I have read and enjoyed Jeff Chu's previous two books and appreciate his ideas and work on evolving faith. Although a bit meandering, I really liked this memoir in essays. I look forward to seeing what Jeff Chu writes next.

3.5 Stars

Good Soil is a well-written, earnest, and transparent memoir by Jeff Chu about his years at Princeton Seminary and his lifestyle choices. He shares his experiences as a first-generation Chinese-American and his work on a farm connected with the seminary. Fans of food preparation will enjoy this aspect of the memoir.

Chu spends a good amount of time discussing his lifestyle choices and identity. His reflection on his parents' reactions to his lifestyle and their acceptance was especially thoughtful. Even though his parents do not agree with his lifestyle, they do not reject him. They show their love for him in the best ways they can, and Jeff Chu accepts these gestures. In opposition to today's prevailing thoughts about drawing boundaries and cutting people out of your life who don't agree with you, Chu concludes that the Scriptures teach "honor your mother and your father." So Chu and his partner honor his parents and respect their beliefs, and the family finds ways to accommodate and respect each other. I found his explanation refreshing and healthy in today's culture, which encourages you to cut yourself off from those who disagree with you. I admire him for his hard work and courage in this area.

Thanks #NetGalley @ConvergentBooks for a complimentary eARC of #GoodSoil upon my request. My opinions are my own.

Over on my booktube channel (Hannah's Books), I shared this book in my description of exciting books forthcoming in late March. Link to the particular discussion: https://youtu.be/2N50TsBGu7g?si=Ao26wvsjIul7hScf&t=790

Uneasy lies the hand that tills. Unsettled lies the mind that studies. But skilled is the mindful heartfelt hand that writes GOOD SOIL: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.

Jeff Chu, a former journalist, enters Princeton Theological Seminary, with the encouragement of his ever-patient, supportive husband. He is not sure why he is there or what he will do post-degree. It is this constant searching that provides the material for the many short reflections of which this book is comprised.

As part of his coursework, he signs up for Princeton’s Farminary, a working farm where he’s given the opportunity to reflect on the human journey while immersing himself in natural challenges and blessings. Nature then provides the framework for the reflections. It’s a good match.

If Chu faces challenges as a farmer, he knows his way around the kitchen. Food provides yet another part of the framework as he grows vegetables from his Chinese immigrant background, honors his family who refuse to accept his marriage, and cooks a capstone meal as part of his program final.

In the end he wants a meaningful “theology of compost,” in which the death of one thing is the beginning of life for something else. In other words, resurrection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of the book drew me in but then it began to drag a bit. Using the framework of each season, the author weaves together science, history, theology and memoir to share his life/faith journey and the lessons learned when he gets back to nature on a farm. I enjoyed the memoir/faith journey parts more than the other factual bits but thought the book was written with alot of heart and vulnerability as well as being thought-provoking and challenging.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it, all my thoughts are my own.

Jeff Chu does a great job writing about the way that culture, faith, and farming intersected while working on the "farminary" at Princeton Seminary. I appreciated the way that Chu allowed the reader to learn about his struggles and doubts, allowing the reader to embrace their own challenges with faith/faith communities. As a biologist, I loved the way that he weaved science into this book, especially as someone who lives in a community where finding others who are both scientists & Christian is rare. This was such a refreshing book, and the short chapters were easy to digest. I'll definitely recommend this to others!

Good Soil by Jeff Chu swept me into a world where faith, farming, and personal growth intertwine in the richest of ways. As someone who’s always been drawn to tales of returning to the land, I loved following Chu’s shift from city writer to seminary student-turned-farmer. His honest curiosity—whether kneeling beside composting worms or watching egrets grace a still pond—reminded me how much wisdom lies beneath our feet.

What stood out most was Chu’s knack for finding life lessons in everyday farm work. A simple row of Chinese long beans became a reflection on overlooked gifts, and the cycle of decay and renewal in the fields mirrored our own struggles and triumphs. His storytelling felt warm and sincere, never overly sentimental, yet always deeply human.

