The Deepest Roots

"The issues Alcalá explores are relevant beyond Bainbridge’s boundaries, . . . from the meaning of a homeland to the questions of who has power in the modern world and who has responsibility. . . . The stories have the effect of coming to the reader as they came to the writer, raising as many difficult questions as they answer."

"This unique and fascinating memoir blends the history of Washington with the story of her family’s migration from Mexico, highlighted by informed insights on ecology, economy and gastronomy."

"The Deepest Roots should inspire readers to expend elbow grease in working la tierra and seeking community with like-minded gente for healthier living."

"Alcalá takes the local food movement, so long the province of hippy gringos, and brings it home to the immigrant communities for whom it has so long been a fact of life."

"A layered experience of discovery, moving organically between personal stories, cultural history, and discussions of environmental policy. . . . Bainbridge Island is a perfect microcosm through which to explore the question of local sustainability. . . . It is a pleasant surprise to hear from some Whatcom County locals among Alcalá’s interviews."

"As important now as when it was first published in 2016, Kathleen Alcalá’s book The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island recently released in paperback, allows the reader to come along as Alcalá explores the food culture of her home, Bainbridge Island, learns more about how to care for her health, and discovers the ways our collective fates are intimately connected."

"Combining memoir, historical records, and a blueprint for sustainability, The Deepest Roots shows us how an island population can mature into responsible food stewards and reminds us that innovation, adaptation, diversity, and common sense will help us make wise decisions about our future."

"A wildly ambitious book. By focusing on the food in one place, Alcalá is able to pull together cultural and cross-cultural experiences, environmental debates, and, perhaps most crucial for me, issues of economic justice that underpin all food production."

"The Deepest Roots is a timely and charming book on how place-based foods infuse community by one of the finest writers ever to emerge from the Pacific Northwest."