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Download high-resolution cover Look inside

Uprooted

Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind

Written by Grace Olmstead
Look inside
Hardcover
$27.00 US
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Sentinel
On sale Mar 16, 2021 | 272 Pages | 978-0-593-08402-1
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  • Interdisciplinary Studies > Social Science > American Studies
  • Political Science > American Government and Politics > State and Local Government
  • Political Science > Introduction to Political Science > Political Ideologies
  • Political Science > Introduction to Political Science > Political Sociology
  • Political Science > Public Policy and Public Administration > Policy Analysis
  • Sociology > Social Problems > Social Problems
  • About
  • Author
In a poignant memoir, a young journalist wrestles with what we owe the places we've left behind.
"A superior exploration of the consequences of the hollowing out of our agricultural heartlands."—Kirkus Reviews

In the tradition of Wendell Berry, a young writer wrestles with what we owe the places we’ve left behind. 

 
In the tiny farm town of Emmett, Idaho, there are two kinds of people: those who leave and those who stay. Those who leave go in search of greener pastures, better jobs, and college. Those who stay are left to contend with thinning communities, punishing government farm policy, and environmental decay.
 
Grace Olmstead, now a journalist in Washington, DC, is one who left, and in Uprooted, she examines the heartbreaking consequences of uprooting—for Emmett, and for the greater heartland America. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Uprooted wrestles with the questions of what we owe the places we come from and what we are willing to sacrifice for profit and progress.
 
As part of her own quest to decide whether or not to return to her roots, Olmstead revisits the stories of those who, like her great-grandparents and grandparents, made Emmett a strong community and her childhood idyllic. She looks at the stark realities of farming life today, identifying the government policies and big agriculture practices that make it almost impossible for such towns to survive. And she explores the ranks of Emmett’s newcomers and what growth means for the area’s farming tradition.
 
Avoiding both sentimental devotion to the past and blind faith in progress, Olmstead uncovers ways modern life attacks all of our roots, both metaphorical and literal. She brings readers face to face with the damage and brain drain left in the wake of our pursuit of self-improvement, economic opportunity, and so-called growth. Ultimately, she comes to an uneasy conclusion for herself: one can cultivate habits and practices that promote rootedness wherever one may be, but: some things, once lost, cannot be recovered.
Grace Olmstead is a journalist who focuses on farming, localism, and family. Her writing has been published in The American Conservative, The Week, The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, and Christianity Today, among others. A native of rural Idaho, she now lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Grace Olmstead

About

In a poignant memoir, a young journalist wrestles with what we owe the places we've left behind.
"A superior exploration of the consequences of the hollowing out of our agricultural heartlands."—Kirkus Reviews

In the tradition of Wendell Berry, a young writer wrestles with what we owe the places we’ve left behind. 

 
In the tiny farm town of Emmett, Idaho, there are two kinds of people: those who leave and those who stay. Those who leave go in search of greener pastures, better jobs, and college. Those who stay are left to contend with thinning communities, punishing government farm policy, and environmental decay.
 
Grace Olmstead, now a journalist in Washington, DC, is one who left, and in Uprooted, she examines the heartbreaking consequences of uprooting—for Emmett, and for the greater heartland America. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Uprooted wrestles with the questions of what we owe the places we come from and what we are willing to sacrifice for profit and progress.
 
As part of her own quest to decide whether or not to return to her roots, Olmstead revisits the stories of those who, like her great-grandparents and grandparents, made Emmett a strong community and her childhood idyllic. She looks at the stark realities of farming life today, identifying the government policies and big agriculture practices that make it almost impossible for such towns to survive. And she explores the ranks of Emmett’s newcomers and what growth means for the area’s farming tradition.
 
Avoiding both sentimental devotion to the past and blind faith in progress, Olmstead uncovers ways modern life attacks all of our roots, both metaphorical and literal. She brings readers face to face with the damage and brain drain left in the wake of our pursuit of self-improvement, economic opportunity, and so-called growth. Ultimately, she comes to an uneasy conclusion for herself: one can cultivate habits and practices that promote rootedness wherever one may be, but: some things, once lost, cannot be recovered.

Author

Grace Olmstead is a journalist who focuses on farming, localism, and family. Her writing has been published in The American Conservative, The Week, The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, and Christianity Today, among others. A native of rural Idaho, she now lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Grace Olmstead

Additional formats

  • Uprooted
    Uprooted
    Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind
    Grace Olmstead
    978-0-593-08403-8
    $15.99 US
    Ebook
    Sentinel
    Mar 16, 2021
  • Uprooted
    Uprooted
    Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind
    Grace Olmstead
    978-0-593-39384-0
    $17.50 US
    Audiobook Download
    Penguin Audio
    Mar 16, 2021
  • Uprooted
    Uprooted
    Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind
    Grace Olmstead
    978-0-593-08403-8
    $15.99 US
    Ebook
    Sentinel
    Mar 16, 2021
  • Uprooted
    Uprooted
    Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind
    Grace Olmstead
    978-0-593-39384-0
    $17.50 US
    Audiobook Download
    Penguin Audio
    Mar 16, 2021
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