Good Soil is your perfect companion if you’ve ever wondered what the earth might teach us if we paused long enough to listen. It left me feeling more grounded—and a little more hopeful—about the connections we forge with the land and each other.

Good Soil is a true treasure of a book. Jeff Chu writes fluidly and poetically, with poignant details and a deep sense of introspection. In his unexpected journey of becoming a farmhand at Princeton Seminary’s “Farminary,” he recounts his journey with agrarian metaphors of birds, long beans, and trees, and even allegories of fried rice and plastic orchids. Chu writes in a way that is highly profound, terribly clever, and quite humorous at times.
This memoir is not quite in chronological order; instead it is compiled into short stories mainly about Chu’s time on the farm, while relating back to his childhood or family life. It’s a special blend of childhood to adulthood memoir, interviews and research with theologians and philosophers, and scriptural analysis of the Bible. His stories change and illuminate one’s perspectives on nurturing land, moving away from the reductive and human-centered view of farming, but coming away with the ability to simply enjoy and engage in nature’s cycles and existence.
Chu writes with humility, almost self-deprecating at times, but in a way that feels entirely human and relatable. What we glean from his stories is the continued grace that he slowly learns to give himself and others. The end of this book is not the end of Jeff Chu’s story, and I’m looking forward to learning more about his life and reflections in the coming years.
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc! Posted on goodreads.

I really wanted to like this book as I have read other works by Chu and have been part of Evolving Faith online. Perhaps because I am not a gardener, but I had trouble relating to some of the book.

First of all, who doesn't love this cover?! It's What drew me in in the first place. This memoir is surprising, honest, touching, and beautifully written! The book is written in seasons and I see those parallels as Jeff enters a new season of his life and pivots. Jeff enters the seminary in his mid-30s and signs up for a "farminary" course. As an "accidental farm hand" Jeffrey flex on his past, his present, and what his future might hold. One of his most touching "sermons" in the book was the comparison of the compost pile to our Christian lives. Mindful and reflective, sometimes sad, introspective, dealings with loss and faith, and healing. I loved all the ties to nature, gardening, the cycle of life, this book really spoke to my heart and touched me deeply.

Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu is a memoir about a journalist the leaves New York to go to Princeton Seminary, where he ends up becoming an accidental farmhand. While working the soil, he learned many lessons that became life lessons. This book was beautifully written, and it really teaches the lesson of how important it is to slow down and enjoy the things around you and the people around you. Chu writes this blessing: "May you plant your own seeds, and may your garden flourish. May you draw hope from the picture of renewal that has been etched into creation. May you rest assured that you matter, and may you never doubt that you belong. May you never forget that you are so deeply loved." Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been really enjoying gardening related books lately, both fiction and non fiction, so this book was timely. This is the author’s story of his time helping as a farmhand while at seminary school, which involved planting and harvesting vegetables, making and maintaining compost and both caring for and dealing with the Food Source element of animals amongst other things. Interspersed with his experiences growing up in a conservative Chinese Christian household, coming out as gay, and his life with his husband, I enjoyed how we journey from the farm with our hands in the soil, to the dinner table, to the classroom.
Most poignant perhaps are the relationships within, from friends, to uneasy fellow students, to professors, the difficulties with family and the grief of losing people we love too soon.
I was in tears during the final chapter and the acknowledgments.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital arc.

This was a beautiful, heartfelt and heart wrenching memoir about the transformative properties of a farm, faith, and fellowship. I was so enamored of John Chu's lyrical writing. He followed the seasons of the farm, as well as the seasons of his life, but he also reflected back on his upbringing and the emotional turmoil and trauma and abuse he had suffered. He wrote about the power of healing through his relationships with people, including his husband, and with the animals.

I wanted to give up everything and go work on a farminary while reading this book. It was beautiful, sad, and redemptive. I was left feeling that even with all of the growth and change that Chu went through, he still has growth and change to come, and I envision such interesting adventures to unfold in his and Tristan's lives.

I want to go up to complete strangers and demand they read this book. It is so wonderful. I highly recommend this for libraries, churches, colleges, and book clubs.

This is exactly the type of non fiction I want to read. I did struggle to grasp some of the theological parts of the book (likely because I'm very agnostic) but overall it was beautifully written, I learned a lot, and offered lots of reflection points.

