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Alice, Bobby, and Amelia My thoughts after reading this book Lovely lovely lovely book Can you tell that I loved this book? The thing about reading so much is that I always think that I love all of the books that I read and I do This is the kind of book where I read about the author and I read the acknowledgements and the preface and I can't get enough of it all! And in true "Patty Fashion" I do not go through this book and overanalyze it bit by bit This book is a southern story that takes place mostly in NYC.
The three key characters seem to not be connected at all and yet they are They each have their sorrows but they also have immense joy. I had a real sense of the South in the early 60's and 70's and a really fantastic sense of NYC then, too. What I loved about this book I loved the relationships I loved the way the characters continued to sort of link to each other. Meemaw's poundcake, crab cakes, lemon curd on homemade ginger snaps What I did not love about this book I have to say that when Amelia's part came along near the end of the book This is a memorable book I want to read more by this author Mar 21, Craftnut - rated it it was amazing Shelves: A beautifully written novel about three different people with very different backgrounds, escaping their troubled lives in the South to New York City.
The common element is cooking, and they find each other through a restaurant and a cookbook. Each has their own story, of past issues with who they are and who they become within the book, all coming together at the end. This novel is so well written, with rich imagery and detail in the lives of the characters. Well developed storyline in a conver A beautifully written novel about three different people with very different backgrounds, escaping their troubled lives in the South to New York City.
Well developed storyline in a convergent style, and a twist at the end that I did not see coming. The previous clear writing was obscured by tortured connections and this idiot character. When you get to the section with Amelia, close the book and write your own ending- it will be a much better read for you. Apr 05, Whitney rated it liked it. This book ends up feeling like three very separate stories that all have an intersection but are not necessarily intertwined. I enjoyed reading it and I went through it quickly because I found it engaging, but in the end I don't know who I would recommend it to.
A Place at the Table is a film produced by Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, with appearances by Jeff Bridges, Raj Patel, and chef Tom Colicchio. A documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem. Jeff Bridges, Tom Colicchio, Ken Cook. An examination of America's obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.
The subjects are pretty heavy AIDS, adultery, racism, etc. I was a goodreads first reads winner of "A Place at the Table: I consider myself lucky to get a chance to read this well written book. It starts in in North Carolina. Alice and James are brother and sister facing racial prejudices. Years later we see the story through Bobby's eyes a young boy growing up in s Georgia, Bobby is homosexual,when his family finds out he is ostracized by all of them but his grandmother.
He moves to Manhattan when he hits adulthood. Bobby revives the restaurant, faces more heartbreak.
Later in the book we read it narrated by Amelia. Alice, Bobby, And Amelia all have known heartbreak and hurt. Apr 24, Peggy rated it it was amazing. I love this book. A story written in the beautiful style of "To Kill A Mockingbird", my all time favorite book. It's not only a story of understanding and loving people for their differences, but of family I especially loved the Southern characters; Bobby, I will love you forever and Alice, you are so strong.
The emotions of Bobby really tugged at my heartstrings, for those of us who have always felt different doesn't matter why and those wh Unforgettable. The emotions of Bobby really tugged at my heartstrings, for those of us who have always felt different doesn't matter why and those who have struggled to fit in The plot took a bit of an odd twist, but gathered up all of the loose ends I can see a follow up book Ihope!
Please take time to read this book, grab a cup of tea and be prepared to be transported. It's all in the heart. Thank you, Susan, I want to read your other books now. This was a free giveaway from Goodreads PS I loved MeeMaw! Hooray for grandmothers who love their grankids so much it hurts. Sep 02, Laura rated it really liked it. This book combines two of my favorite places, the south born and raised and New York city frequent visitor.
Lists with This Book. I fell in love with the characters well, at least Bobby and Alice. This is about 3 very different, distinct characters that simply need a place to belong; a place at the table. Yet, the story is shared through recipes, food and a need to belong after family difficulties. My feeling is that the ending came on a little too abruptly; you could argue that I felt that way because I wasn't ready for it to end, and maybe you'd be right. That it's not ours to own, though it is ours to relish. Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox.
I loved recognizing physical landmarks of NYC without it being overdone and I loved recognizing personality characteristics of the south, without it being overdone! How White merges the two places is magical. The relationships are real relationships by real broken people who live life together. Bobby and Meemaw's relationship is so sweet and the letters he writes to her from New York bri This book combines two of my favorite places, the south born and raised and New York city frequent visitor.
