Book excerpt: A wry and entertaining memoir about growing up, growing pot, and life after your career goes up in smoke At age thirty-four, Heather Donahue’s life went to pot. Literally. After starring in The Blair Witch Project—the tiny indie film–turned-blockbuster that Roger Ebert named one of the ten Most Influential Movies of the Century—she became a household name. But the afterglow of the movie faded, her acting career stalled. Determined to start a new life, she left most remnants of the old one in the desert, meditated on things for a few days, then followed her brand-new boyfriend to her brand-new life—growing pot. Growgirl is Heather’s year living on a pot farm in Nuggettown, California, among “The Community”—a collection of growers, their “pot wives,” and the reason for it all: “The Girls.” They help one another build grow rooms, tend to their crops, and provide a glimpse into this rarely seen world. Though her relationship hits rocky territory, Heather’s new life brings unexpected solace, and she’s surprised to finally find normalcy in the least likely of places.