I heard about Good Soil before it came out from many writers I respect. But I kept putting off preordering it because of the title and subtitle. I won’t even walk in grass barefoot, so my level of interest in farming, or even gardening, is low, to say the least. And I (wrongly) assumed this book was aimed at people who enjoy working in soil. Fortunately, I was offered the opportunity to read Good Soil before it came out, so I gave it a chance. And I knew by the first few pages how lucky I was to be reading this incredible book. I’ve read many excellent spiritual memoirs, and this is among the very best.

In telling his story, Jeff Chu manages to be brutally honest while modeling healthy boundaries. He lets us into his griefs and makes us laugh. He shows us faith by how he lives and who he is without ever needing to preach or proselytize. He even opened me up, far beyond what I thought possible, to the wonder of farming, growing food, tending animals, knowing where and how and why things grow (or don’t), and caring about the rhythms and the details of life and death—for what they are, not just as metaphor or because of what they can teach.

As I reflected on this book, I asked myself what it is about. I think it is about learning to live and grow, even when it is uncomfortable or profoundly painful. And I think it is about discovering and developing the ability to nurture oneself, one’s community, and creation. And accepting that living, growing, and nurturing will include getting dirty.

Despite my lack of interest in farming or soil, I wanted to be on that farm, to be part of this story. Because this story is connected to so many other stories. And the way Jeff Chu tells stories leaves no doubt that every story matters. We will never know most of the stories of the people around us, even those closest to us. And we will probably never tell most of our own stories. But this story, Good Soil, is one I highly recommend because the specifics of Jeff Chu’s story will somehow resonate with your (probably very different) story in ways that will make you feel more alive, more capable of growth, and more able to live through the grief of death and the pain of life.

I also recommend reading Good Soil because I think we all need some fried rice. The first chapter is entitled “fried rice.” It was a nice beginning but I had no idea Jeff Chu was, intentionally, whetting my appetite. With each subsequent fried rice story, I longed to taste his what he was cooking. And, as the book went on, I began to wonder if, just maybe, I should try making it myself. Near the end, I thought, “I’m going to look back and find all of his advice about how to cook fried rice, and see if I can use that as the framework of a recipe.” And then—what a gift—he used the appendix to offer just that recipe framework I was craving.

Read this book—and try making some fried rice!

Thank you to Convergent (and the marketing manager who reached out to me!) for the privilege of reading an advance DRC of this book. I loved it so much, I purchased my own copy. All opinions are my own.

As an avid gardener, I appreciated Chu's foundational metaphor. I'm also a kildeer spectator, a grower of green provider beans, and a listener to the kids who always insisted that beets taste like dirt. His vulnerability seasoned with humor carries a story of hope as he shares his own story alongside the story of his fellow accidental farmhands.

This is a beautifully written memoir about life, faith, identity, heritage, family, and grief. Jeff Chu tells the story of leaving New York City to become an amateur farmhand at the farminary, which is a farm that serves as a place for part of his seminary training. He tells personal stories through the plants, soil, and compost on the farm. I appreciate these tender reflections on the complicated nuances of being a human who is trying to love God, others, and himself.

I enjoyed reading this book, but was a little slow at times. I think the pace was set to be slow to take stock as it was being read. I have known different things about Jeff Chu through social media and other authors that he is friends with. It was nice to hear his story and his voice in this book.

Chu's writing style is fantastic, it feels so conversational and easy. Unfortunately, I had to DNF a quarter of the way through as I couldn't get past just how religious the book was, based off of the blurb I knew there would be some religious context which I don't mind, though upon reading I realised that it suffocates the interesting discussions and character portraits that I was otherwise enjoying. I wish there had been more emphasis of religion in the blurb to reflect the content of the book so readers can make more of an informed decision.

If you love easy, conversational reading, interesting life stories and the exploration of religion then this is absolutely for you!

3.5 stars

Really enjoyed reading about the cultural aspect of the good and the role it plays in the author's family life. I was very interested in how the author tired stories of the land to his own learnings in the farm.