Legendary singer Linda Ronstadt is publishing a book about her Mexican American heritage, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Ronstadt is working with author Lawrence Downes and photographer Bill Steen on Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands, which publisher Heyday Books calls “a love letter to Ronstadt’s Mexican American roots.
“It tells of her coming of age in the world between Tucson and the Rio Sonora region of northern Mexico, presented through stories, photographs, and recipes,” Heyday said.
“There’s a Mexican story that isn’t often told about the desert and the families who live there,” Ronstadt said. “It takes cooperation and ingenuity to survive and build a beautiful life in such a harsh environment. This is Arizona, where I was born, and Sonora, where my soul is anchored.”
Ronstadt, known for hits like “You’re No Good” and “When Will I Be Loved,” was born in Tucson and raised on a ranch in Arizona. Her grandfather, Federico José María Ronstadt, was a prominent businessman in Tucson.
She is the author of a previous memoir, Simple Dreams. A reviewer for Kirkus praised the book as “a personable and engagingly written memoir” and “consistently interesting.”
“We are delighted to welcome Linda and her team to Heyday,” publisher Steve Wasserman said. “We look forward to publishing this exciting book in the fall of 2022. For me personally this project is a thrill and a privilege as I first met Linda when I helped play a role as midwife to the birth of her exquisite musical memoir, Simple Dreams, a decade ago. I’m honored that Heyday will be her home for her new book.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
