Hello, I am Andy

Andy Becker is a writer, gardener, and lifetime learner, who lives in Western Washington among the cedar trees with his wife Donna and their two dogs, Nova and Splash. Andy was a successful small-town lawyer who found respite from the vicissitudes of fighting for the little guy against insurance companies by gardening, hiking, and camping with his family, and by expanding his spirituality through Judaism. Andy’s writing has been directly fueled by his lifetime experiences and influenced by Chassidic philosophy.

His Spiritual Garden Series consists of three books that each contain elements of memoir: The Spiritual Gardener, The Spiritual Forest, and “Grandy, Let’s Play!”  The series begins with The Spiritual Gardner describing the spiritual rewards and just plain fun of digging in the ground to grow vegetables. The Spiritual Forest describes the importance of trees, forests, and environmentalism; in other words, the spiritual value of caring for and growing trees. The series is capped off with the joy and blessings of family and growing grandchildren in “Grandy, Let’s Play!”

Andy’s other books include Cracking An Egg, funny, early childhood vignettes that he wrote as a love letter to his mom, and The Kissing Rabbi, an award-winning novel inspired by an actual #MeToo scandal that rocked the Tacoma community. There, the narrator channels his inner Sholem Aleichem to address themes of lust, betrayal, polarization, and viral news with humor and satire.

Andy has given multiple presentations in person (and on Zoom) at bookstores, Jewish Community Centers, Synagogues, Senior Centers, Nurseries, Gardening Clubs, and Service Groups. He is an active member of a local non-profit writer’s group.

The Spiritual Gardener won the New York City Big Book Award in the Home and Garden category. The Kissing Rabbi won a First Place Chanticleer Mark Twain Award for Humor and Satire. The Spiritual Forest was a Finalist with the National Indie Excellence Awards, Indie Book Awards, and the Best Book Awards in the categories of Spirituality and Nature in 2023.

Presently, Andy’s time is devoted to writing, gardening, planting trees, supporting environmentalism, and spending time with his family, and most especially, with his grandchildren.