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New York Times
02-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
An Archive of Black Resistance, in Dispatches From Bookstores
From the outset, Black bookstores have been centers of not only cultural exchange and knowledge but also protest and liberation. When David Ruggles opened what is recognized as the first Black bookstore, in 1834, at 67 Lispenard Street in Lower Manhattan, he used his inventory of books, pamphlets and stationery — as well as the in-house print shop — to advance the abolitionist movement. A year later, D. Ruggles Books was destroyed in a fire that was most likely caused by arson. Katie Mitchell draws on this long tradition of Black renaissance emerging from Black resistance in PROSE TO THE PEOPLE (Clarkson Potter, $26.99), a historical guidebook and cultural anthology told through a resplendent tapestry of images, artifacts, poetry, interviews and essays showcasing the resilience of the Black community through the lens of one of its most enduring institutions. Mitchell spent two years traveling the country to collect photos and testimonials from individual establishments and their patrons — the Black bookstore being defined as not only Black-owned, but specializing in publications by Black authors. The result is both a collage and an encyclopedia of Black art and Black pride, a timeline of activism, a reading list and even a soundtrack to accompany it all. Mitchell's greatest achievement is not beckoning readers to visit these disparate spaces; it is her ability to unite them across time and geography in a collective purpose that goes beyond a love of books. This archive of intellectual access and achievement illustrates an innate understanding of what the beloved Harlem bookseller Lewis Michaux proselytized: 'Black is beautiful, but knowledge is power.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spring's best new cookbooks, from pizza to pastries
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. This season's batch of new cookbooks are wanderers. You could head to Pakistan, the Caribbean (two times) or bop from one friend's dinner party to another's with the optimal dish in hand for sharing. Marie Mitchell is the child of Jamaican immigrants and lives in the United Kingdom. Her debut cookbook is a collection of recipes that celebrate the flavors of her ancestral Caribbean and the diaspora it has influenced. That means honey-shellacked jerk wings with cassava fries, tomato curry and coconut buns. (out now, $35, W.W. Norton) One impactful aspect of the best cookbooks is their ability to overturn your thinking. With this new book, Maryam Jillani shows the complexity of Pakistan, a country too often in the West lumped with its neighbor to the southwest, India. "Pakistan" is part travelogue, part cultural study and a compendium of Pakistani recipes that showcase the singular diversity of the country's cooking. (out now, $40, Bookshop) "It's about the delicious places that live in between American and Chinese traditions," said chef Brandon Jew of Mister Jiu's in San Francisco about Calvin Eng's cooking in "Salt Sugar MSG." The chef at Bonnie's in Brooklyn, named for his mother, Eng plays well with both classic Cantonese and American dishes. Taro steps in for potatoes in diner-style hash browns. Pork schnitzel is seasoned with salt and pepper and served with ranch. "Some chef-authored cookbooks feel fussy in a way that's ultimately unfriendly to cooking at home, but 'Salt Sugar MSG' feels cheffy in a more accessible way," said Bettina Makalintal at Eater. (out now, $40, Clarkson Potter) The world needs another pizza cookbook like — well, most everyone loves pizza, so bring it on. This debut cookbook from Scarr Pimentel, the mind behind the beloved Manhattan pizzeria Scarr's, celebrates New York-style pizza, with an emphasis on natural and organic ingredients. The results are both classic and modern; now you can achieve the same at home. (out now, $30, 4 Color Books) One great cookbook: 'Snacking Cakes' One great cookbook: 'Solo' One great cookbook: 'The Zuni Café Cookbook' Nina Compton has had a peripatetic cooking journey. Born in Saint Lucia, she lived in Jamaica and Miami before settling in New Orleans. In the Crescent City, she opened Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro, restaurants that sing the pleasures of her distinctive Caribbean-centered cuisine. The book, coauthored with Osayi Endolyn, is organized around those four locations — Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Miami, New Orleans — to show how the quartet shaped Compton. (April 1, $37.50, Clarkson Potter) Zaynab Issa, a recent member of the lauded Bon Appétit food team, is known for her smart, big-flavored cooking. In her first cookbook, her style is dubbed "third culture cooking" — not wholly that of her Tanzanian-Indian beginnings, not strictly American but a hybrid and reconsideration of all of it. French onion ramen, udon carbonara, tandoori tacos, baklava granola: "Issa's recipes are mashups of everything you'd want to eat," said Jaya Saxena at Eater. (April 1, $35, Abrams) Nicole Rucker, owner of the Los Angeles bakeries Fat + Flour, is the rare pastry person who is beloved by both other pastry people and the baked-goods consuming public. Any cookbook from Rucker is cause for clanging together your measuring cups with glee. In her latest, she walks you through how to make superb pies and cookies, and does so with clear, lighthearted instructions. (April 8, $35, Knopf) If you have ever been invited to someone's house and felt exhausted at the notion of meekly proffering yet another bottle of wine when you arrive, this book by Casey Elsass aims to revitalize your guest obligations. The book is divided into eight sections, and each tackles a different occasion, including tailgates and brunch. The recipes are accessible but will still impress every kind of host — and the other guests in attendance. (May 20, $30, Union Square & Co)