There are 13 character vignettes in Paul Fleischman's novel Seedfolks. All are members of a Cleveland, Ohio, neighborhood. All are connected by the development of a community garden in a vacant lot.
Kim, the character who starts the garden, is from Vietnam. Ana has lived in the U.S. since she was four years old. Her parents were from Groza, a village in the Ukraine. Wendel grew up on a farm in Kentucky. Gonzalo is from Guatemala.
There is no information given about where Leona and Sam are from. Leona is described as African-American, and there are hints that suggest Sam is Jewish.
Virgil's family is from Haiti. Sae Young moved with her husband from Korea. No place of origin is given for Curtis, although it is mentioned that he lived in Cincinnati for a time.
Nora is a British woman. Maricela is a Mexican teenager. Amir is from India. Florence's grandparents were freed slaves from Louisiana.
The importance of the backgrounds of all the characters is that there is a lot of diversity in this neighborhood. It is a microcosm of the United States of America, which has a rich tradition of immigration, and a darker tradition of slavery. The different ethnicities come together from different worldviews, backgrounds, and experiences to create something of common interest to them all. The garden connects them and creates a community, whereas they had been individuals who didn't interact with each other before the garden.
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