2021-03-08 Publishers Weekly

Cookbooks

this commodity has shifted the landscape of the world. There are

stark labor issues tied to the industry—the poisoning of bodies,

women’s issues, forced labor, and child labor. The industry paints

a pretty picture in contrast to the reality on the ground.”

Another title shedding light on familiar

ingredients is The Secret History of Food

(Ecco, Sept.) by food and culture writer

Matt Siegel, which draws on atypical

sources—among them medieval food-

related manuscripts, ancient Chinese

scrolls, and obscure culinary journals—to

tell lesser-known stories of common

American food items, including honey, hot

peppers, and apple pie. A chapter on ice

cream, first published in the Atlantic in 2017, asserts that the

sweet treat improved American soldier morale—and helped to

defeat the Nazis.

Poetic license

At the edges of this genre are more literary titles that defy easy

categorization.

In Processed Meats (Torrey House, Mar.), a collection of essays,

Nicole Walker draws on her life and family history to uncover

“Erin is an overcomer and a risk-taker. She’s the kind of

person who, when faced with a setback, pushes forward and

makes beauty out of hardship. Her story is full of passion and

courage, and when you read this book, you will walk away

feeling inspired and encouraged in your own life.”

#1 New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Magnolia

“What a story of loss, recovery, food, love and so so much more...

You will love this memoir.”

~ANNIE PHILBRICK, BANK SQUARE BOOKS

Celadon Books is a division of Macmillan Publishers

From Erin French, owner of the critically acclaimed The Lost Kitchen,

a TIME world dining destination, a life-affirming memoir about survival,

renewal, and finding a community to lift her up.

FINDING FREEDOM

A COOK’S STORY

REMAKING A LIFE FROM SCRATCH

by Erin French

JOANNA GAINES

ON SALE April 6, 2021 / ISBN 9781250312341

friendship, a beloved restaurant, and food from a community
in exile.
Cristina Garces, senior editor at Chronicle, describes the
book, which was written with Elisa Ung, as a “story about
immigration, asylum, social justice, female empowerment.”
She adds, “Food and memoir are tied inextricably together.
We’ve been really pushing the boundaries of our food list to
include books that focus on really topical things.”

Just the facts, ma’am
Other books rely on reportage to bring surprising food stories
to light.
James Beard Award–winning journalist Jocelyn C. Zuckerman
leans on her investigative chops in Planet
Palm (New Press, June), which cracks
open the connections between palm oil,
late-stage capitalism, and climate disaster.
PW called the book a “sharp exposé.”
Zuckerman says Planet Palm blends his-
tory, science, politics, and food to explicate
the human and environmental impacts of
this “poorly understood plant.” She adds,
“Like salt and sugar and gold and cotton,