Fresh Book Picks for Your Summer Stack 

There’s nothing like a good read to slow down the season. And there’s nothing better than a trusted recommendation from someone who really knows the book. Staff members at American Farmland Trust offer the following recommendations, including a poetic ode to trees, a deep dive into rural politics, recipes for the Santa Maria-style Tri-tip, and reflections filled with admiration for nature. Enjoy reading — preferably with a cold drink in hand and a little shade overhead! 

Kentucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing, Eating, Saving 
By Bill Best with Dobree Adams 

“This book is packed with wisdom, storytelling, and SO much information about seeds. I met Bill Best while traveling around Kentucky for my college thesis, and he opened my eyes to an entirely new world (even though I had already taken a class on seeds). There are many types of seeds and saving them is essential to preserving culture. One gardener featured in the book said, ‘I feel that I would be missing or losing something very important should I no longer be saving seeds.’ That put food systems into perspective, reminding me how something so tiny could sustain so much. A must-read for seed nerds!” — Jenna Farineau, Writer/Editor 

The Ranch Table: Recipes from a Year of Harvests, Celebrations, and Family Dinners on a Historic California Ranch  
By Elizabeth Poett 

“What I love about this cookbook is that it showcases how the ranching lifestyle has influenced food on the Central Coast of California. This is especially true for our Santa Maria-style Tri-tip, a popular cut of meat that originated from the area. This cookbook provides the history of the ranch while offering recipes that center around significant events in the life of a ranching family.” — Catie Field, Smart Solar Program Coordinator 

A Farmer’s Almanac: Stories about Land, Food, and Life (Vol. 1, Fascination of Discovery) 
By Drausin Wulsin 

“Drausin is an Ohio farmer who shares a bit of his grass-fed life and soul with the reader. In this first volume of compiled stories, he details the journey from developing a pasture-raised meat business involving beef, sheep, laying hens, broilers, turkeys, hogs, and a certified commercial kitchen. His words reveal his raw admiration for the power and beauty of nature. His work lends a unique perspective on virtuous land stewardship and the ‘strands of life’ that connect rural ecosystems.” — Sydney Green, Midwest Philanthropy Officer 

Immemorial 
By Lauren Markham 

“In my work with producers and conservation professionals to explore climate grief and loss, one of the things I hear most frequently is appreciation for being given a vocabulary to discuss the emotional dimensions of climate change. As one workshop participant reflected, ‘Thank you for giving my feelings a name.’ In ‘Immemorial,’ a short book that spans essay, memoir, and journalism, Markham explores the language we use to talk about the things and places we are losing to climate catastrophe and probes the creative ways we can memorialize those losses. Climate grief is considered a type of ‘disenfranchised’ grief, in that it’s not widely recognized, and the dominant culture lacks rituals to acknowledge it. Given this, ‘Immemorial’ is an important and beautiful start to a conversation we badly need to have.” — Addie Candib, Pacific Northwest Regional Director 

Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America  
By Beth Hoffman  

“This is a fairly recent book about the struggle to be a beginning farmer in America, and how Hoffman navigated buying her family’s farm in the Midwest. I also recommend any of Doug Tallamy’s books, including ‘Bringing Nature Home’ and ‘The Nature of Oaks.’” — Elizabeth Amodeo, Social Media Marketing Manager 

For-Profit Democracy: Why the Government Is Losing the Trust of Rural America 
By Loka Ashwood  

“This beautifully written narrative is based on years of fieldwork in a rural, mixed-race community in Georgia. Told from various points of view, it shines light on festering tensions as the rights of rural people are trampled by a government-funded corporation. An eye-opening page turner, the work helps make sense out of modern politics.” — Julia Freedgood, Senior Fellow & Senior Program Advisor 

The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom  
By Andrew Peterson 

“This is a great intersectional book I just finished. It has a lot of wonderful stories from childhood about growing up in the Southeast with parents who aspired to be farmers and good stewards, and the impact that had on him growing up in terms of how he sees nature. Very poetic and musical in tone, but also not a preachy book — more of a love letter to trees and nature. Highly recommend this honest read for anyone to pick up and enjoy.” — Zane Redman, Georgia Implementation Specialist 

Prodigal Summer 
By Barbara Kingsolver 

“Some of you already have read it, many probably have heard of it and were going to. Read it this summer. Three stories of life on farms and woods in Appalachia, all struggling to balance expectations, dreams, and experience to keep their land. There is an especially poignant story of an indominable women who takes over an aging farm and through diligence and creativity saves the farm (and rejuvenates her life). Tough and uplifting.” — Jimmy Daukas, Program Officer and Senior Advisor 

Love for the Land: Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place 
By Brooks Lamb 

"I read this book—written by American Farmland Trust’s own Land Protection and Access Specialist, Brooks Lamb—right after finishing my degree. His reflections on the imagination, affection, and fidelity that sustain small- and mid-scale farmers helped me process my relationship to my own family’s farm, clarify the direction of my career, and acquire a powerful framework to articulate why this work matters so deeply." — Claire Shipp, Midwest Policy Manager 

Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming
By Liz Carlisle 

“I enjoyed this book because it combines technical farming practices and socio-cultural dynamics though beautiful storytelling of BIPOC farmers in California reconnecting with their ancestral roots. Liz Carlisle has a very humble way of highlighting the stories of others and staying true to their voice. She digs into the inequities of land disposition and access which is personally grounding for my Land Transfer Navigator work at AFT.” — Deborah Nares, California Senior Manager