Eloquent essays about living with the land and reinvigorating the
values of community from the author of The Necessity of Empty Places.
Combining personal reflection and memoir with a powerful look at the
state of our rural towns and people, Gruchow postulates a society in
which our lives are more than commodities and our land is more than an
extension of our industries.
Quotes:
“Gruchow's vision, like that of Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson, is a
corrective to the notion that increased agricultural efficiency and
productivity is a sure sign of prosperity. In these seventeen essays,
he considers the various biological and cultural impoverishments
effected by the transference of the industrial model to the countryside
and rural towns of America” —Isle
“Gruchow, who grew up on a
Minnesota tenant farm, writes thoughtful, graceful essays on country
life, changes in our national culture, the environment, adn the many
facets of our relationship with nature. He is clear-eyed, quietly
eloquent, and very much worth reading.” —Vermont Sunday Magazine
“[Grass
Roots: The Universe of Home] harvests acres of memories. Paul Gruchow
paints poignant pictures of rural life before corporate agribusiness
dominated landscape.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Images and
lessons from [Gruchow's] childhood are examined in frank and sometimes
elegiac prose . . . pulling us into his treasured experiences.”
—Bloomsbury Review
“One of the nation's best essayists. . . .The
fulcrum of the collection is Gruchow's fascinating account of the
transformation of agriculture to agribusiness, the sea change in
American agriculture that's taken place in the last 50 years.... [He]
highlights the tragic trajectory our food production and land
management have taken for most of this century. Like a good cup of
coffee —make that a double shot of espresso —Gruchow is both sobering
and exhilarating.” —City Pages (Minneapolis)
“What is striking about Grass Roots is the vividness of the images in Gruchow's writing. “ —The Land
“In
the five books he has authored, Gruchow reveals an unromantic yet
passionate love for the land. His passion extends both to agricultural
and natural landscapes, which the author sees as inextricably
linked.... Gruchow's well-considered insights, presented in clear and
graceful prose, offer both a good read and an education in how we might
address some of the threats that face our communities and our land.”
—The Trust of Public Lands in the Midwest
“Gruchow masterfully reveals the heart of rural America.” —Carleton College Bookstore, Minnesota
“Capable
of uniting the emotions and sensiblities of both urban and rural
Minnesotans. . . he delves into the roots of other words and ideas to
find what we have forgotten. Gruchow should be lauded for writing this
extended testament to his political ideas.” —Brian Fournier, Saint Paul
Pioneer Press
