The Deeper the Roots

by Michael Tubbs

The making of a visionary political leader―and a blueprint for a more equitable country

“Don’t tell nobody our business,” Michael Tubbs’s mother often told him growing up. For Michael, that meant a lot of things: don’t tell anyone about the day-to-day struggle of being Black and broke in Stockton, CA. Don’t tell anyone the pain of having a father incarcerated for 25 years to life. Don’t tell anyone about living two lives, the brainy bookworm and the kid with the newest Jordans. And also don’t tell anyone about the particular joys of growing up with three “moms”―a Nana who never let him miss church, an Auntie who’d take him to the library any time, and a mother, “She-Daddy”, who schooled him in the wisdom of hip-hop and taught him never to take no for an answer.

So for a long time Michael didn’t tell anyone his story, but as he went on to a scholarship at Stanford and an internship in the Obama White House, he began to realize the power of his experience, the need for his perspective in the halls of power. By the time he returned to Stockton to become, in 2016 at age 26, its first Black mayor and the youngest-ever mayor of a major American city, he knew his story meant something.

The Deeper the Roots is a memoir astonishing in its candor, voice, and clarity of vision. Tubbs shares with us the city that raised him, his family of badass women, his life-changing encounters with Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, the challenges of governing in the 21st century and everything in between―en route to unveiling his compelling vision for America rooted in his experiences in his hometown.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, Biography Memoir, Race, Autobiography

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 16, 2021

Reviews

[Kim Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Tubbs is an amazing young man! I requested this book on Netgalley because I thought the blurb sounded interesting. I was wrong, and right. This book wasn't just interesting... It was awe inspiring!

Michael was the first black Mayor of Stockton, California... And he was the youngest mayor ever of a major American City. He accomplished more in his 20's than most people can or have done in their lives. And he did so while having to navigate immense hurdles... One of which was an education system that told him that he would never amount to anything. That he would either be dead or in jail just because of his race. As a white woman, I know these things happen, but to read it and to understand it is heartbreaking. We tell our kids every day that they can be anything they want to be in this country, but to tell a child that he will never amount to anything because of the color of their skin is abhorrent! Teachers.... People whose chosen profession is to educate our youth, doing the exact opposite of what they are supposed to do... Is just so mindnumbingly wrong!

This book, among others, has opened my eyes once again to the prevalent racism in this country.... BUT it has also shown me the power of a mother's love. What three women can do in order to make sure their child will make it in this world. And not only make it, but MAKE IT!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Flatiron Books and Michael Tubbs for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some might think this memoir is a brag book. But wow, Michael Tubbs has a lot to be proud of! He was raised in Stockton, CA not far from Modesto where I live, so I was drawn to his story. Despite his money poor childhood he had love, support and inspirtion from many sources. Enough to dispel the constant discouragement around him.

[Amy Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well-written autobiography. Michael is inspiring and he discussed and worked through so many issues of class, systemic racism, poverty, etc in the novel and brought a thought provoking perspective. Would highly recommend reading it.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an astonishing memoir of the first Black mayor of Stockton and the youngest-ever mayor of a major American city. The author talks about being raised by three badass women, his life-changing encounters with Oprah and Obama, the challenges of governing in the 21st century, and his vision for America. In this book, the author shares how his mother's approach to life helped him become the youngest mayor in American history, why it's crucial for authority figures to encourage students, and what prompted him to file a civil lawsuit with the NAACP against a former teacher for discrimination and racism.

There were so many moments in the story that I couldn't stop thinking about. One was when the author visited his father in prison for the first time and had an idea of what he looked like, only to find out his dad looked just like him. I found it interesting how the author straddled two different lives when he was in the International Baccalaureate program and how he had to make friends across both lines, a skill that helped him as mayor. The book is inspiring and shows us that you only need one person to say, "you have talent," and that's enough to get anyone on the right path.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/mic...

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Tubbs is one amazing young man and this is one amazing memoir of his first three decades of life, growing up in poverty, missing his incarcerated father, struggling with systemic racism in Stockton, CA. But Tubbs had three strong women, his mother, aunt and grandmother, telling him he could succeed and with immense faith, hard work and natural brilliance he became a leader at his high school, earned a scholarship to Stanford, won a Stockton city council seat while still at Stanford and eventually was elected mayor of Stockton at age 26, the youngest mayor ever of a major American city. As I read the ups and heart-breaking downs of his story, I kept thinking if only there were more of us were willing to commit ourselves as fully as Tubbs does to improving the city or town in which we live. Tubbs has many innovative ideas, some controversial like the guaranteed income that he piloted in Stockton. Although successful in bringing Stockton out of bankruptcy and in other accomplishments, Tubbs was swift-boated in his reelection bid and lost. The loss was definitely Stockton's, in my opinion. I highly recommend this book to get a look inside some of our country's problems of inequality and racism told from the honest, thoughtful point of view of an individual who has lived them and is committed to working for change. I'm eager to follow the career of this exceptional man.

