Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio [Hardcover]

Lisa Watts (Editor), Mark Winegardner (Afterword), R. L. Stine (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0821417282 | ISBN-13: 978-0821417287 | Edition: 1

“Agood place to be from.” That’s how some people might characterize the Buckeye State. The writings in Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio, are testimony to the truth of that statement. By prominent writers such as P. J. O’Rourke, Susan Orlean, and Alix Kates Shulman, these contributions are alternately nostalgic, irreverent, and sincere, and offer us a personal sense of place. Their childhoods are as varied as their work. Some were raised in urban Cleveland, Akron, and Cincinnati, others in the small Ohio towns that typify the Midwest, and still others in the countryside. Yet what they have to tell us about their roots resonates with a shared heritage, a sense of what is universal and enduring about growing up in the heartland. Their collective résumé reads like a literary Who’s Who, including four Pulitzer Prizes, several National Book Awards, and many prestigious fellowships. Good Roots is also plain good reading from some of our country’s most accomplished contemporary writers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“It is to Ohio where my memory turns, providing a constant point of reference. The scale has changed, and a lifetime of travel, a far-flung family, and interesting work have forced many adjustments. But it is in Ohio where the essential alignment of the compass was set.”—James Toedtman

“I’d move back to Toledo if it weren’t for my children. The rest of the world does not seem to be a happy or levelheaded place. And I want the kids to fit in.”—P. J. O’Rourke

About the Author

Ohio native Lisa Watts is an editor and writer who raised her family in a small Ohio town for ten years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ohio University Press; 1 edition (December 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821417282
• ISBN-13: 978-0821417287
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,872,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Roots is Good Stuff, Go Get It, December 25, 2006

By 

Andrew Malekoff (Long Beach, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio (Paperback)

Good Roots is good stuff; it is a collection of over 20 essays and poems about growing up in Ohio by writers who grew up in places like Toledo, Findlay, Shaker Heights and Athens, to name just a few. On page 148, one of the writers Anthony Doerr writes, "You bury your childhood everywhere you go. It just waits for you, all your life to come dig it back up." Good Roots is about growing up in Ohio, but you don't have to be from there to enjoy this charming collection. You just have to be from somewhere because that is where it will take you. Although places that I grew up in the northeast might be different from Maple Heights or Portage County, Ohio, universal truths abound. P.J. O'Rourke writes about one on page 44 when he cites an example of what he refers to as Toledo teen critique: "There's nothing to do around here. Nothing ever happens." But not all truths in Good Roots are universal. For instance, in Andrea Louie's piece on page 151 she begins, "I used to castrate sheep." I must admit that as a teen I was often bored but castrating sheep was never an option.

In her introduction the editor of Good Roots Lisa Watts speaks of "a pervasive lack of pretension" that can be found in many of these Ohio towns, a feature that "strengthens creative souls." I suspect that there is a little of that small-town-America-feel in all of us wherever we are from. I highly recommend that you read Good Roots. Don't be surprised to find your way back to long-forgotten childhood memories or to discover your "inner Ohio."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does Ohio Proud, January 25, 2007

By 

Ohioan in New England (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio (Paperback)

This book will make you proud to be from Ohio, if you are an Ohioan. For non-Ohioans, this book is still a great read--you probably have more in common with fly-over country than you think you do. The selections and genres are widely varied, so if you don't like one, read a different one. There's something in this book for everyone. My personal favorites are P.J. O'Rourke's piece, and Mike Winegardner's afterword.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Read, August 25, 2008

By 

Elaine S. Povich - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio (Paperback)

"Good Roots" is a lovely read, and you don't even have to be from Ohio to appreciate it! Ohio's far-flung natives recall their childhoods in bucolic times. This book will bring back memories for anyone from anyplace that they look back on with love.