All articles filed in Food for Thought

Just when Wes Moore is finally making it big (Rhodes Scholar, study abroad, stable family) he learns of another man, also named Wes Moore, who was raised under remarkably similar circumstances but wound up with a life sentence for murder. Both men were born within a year of each other, lived only a few blocks…

Uber-nerdy, lovelorn Oscar is not your typical Latino from the ghetto, which immediately set this book apart from others. Author Junot Diaz uses a realistic slang voice that further distinguishes the book from other tales of the working class. (It didn’t feel like a mom trying too hard to be hip with her daughter’s friends.)…

After One Day went gangbusters across the pond, word started spreading in the good ol’ U-S-of A.  After reading reviews all over the place, I decided to pick it up before they turned it into a movie (which they are, starring Anne Hathaway).  I’m glad I didn’t wait to join the hoards of people already…

I flew through this book.  It is a bittersweet coming of age story, and I loved watching the main character, Rose, grow into herself since it is easy to relate to her growing pains.  Navigating friendships, family, and boys is hard on all of us, even those that can’t taste feelings in food.  As a…

I had read Sloane Crosley’s first collection of essays, I Was Told There’d Be Cake, and loved her writing style.  Her biting Manhattan sarcasm seeps into every word about killing a bear cub, stealing furniture, and her crazy roommate.  However, I feel the endings sometimes fall slightly flat.  The build-up is amazing, but the finale…

This book was essentially Big Love in novel form.  That works for me because I am a Big Love fan…well I was while I still had HBO.  Being extremely intrigued by polygamous culture, I enjoyed reading the fictional account of a family straining to manage the inevitable stress that comes with being a part of…

It’s about time I read this classic, so I was happy that it was my book club’s latest pick.  Had I not been given that push, I probably never would have picked it up.  I am particularly glad I read Bram Stoker’s Dracula now, in the height of vampire frenzy (Twilight, True Blood, etc), to best…

I’m not into chick lit, so this was my version of a beach read, as it was interesting enough and a super quick read.  This debut novel from Jean Kwok follows a young girl, Kimberly, and her mother after they immigrate from Hong Kong.  While Kimberly is unbelievably smart, she must succeed while hiding the…

Just finished a great book.  If you want a quick read, be sure to pick up Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  Note, I said quick read not beach read.  Though you could read this on while laying out, don’t expect chick lit.  It may move fast, but it’s not exactly light.  The chapters alternate between the…