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing memoir that brought me some awareness of a life so different from my own. Michael Tubbs has already accomplished much, and I look forward to seeing what else he does. I thank him for sharing his story with all of us.

This unbiased review is based on a copy won through Goodreads giveaways.

[Kristin Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story of Michael Tubbs's life and his political career but it jumped around a lot and could have been written better. There were a few errors. I did enjoy learning about Stockton.
Michael Tubbs has a lot to offer and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

[Shamiram · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a good-hearted individual

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading

[Constance Chevalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story... and it was real! Loved it! I'm sure Michael Tubbs has gone on to even more political achievements.

[Jeff Pett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible story. I heard the author speak on a webinar for those working with families in the family court system, and his ideas about how to make changes in how we help families in need I found intriguing. After the webinar I got his book and as I opened it I thought I would be slogging through a book on policy.
Not so!
This is a truly inspiring story of Michael's life rising out of poverty and into leadership positions no one would have anticipated. I highly recommend reading this book - a beautiful story of family and love, as well as one that makes one stop and maybe rethink how to truly make progress in battling poverty.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed his writing and his story is inspiring.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a have to read. Michael Tubbs shares his life story about being brought up with his father in prison and being raised by his mother, aunt and grandmother. He fought through poverty and racism to become the youngest and the first African-American mayor in Stockton, Ca.
He worked for the people. He truly was a great man he cared for all. I very recommend this book to all. Middle school and older. A great gift to give yourself or to give someone for a birthday or any special day. I give this book a high 5 stars only wish I could give it more.

I received this book in a giveaway. This is no expectataion for anything other than an honest review.

[Cassandra Bland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of true stories like Michael's. I love reading about people succeeding even when there were people in his life who were doubtful. The book is so well written from beginning to end, it follows Michael's life from youth to adulthood through the ups and downs of life. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read biographies. I would recommend this book to high school and college students.

[Kemba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading and discussing Michael Tubb’s journey with my 8y/o. We were both impressed and inspired. This story of real life Black Excellence is the narrative children should know at an early age. This is the type of story that propels the young to know they will be tomorrow’s change makers. They are the promise. This book should be recommended reading in school age book clubs.

[Paul Signorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What if we lived in a society that actually gave people the opportunity for redemption? We are all more than the worst things we've done."
--Michael Tubbs, former Mayor of Stockton, California, in his book "The Deeper the Roots: A Memoir of Hope and Home"

Michael Tubbs, in posing that question as part of his reflections after having been arrested for driving under the influence, beautifully captures the spirit of a book celebrating the power of community (beginning with the three women—the "sheroes"—who have supported him throughout his life); the ways we (sometimes) overcome the adversities we face; and the (positive as well as negative) impacts our learning experiences have in shaping our views of and approaches to our world.

The book is far more moving than the average political biography. His first-rate storytelling abilities allow us to see and experience the world through the eyes of a determined Black teen whose teachers consistently belittle him and do all they can to try to (unsuccessfully) convince him that his future is limited; we cheer with and for him—and for ourselves, as fellow Americans—when he concludes the story with the punchline that “a week before graduation, I filed a formal civil rights complaint with the local NAACP against my biology teacher for racism and discrimination. He hasn’t been allowed to teach at our high school since.” Those same storytelling skills carry us through descriptions of the programs he started and the commitments he made to his own students during his education at Stanford. And they inspire us again as he chronicles his experience winning, as a young adult, a place on the Stockton City Council and then a term as mayor of the city—a period during which his willingness to work with a variety of partners, to focus on “long-term structural issues [e.g., poverty and violence], addressing underling cause rather than just their day-to-day effects,” produced positive results in a less-than-promising environment.

The overall optimism with which he concludes the book, in spite of having lost his bid for re-election, invites us to join him in asking a critically important question—“What am I prepared to do so that, fifty years from now, our sons and daughters are born into a world worthy of them?”—and encourages us to jump at the invitation to “do it together.”

