Cuisine. Culture. Commentary.
Hattie loves her children but rather than show that love with affection and sensitivity, she focuses on being a solid provider. She does what she has to do to make sure her 11 children (and one grandchild) are fed, healthy, and out of harm’s way. But whether it is her rough demeanor or the circumstance of…
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Someone is dead. We know the death occurred at a school trivia night (of all places) and that the names of three women – Madeline, Celeste, and Jane – are on everyone’s lips. We immediately rewind to Kindergarten orientation day when the three women form a bond over champagne that is quickly tested when Jane’s…
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Who here knew orphan trains were a thing? I, for one, had no idea that through the 1920s, the Children’s Aid Society transported hundreds of thousands of orphaned children from busy Northeastern cities to the rural Midwest in the hopes of giving them new lives. The idea was that children would have a better chance…
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Mumbai is a city of immense wealth as well as supreme poverty. Just next to the airport, around the corner from gleaming luxury hotels sits the Annawadi slum. Here, families squat on the land owned by the airport and make lives with much less than we would ever think possible. Though their homes could be…
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My very observant boyfriend noticed how disappointed I was when Amy Poehler’s new book was stolen from me during a white elephant gift exchange. He must have told Santa because just a couple weeks later, I received the very book for our own Chrismukkah gift swap. The holidays may be over, but if somebody is…
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I am a big fan of the show “Girls” and its accurate portrayal of life for early 20-somethings in New York so it stands to reason that I would enjoy this collection of personal essays by its creator, Lena Dunham. Dunham is comfortable with the uncomfortable. All the things I would never talk about (therapy, bad…
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I’ve always been a fan of Anjelica Huston’s work but knew very little about her life. I’d heard she had a sorta famous father and dated Jack Nicholson for a bit, but now I realize her father was one of the most famous directors of our time and her relationship with Nicholson lasted 17 years.…
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To say Celeste has a fetish would be a gross understatement. She is beyond just “turned on” by 14-year old boys. She likes them exclusively, to the point that she must drug herself to have sex with her [age-appropriate] husband. She is incredibly specific in her tastes – not too muscular so they still seem boyish,…
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Sarah Grimké is headstrong and opinionated and when she is given her own slave on her eleventh birthday, she rejects the gift on principle. After she learns she cannot exactly do that, she and the young girl, Handful, establish a relationship built upon the idea that they should be seen as equals. With Sarah’s help,…
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The “rich” in this novel’s title is a vast understatement. These are people who own five homes, fly only on their private planes, and spend $250,000 on a single dress. It’s absurd…which is exactly why I lapped up ever juicy page. I had no idea that this level of wealth existed, nor does Rachel Chu when…
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Peaches to Apples 