New Jersey English teacher AJ Smith often shares about the virtues of classic literature to his English students at Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey. He’s known to keep his classroom stocked of copies of Pride and Prejudice and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, MyCentralJersey.com reported.
However, Smith often ponders whether he performs a greater good at his part-time job when he trims hedges or edges flower beds across central New Jersey at his weekend landscaping job. This thought prompted him to complete his first novel, Growth.
Growth is a self-published, semiautobiographical story told in a variety of narrative styles, MyCentralJersey.com reported. It follows Bburke, a 50-something, likable man who works with soil and ends the day with a few Bud Lights. Then, two just-out-of-college students, S.A. and Dickey, join Bburke to help him with his landscaping business.
“There’s this practical, blue-collar thing about working outside, like, these leaves have to be picked up, this work has to be done versus, these kids have to read Shakespeare,” Smith said to MyCentralJersey.com. “There needs to be an understanding of (classic literature’s) role. There’s a lot of benefits to being well-read, but also understanding what’s more important. Is it the guy who goes out and makes the world more beautiful and does landscaping or is it the guy who writes about it?”
Smith offers more details about his novel Growth on his website here. Also, read more about Smith’s novel from MyCentralJersey.com here.