{"product_id":"the-colored-garden-paperback","title":"The Colored Garden - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eO. H. Bennett\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe stories buried in a Kentucky slave cemetery cultivate a boy's coming of age after his parents separate in this \"lovely literary debut\" (\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Bennett's first novel is beautiful and real; impossible to put down until the final page.\" --\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter spending his first nine years on a US Army base in Germany, a boy named Sarge is moving with his older sister and mother to his grandparents' Kentucky farm. It's a strange new place, and he doesn't understand why his father isn't coming with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut soon Sarge settles in and connects to his new surroundings thanks to his eccentric grandmother, Ruth. The farm hosts a remnant from its past life as part of a tobacco plantation: a graveyard for the slaves who once worked on the land. Now the cemetery is a beautiful flower garden tended to by Ruth, and as the summer passes, she tells Sarge tales about the good souls resting there. But one grave marker tells a far different story. \u003ci\u003eKate\u003c\/i\u003e, it reads. \u003ci\u003eBorn and died the same week. Budded on earth to blossom in heaven\u003c\/i\u003e. And the baby is not all that lies buried in the garden . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Sarge's little world continues to change, so does he. Ruth's stories become his escape, and the slaves become his heroes. He sees the adults around him differently--and he learns about family and the power of secrets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This novel shows how the hidden history of a family, once unearthed, can forever change a person's view of himself and his relatives.\" --\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A highly recommended, original story. . . . Explores the human condition, past and present in a lyrical, engaging narrative.\" --\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMidwest Book Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"[Sarge] is as fully realized a creation as I know of in recent American fiction. . . . O. H. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBennet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003et's brilliant first novel strikes into the heart with exactly the force of revelation. It is wonderful writing; a wonderful debut.\" --Richard Bausch, award-winning author of\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e Peace \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eand\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e The Fate of Others\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eO. H. Bennett\u003c\/b\u003e has written across a wide range of careers: software manual author, radio ad copywriter, and US Marine. Bennett holds a degree in journalism from the University of Evansville and an MFA from George Mason University, where he graduated from the creative writing program.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 322\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.72 x 8 x 5.25 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 23, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67840863830323,"sku":"9798337206066","price":32.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/sU5Eb7UI6G9798337206066.webp?v=1793396802","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/the-colored-garden-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}