In celebration of Black History Month, we’ll be highlighting a diverse range of books, all written by Black American authors, all of which celebrate and prioritize Black Joy. We’ll be featuring a title every day through the month of February.
Kleaver Cruz, creator of the Black Joy project, says that “Black joy is resistance. Amplifying Black joy is not about dismissing or creating an ‘alternative’ Black narrative that ignores the realities of our collective pain; rather, it is about holding the pain and injustices we experience as Black folks around the world in tension with the joy we experience in pain’s midst. It’s about using that joy as an entry into understanding the oppressive forces we navigate through as a means to imagine and create a world free of them.”
Today’s work is Edna Lewis’ The Taste of Country Cooking, a detailed and delicious collection of recipes and memories. Lewis grew up in a small farming community in Virginia settled by freed enslaved peoples and their descendants, and her emphasis is always on cooking with fresh, local ingredients. The founder of the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food, Lewis’ collection extolls Southern cooking for its flavor, history, and the pleasure it brings to cook and consumer alike.
Stay tuned for a new book tomorrow!
