Dissident Gardens

Over three generations and ever-changing historical tides, the dissident gardens of the title grow in unpredictable ways in Sunnyside, Queens. Presiding over the dissidence is Rose Zimmer, a ferocious, unrepentant American Communist Party member who terrorizes her neighbors with her citizen patrols, angry outbursts, and petitions. Her independent-minded daughter Miriam takes a different route, becoming deeply involved with the lifestyle and political revolutions of bohemian Greenwich Village. Hovering near these female powerhouses are several men, including husbands, lovers, sons, and chess hustlers...