactions her presence there would have provoked and, for all those who think racism in this country is just practiced by an obsolete minority these days, this memoir is a strong testament to the contrary. It may be much less overt than in previous decades, but England is still not a welcoming place for many.

What shines through Unearthed for me though was how the rituals and skilled monotony of vegetable growing made such a difference to Ratinon's mental health as her memoir progressed. Through her eyes and words I came to understand the importance of growing food in a way that results in the best produce possible - not the cheapest or the fastest - and, alongside her, I also wondered why this vital role in our society has become so denigrated. I remembered the stark images of unpicked fields of crops after Brexit sent the European workers home, English workers not wanting such hard work for the pittance they would earn nor any longer having the skills required. How have we come to place such little value on a job as essential as growing our food? Like with my own foraging, I recognised Ratinon's vegetable growing as something of a rebellious act!

Another aspect which particularly spoke to me was Ratinon's thoughts around the ecology and rewilding movements as she questions their language and ideas around which plants 'deserve' to be saved. While I support the rewilding idea in general, I had not given its specifics that much thought. Ratinon asks how we differentiate between native and non-native. I wondered how a benchmark was chosen, remembering an archaeological article I read some time ago which identified the early existence of rhododendrons in Britain. Their extinction prior to widespread botanical cataloguing means they are now seen as non-native, but is that actually their truth?

Unearthed is a beautifully written memoir which deserves to be widely read and, I hope, will inspire many conversations about the important issues it raises. I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoyed books such as We Need New Stories by Nesrine Malik and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.