[Charity Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared. - Tupac Shakur

Storytelling- truth-telling-is how we make sense of the world of the world as it is and gain the vision of courage to create the world as it should be

Grace is both necessary, and sufficient to power us through hard times, I would learn. Grace and the love of a fierce woman, or the nutrients I needed to grow in the soil I was planted in: Stockton, California.

Although exhausting and at times, infuriating, these conversations help me to recognize that ignorance willful or not helps perpetrate racism in our country, and that mass education, I save space to ask dumb questions, and enter dialogue, is needed

Joy. Hope against all hope. Child’s play. It’s the only way to survive a chaotic, beleaguered world, I thought. The way to battle injustice. The way not to lose your mind. The way to keep God, even, because how better to demonstrate faith, then to be a child at play in the middle of a war.

You can’t do what everyone else thinks you should do. You have to assess your strengths and weaknesses and passion.

That moment reinforced what I had learned in community, organizing, that there are no permanent friends, and no permanent enemies just permanent issues. And that change often comes with a coalition of unlikely allies.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

You’re human, so sometimes you’ll make choices you shouldn’t make, and this is what you do: you own it. You say, I’m sorry, I am wrong. You make sure it doesn’t happen again and you forgive yourself. You forgive other people. You use your mistakes as a chance to help others.

We are all more than the worst thing we have ever done

[Lily Jansa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cool to read Michael Tubb’s’ memoir and follow his journey from Stockton to a Mayoral position. Felt inspired! Appreciated his candor and enjoyed learning about how his faith influences his daily interactions.

“Time and time again, I was finding that you could sometimes get results just by asking the right questions. People assume that the status quo is the way that it is because the question has been asked and answered, but often the question has never even been raised.” p. 174 !!!!!!! FAV QUOTE

“Our testimonies are sources of pride and reservoirs of strength. Storytelling, truth, telling, is how we make sense of the the world as it is, and gain the vision and courage to create the world as it should be.” p.3

“Although exhausting and at times infuriating, these conversations helped me recognize that ignorance (willful or not) helps perpetuate racism in our country, and that mass education, a safe space to ask dumb questions and enter dialogue, is needed.”

“That moment reinforced what I had learned and community organizing, that there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies — just permanent issues. And that change often comes with a coalition of unlikely allies.” p.173

“As both a council member and an educator, I learned a lesson that I’m still learning: it might take more time, it might be messier, but it is vital to make people feel ownership of change that will affect them. Bring people in, and they will implement solutions with commitment.” P.189

“Then Bob looked at me and asked: “what are you prepared to do today so that 50 years from now a child is born with more opportunity?”” p.242

[Sophie Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Work as if it all depends on you and pray as if it all depends on God. With that combination you can’t lose.”
“We’re all just one bad choice away from ruin. We’re all human.”
“We are all more than the worst thing we have ever done.”
“These structures we inherit weren’t acts of God but acts of men and women. They were policy choices, made by elected politicians. That meant we had the capacity to change them.”
“Attaching the idea of dignity to production is part of the reason we have such a lopsided economy today. Dignity has to be attached to humanity first. No one needs to earn their humanity”
“This rage is rooted in faith, the substance of the things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, an active faith that is alive with works, with communal efforts to ensure our better angels are reflected in the type of society we build. This rage is rooted in love, a deep, abiding love in the possibilities of the future, in the best of all of us, a love that is not anemic, but ferocious in demanding more, in wanting better for all of us.”

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

When he was just 26 years old, Michael Tubbs became the first black mayor (and youngest) of Stockton, California, his hometown. Having grown up with a teenager mother who advised "don't tell nobody your business", Tubbs overcame a rough start with the help of his three mom's (aunt, mother, and grandmother) who helped mold him into a high achieving student who went on to university and to intern at the White House under President Barack Obama. When his cousin died unexpectedly in his hometown, Tubbs felt led to return to his roots to make changes in his community. He could have gone anywhere, made more money, but he chose to make an impact and lobby for change. This is a book about family, faith, about perseverance and Tubbs' relationship with a father who was incarcerated from the time he was young. He honors the women in his life and it's evident that he made a difference to impact against the poverty and violence of his neighbourhood. An inspiring, hopeful book.

