Maame - It 'Ain't Over Yet

Well, it's the end of the line, and I'm just getting my post out for our latest Cook the Books Club selection. We've been reading Maame, by Jessica George, these past two months; hosted by Debra of (Eliot's Eats).

 Truthfully, I was getting so depressed by and outraged at the central character, Maddie, for her attitude of victimization and not standing up for herself, that I just put the book aside and went on to life and other reads.  Then, when time was growing short for some sort of review, decided to do one of those sneak peeks to the ending.  Okay, looking much better, and worked my way backwards.  Things do improve, in life and sometimes even in books.  She does eventually take control of herself and her life, basically after her dad dies and frees her up in a sense to move on; after being his care giver, and mainstay of the whole family for so many years.  I won't give the ending totally away for those who haven't yet read the book, but if you can press on, it's a good lesson in giving people a chance and understanding what may have caused their dysfunctions.

From the Publishers:

"Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

So when her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie seizes the chance to move out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But when tragedy strikes, Maddie is forced to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils―and rewards―of putting her heart on the line."

Just to explain, what we do at Cook the Books is to prepare something inspired by our reading of the current selection.  For inspiration, I chose to find a dish from Maddie's home country of Ghana.  In Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook on Africa, The Soul of a New Cuisine, he says "Cooking food in banana leaves is a tradition in West Africa."  He includes a recipe for Snapper wrapped in Banana Leaves, which I used, with some adaptations, based on my location in Hawaii.  The fish became Ahi Poke, which is chunks of ahi tuna in some seasonings, to which I included some salted, preserved lemon; which all went into the banana leaf parcels.  Here is Marcus' recipe:

As you will notice, the mainstay of this dish is a rich risotto type preparation, made with rice, coconut milk, stock and various vegetables.  This is all served along with the fish wraps.  The recipe also calls for morning glory or spinach, however I used sweet potato greens from our garden, another popular African  green.

An absolutely delicious concoction altogether!  And certainly a taste of another cuisine.  This will be posted with Cook the Books and linked also to Foodies Read, hosted by Heather and Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marge, the Intrepid Reader and Baker, also sharing this post at Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz.   Stay tuned for the coming soon Round-Up of everyone's posts, which should be enticing and interesting!  

Collard Greens and Ribs for The Cooking Gene

Our latest Cook the Books Club selection, The Cooking Gene, by Michael W. Twitty, was quite a ride, "A journey through African Culinary History in the Old South," as the sub-title states. Though it is much more than that, being also personal history, a memoir of the author and his family, from the time of their arrival as slaves to the present day.  From the Publishers:

"A renowned culinary historian offers a fresh perspective on our most divisive cultural issue, race, in this illuminating memoir of Southern cuisine and food culture that traces his ancestry—both black and white—through food, from Africa to America and slavery to freedom....

From the tobacco and rice farms of colonial times to plantation kitchens and backbreaking cotton fields, Twitty tells his family story through the foods that enabled his ancestors’ survival across three centuries. He sifts through stories, recipes, genetic tests, and historical documents, and travels from Civil War battlefields in Virginia to synagogues in Alabama to Black-owned organic farms in Georgia."

The Algerian Couscous Connection

Don't you love finding terrific new authors?  Often I'll read the review for a brand new book, not even out yet, (which can be frustrating), but will go find what other books that author has written, read those reviews and perhaps check  one out.  Here's an enjoyable read by Juliet Blackwell, The Paris Key. first of a new series.   I noticed she had other books in series that didn't appeal (witches, ghosts and paranormal fiction), but this one definitely did, and I've already reserved her follow up to it.

A young American woman, Genevieve, with family ties to France, and even to Algeria, returns to Paris after the breakup of her marriage.  The city was where she spent some happy time as a troubled adolescent, with her loving aunt and uncle.  When he dies, she returns to find solace there once more, wearing around her neck an unusual key she inherited from her mother.  I loved all the connections, between family lost and found, secrets kept and finally revealed, past and present.  From the publishers:

"As a girl, Genevieve Martin spent the happiest summer of her life in Paris, learning the delicate art of locksmithing at her uncle’s side. But since then, living back in the States, she has become more private, more subdued. She has been an observer of life rather than an active participant, holding herself back from those around her, including her soon-to-be-ex-husband.