Farm-to-Freedom

“Delving into archival materials, extensive interviews, his own family’s history and more, Roy Vũ has crafted an important book that explores the history and geopolitical context of Vietnamese American food gardens, revealing the deeper significance of these often humble yet lush plots growing fruits and vegetables such as kumquats, bananas, bitter melon, rau ram, okra, and water spinach. This is a must read for anyone who wants to better understand the experiences of Vietnamese Americans and the importance of food and foodways for immigrants and refugees trying to remain connected to their culture, cuisine, and homeland while forging new homes in a new land.”–David Leftwich, food writer, editor of Edible Houston, and member of Foodways Texas Advisory Board–David Leftwich
“In his work of love, longing, and remembrance, Roy Vu takes us into the gardens and kitchens of Vietnamese cooks in Asia and America, tracing the ways that they have brought their foods over troubled waters and helped them thrive in unfamiliar soil. Vietnamese immigrants, including Vu’s own parents, share their experiences of growing and cooking food from home, adapting to the new and cherishing the old. The story is both heartrending and hopeful, told with gratitude and care.”–Rebecca Sharpless, Professor of History, Texas Christian University and author of Grain and Fire: A History of Baking in the American South –Rebecca Sharpless

Roy Vu is a history faculty member at Dallas College North Lake Campus. His publications include Our Finite Bounty: An Anthology of Sustainable Topics (Kendall Hunt, 2017) and Feasted Landscapes: Sustainability in American Topics Vols. 1 and 2 (Kendall Hunt, 2015, 2018). He is the director of Plant It Forward, an organization working to empower refugees to develop sustainable farming businesses that produce fresh, healthy food for the community. He lives in Irving, Texas.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.