[Sara Broad · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Deeper the Roots" by Michael Tubbs is a memoir about the author's life and the path that leads him to become the first Black mayor of Stockton, CA. Tubbs grows up surrounded by his "moms" and other close family members while his father, with whom he does not have much contact but is a lingering presence in his mind, is incarcerated. Tubbs' experiences first-hand the consequences of disinvested communities, from violent neighborhoods to underfunded schools, which serve as inspiration for his future roles as teacher and politician. He eventually attends Standford where he develops a network and takes courses that are part of the foundations for his successful grassroots campaign for his first political role. This is a solid read, and I'm curious to learn more about what Tubbs is up to today.

[George Crowder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Tubbs' story of his first thirty years has many elements to recommend it, particularly his eight-year political career on Stockton's city council and as its first black, and extremely young mayor. However, his political service is given short shrift in the telling, overwhelmed by all that led up to it. I also found his citations of racism, both personalized and structural, to be excessive, turning his memoir into more of an indictment of the system. Not that it's unwarranted; it's just heavy-handed and other writers have done it much better.

Above all, Mr. Tubbs' choice to narrate his own audiobook did his writing a disservice through poor enunciation, phrasing, and his insistence on pronouncing all forms of "ask" as "ax." I've heard the Ebonics arguments for this practice, but his reading style distracted this listener from his story.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the memoir of Michael Tubbs who was the most recent mayor of Stockton, CA. The books covers his life from birth through the end of his tenure as the youngest mayor of a major US city and the first black mayor of Stockton. We see how his life could have gone in a completely different direction and the steps taken by him and his family to make sure it went the way it did.

This memoir is inspiring and a truly wonderful story. Michael isn't perfect, but he owns that, and he details what he has done to overcome some rough circumstances. i think he is going to do big things in life and I am excited to watch what he does.

[Marissa Yankello · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As both a council member and an educator, I learned a lesson that I am still relearning: it might take more time, it might be messier, but it is vital to make people feel ownership of change that will affect them. Bring people in, and they will implement solutions with commitment. As the adage goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Really enjoyed it. Four stars because at times it felt a little too preachy and like he was still campaigning, as opposed to sharing his life story.

[Kaleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good read. You’ll start off learning about his upbringing where him and his family struggled to make ends meet. Over time he eventually becomes the mayor of his hometown, Stockton, California. You can really tell that Michael Tubbs really cares about the people of his hometown and he does the necessary work to make sure that his hometown is better off because of it. You’ll learn about the different forms of discrimination that he faced throughout his life and the effects that various women in his life have impacted Michael into becoming a better person.

[Donna Bijas · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Want to thank Mr. Tubbs for writing one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read (and there have been many). This uplifting story of survival in a poor down-trodden neighborhood, while painful at times, turned into a story of solution. Character development was excellent and I felt as if I was in the room when some of the political discussions were going on. Politics played a big part in this story. My takeaway from this is that Michael Tubbs is a smart, well educated Black Man trying to lift up his community in many ways as he can. Bravo.

[Karen V. Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting And Watching

WOW... what an interesting read. I remember that Tuesday night many years ago watching then Senator Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic Convention, not knowing who he was at that moment. However, from that moment, I kept my eyes on him and wasn't surprised that greatness was in his future. I feel the same after reading this book. I look forward to watching greatness finding Michael Tubbs again and seeing where life takes him. He's not finished with America, and Stockton was just his dress rehearsal.

[Audreygold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and inspiring memoir of a young black man and his journey from poverty in Stockton to Stanford and his return to his hometown to run for city council and be elected mayor. Unfortunately he did not win a second term as mayor to continue his visionary leadership yet I doubt Michael's political career is over. We need more people like him in government. A good book to read having just finished the Tyranny of Merit. I wish Michael Tubbs and his family much success and good luck.

[Liz Wyknenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who took some time to figure out my purpose or direction, I’m always interested in those who possess those things early on. Michael Tubbs clearly found his voice and passion early in life, and his story is well worth reading. I appreciated his dedication to improving his hometown of Stockton, and it was inspiring to learn about his accomplishments there and his ideas for breaking communities like his out of the cycles of poverty.

[Emily Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true, hope-focused story of the first POC mayor of Stockton, CA. He does a great job accepting the things that made growing up difficult. Sometimes Michael has great insights into himself and his community. Sometimes he lacks self-awareness. He seems to credit himself with successes and blame others (or God's will) for failures. Of course this is a generalization, but that tone is the reason this was 4 stars not 5. Again, the positive tone in his storytelling is really powerful.