Customer Reviews

Where Roots Grow Deep: Stories of Family, Love, and Legacy

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Blending wry humor with poignant insight, Bob Welch writes of a man who handed down a grand legacy despite never having a business card, never receiving a promotion, and rarely taking a vacation; a middle-aged woman who dressed in a rally uniform and yelled her heartiest at a Turkey Bowl game, her cheers meaning more to her son as the years went by; a family with 23 children (many adopted) who always have room for one more because they know there's no limit to love. These and other stories in this inspiring, satisfying, engaging collection combine to show the many ways we have of nurturing a legacy that lasts, creating a family of faith where spiritual roots grow deep, and where wisdom, values, and the sensibilities of love are passed as a kind of spiritual legacy from one generation to the next. Highly recommended.

Bob Welch's book, "Where Roots Grow Deep," gently asks the reader to consider his or her worth to the generations that follow. Through stories sometimes humorous and sometimes poignant, Welch suggests that we all inherit legacies and pass on legacies--it's only a matter of what kind. This is a wonderful collection of down-home stories, many of them from his own extended family, that give a sense of importance to our place in the universe. He threads his story on a tree metaphor, each chapter beginning with a tree-related quote, as E.Annie Proulx does so well with rope and knots in "The Shipping News." This truly is a book that will touch your heart, tickle your funnybone and, above all, make you think.

When one thinks of Mother's Day and Father's Day, thoughts migrate to the brilliance of flowers in bloom and a spectrum of vivid green splashed across the carpet of earth's habitat. But Bob Welch uses the starkness of a cold winter's morning with freshly fallen snow to describe the family unit and the legacies that emerge. Welch captures the reader's attention immediately. As in his past books, he uses stories of family and friends to welcome us into a kind of "fireside chat" with him. We learn about Granpa Schu and what is important in life. Gram, Welch's grandmother was "the hinge on which {the} screen door swung" and one who reflected God's love and lived it rather than preached it. Welch uses the image of the legacy tree (still in motion) rather than a family tree which is stagnant and lifeless. This book illustrates that families are made up of those who have come before to make a difference in the lives of those living today. Legacy is passed on in story form and this book does just that. Welch has given us a rare glimpse of his family's legacy in his personal stories; some humorous, some bitter. He paints pictures with the written word. He uses simile as a means of touching the mind and heart of the reader and move them into a deeper understanding and different level of awareness. He credits his mother for humor being a valuable part of his being. "The world needs laughter," she would say to him. One powerful chapter is "Fathers and Sons." If one ever wondered about the moment when they switch places with their parents and they become the parent and their parent becomes the child, this is the chapter to read. It is the prime rib cut of the meat of the book. As the season approaches where Mother's and Father's Days are celebrated, this is a wonderful gift book. Welch tells of a time when he witnessed a shooting star passing over a lake. It streaked across the dark sky for a split second but remains in his memory forever. "Why? Because its legacy was dependent not on its longevity, but on its brilliance." (p. 209) Simply stated, buy the book and experience the brilliance!

With out a doubt one of the best books I've ever read ! Bob Welch makes the pages come alive ! I have been moved deeply and now have such a deep desire to make a difference in my little world around me ! I plan on buying this book for many of my friends, wish everyone would read it !

Bob Welch has taken the subject we all think we know about -- family -- and made spine of it, sculpting around it a story of such muscle and fiber and heart and soul that the subject comes alive. Reading it makes me want to change the world. With experiences as vivid and universal as that of ANGELA'S ASHES, and with a writing style both conversational, humorous and compelling, WHERE ROOTS GROW DEEP does more than bring substance to the image of family in a nation where young mothers registering their child at school write "not applicable" under the title "father." Welch's book inspires readers to look anew at what we think we know about what it takes to grow a family. It encourages reconnection. It make us want to touch the world and change the way we'll be remembered in it. It shows us how we can. "The forest is forever in the process of becoming," Welch tells us. Welch's ROOTS grants hope that legacies made can be changed; legacies received become nurture. He makes me want to make a difference in the legacy I leave and in the one that I've been given; he gives me a way to make that happen. Bob Welch's WHERE ROOTS GROW DEEP should earn the National Book Award for its insight, readability, particularity and style, and for its hope. Do yourselves a favor and buy more than one copy. You'll be wanting to give them to all the people you love..

Bob Welch's newest book is a fantastic collection of personal stories to illustrate the power of a positive heritage and the reach of a legacy to the next generation. With quotes, illustrations and parallels to the growth of trees, the reader will really understand how important it is that we raise our children with a solid foundation ("root system") that connects to the past and looks to the future. Well worth reading by parents, grandparents, teachers or anyone seeking to help children grow.