July did not go the way I thought it would. instead of moving out of a very stressful 6 weeks dealing with health issues, I got drop kicked into a very stressful month of needing to find a new place to live, packing and moving and managing a whole bunch of people’s emotions. I meant to get Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew reviewed a month ago, but it was beyond my ability. The review I would have written is very different and probably better than this review that I’m actually writing. There are a lot of details I’ve forgotten about the book, but what stayed with me is the spirit and feeling of the book. I kept in mind that through this period of intense emotion and upheaval, I could choose connection and caring instead if retreating into myself. I chose to keep connecting to people and caring for people – usually through food. In my last week with the people who have been like a family to me, I baked chocolate cakes, cookies, blondies, raspberry oat bars, biscuits and bread. I made soups and salads and sliced fruit for snacking. I didn’t do it to make sure I would be missed but to stay in the moment. To reinforce that though we are soon to be separated by thousands of miles, we are a part of each other.
Michael W. Twitty’s first book, The Cooking Gene, was one of my favorite books of 2019. After I read it, I wished so much that I could have discussed it with my great-grandmother, a very Southern cook. She slid into dementia before I was realized she was my connection to my familial roots. As a white Southerner, familial roots are thorny, but Twitty’s book made me want to dive more deeply into that thorny heritage. Koshersoul is a wonderful exploration of identity and the intersection of identities. One of the features of white supremacy is the flattening and ossification of identity. Identities that should be fluid become rigidly codified, making inclusion a scarcity. Koshersoul is an act of protest against that scarcity. Twitty’s style is meandering and thoughtful. But the point is always to prove the table should be bigger.
I received this as an advance reader copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.