PERFORMING ARTS

Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands

by Linda Ronstadt & Lawrence Downes (author) & Bill Steen (photogs.).
Heyday. Oct. 2022. 248p. ISBN 9781597145794. $35. MEMOIR
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Coauthor Downes (There Is Just Us) calls this book a “historical, musical, edible memoir.” While it’s not a straight-forward autobiography like singer Ronstadt’s Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir from 2013, it’s a beautifully written celebration of her extended family, the Sonoran Desert, which straddles her hometown of Tucson, AZ, and northern Mexico, and the food and culture that shaped her. She grew up surrounded by music. Sprinkled throughout the photo-filled book are 20 recipes ranging from Ronstadt Family Meatballs, Sonoran Hot Dogs (a hot dog wrapped in bacon and an avalanche of other toppings), El Minuto’s Cheese Crisps, and Gibby’s Eggnog, her grandmother’s “knock-you-flat” recipe.
VERDICT Ronstadt celebrates her roots in this engaging, personal and entertaining hybrid family memoir/cookbook and social history.
Reviewed by Kevin Howell , Dec 02, 2022
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