Deeply Rooted Book Evolution

Lisa M. Hamilton, the writer of Deeply Rooted, takes you on a trip into the world of agricultural. In the novel she introduces us to three different farmers and exposes you to the secrets, tips, and tricks of the agricultural industry. Harry Lewis, Virgil Trujillo, and the Podoll family each chose to let Hamilton share their story, making you question and think more when it comes to agricultural issues. It shows the highs, lows, and everything inbetween that a farmer of any kind deals with in this day in age. All of these farmers who have very different purposes and goals, have one major thing in common. They all have good intentions when it comes to doing what they do.

Hamilton informs you of so much by using actual farmers to portray her message. It is not just constant straightforward facts being thrown at you. It is real stories from real farmers, making the book more powerful and easy to obtain when it comes to information. As the website Sustainable Kentucky claims on their review of Deeply Rooted, “Ms. Hamilton’s writing is fresh and almost literary. She doesn’t gloss over the ugly or dirty side of the farms she profiles either. She puts it all out there, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions about her subjects.” The author of this review words this statement perfectly. Hamilton is real with her readers, just taking the information she was able to take in from each farmer, and share it with her readers. She brings up questions that make you think like, “How could he then turn around and apply a lesser standard when growing food for other people?” (247). Everything that farmers do directly affects us in the end, so why have we reared so far off from farming that is beneficial and healthier for everyone? Questions like these and thoughts about the agricultural world we are living in today will stick with you after reading just one chapter of Hamilton’s book.

Personally, the book at some points dragged on. But, it was still able to keep my attention due to the interesting topics and stories told by the farmers. As someone who has little knowledge about most of the topics discussed in the novel, it was interesting to learn but also blurring together at some points. For anyone with an the slightest bit of an interest in agricultural, nutrition, or environmental sciences, this is the book for you. The novel hits each of those subjects, diving deep into how they are all connected and revolve around each other. Hamilton’s message of this book is told by each farmer who decided to let their story be told. We have the power to get back to our old farming ways and change the world around. If we respect our land and animals the way they should be respected, then the world in various aspects would change for the better.