Bobby and Meemaw's relationship is so sweet and the letters he writes to her from New York bring tears to your eyes. You have broken people that I think find peace by the end of the book but their stories are far from over. My only complaint at all with the book, I'm blinded with tears the last few pages of the book and then I read the last page and a half and it sobers me. What just happened here? Did not like the whole "Blessings of the Animals" ending.
Loved these characters, even Alice once I understood where she was coming from. May 13, Nancy rated it really liked it. This book was a welcome departure from other books I've recently read: The lives of three narrators eventually, rather unexpectedly, intertwine and connect.
It requires a significant suspension of disbelief to accept this, but it is critical that we do so if we want to allow this book to work its magic. For those of us who love to cook, love to talk about food, and understand the therapeutic powers of sifting, mixing, baking and serving, this book will be particularly m This book was a welcome departure from other books I've recently read: For those of us who love to cook, love to talk about food, and understand the therapeutic powers of sifting, mixing, baking and serving, this book will be particularly meaningful.
It will also touch anyone who has experienced a challenging family dynamic and who has not? A Place at the Table can be quickly read as "a good, well- written story" but it deserves more than that. It offers us a chance to explore our prejudices and our relationships, and perhaps make some changes.
Jul 11, Kirk rated it it was amazing. A beautiful story uniting disparate worlds; a story of how we all fit together even though we may not precisely fit into the worlds into which we are born or even the worlds we choose of our own accord. I recognize those worlds. I grew up in one of them, down the street from another and had my share of experience bumping up against the third.
I understand the pain of being unable to return to the world of my origin, even while knowing that I don't want to return there and that I'm much better off in my here and now world. I highly recommend reading this one. May 22, Janet rated it really liked it Shelves: White has really come into her own with her newest novel and this is coming from someone who really enjoyed her previous books. The storyline is sophisticated and smart, and I loved getting to know these sensitive, creative characters as they encountered both unexpected and predictable challenges in their lives.
My feeling is that the ending came on a little too abruptly; you could argue that I felt that way because I wasn't ready for it to end, and maybe you'd be right. That is when the public, or its townspeople, do not know where they next meal will come from. Think long and hard about where yours will. Mine will likely be a home-cooked meal, with meat, one or two sides, a salad, and a drink.
Many Americans, even children, will be lucky to get one of those things. Another term defined in the documentary is locations ominously called "food deserts," which are areas where places that carry healthy food packing nutrition, vitamins, and necessary fulfillment don't exist for miles on end, leaving the only resources to be from local stop-and-shops that stock up on food filled with unhealthy fats and empty calories.
I was raised where a salad accompanied almost every meal, seemingly by law, not by choice. Seeing young children who have likely never eaten a radish, a cucumber, lettuce, or an onion in their lives is a stunningly upsetting. One of the earliest statistics seems contradictory, but will come as no surprise after a few seconds; Mississippi is the most obese state in the country and it's also the most unfed. Vegetables, again, are difficult to access in many areas, so food that stocks gas station shelves like chips, Cheetos, cupcakes, and hot dogs and sausage that spend nearly half its time on a warming tray are usually what's for dinner.
It's, too, widely known that people receiving government aid and food stamps can not afford to spend much of their cash on "luxury items" such as vegetables, because it needs to get them through the month. The government has long subsidized corn, soybean, and wheat products, and has neglected to back vegetables and nourishing products with the same political commodities, we're told.
Just a few days ago, I was talking with a friend and spoke the thought that if we lived in a perfect world, wouldn't basic necessities such as food and clothing, in their simple sense, of course, be free to the public? Wouldn't thinks like milk, bread, and corn be available on a no-cost basis to the consumer.
The key words were "in a perfect world. You, dear reader, reading this review, send me a picture of a sign that boasts in big, bold primary colors vegetables for an amount equivalent to the price of a two-liter bottle of soda or a bag of Lays potato chips. A Place at the Table, again, doesn't offer many solutions to this problem, but they are quick to point out what is currently being done in the favor of stopping hunger in a country where there's more than enough healthy food to go around. Food banks, charities, and pantries, which have increased from two-hundred nationwide to a whooping 40, in thirty years, have been turning up to temporarily combat the problem, but a functional, long term solution is still in the works.
American actor Jeff Bridges, who is responsible for founding the organization called the End Healthy Network in efforts to assist starving kids and adults, poignantly states, "if another country was doing this to our kids, we would be at war. Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video. Start your free trial. By visiting different "food desert" communities -- the urban streets of Philadelphia, a rural town in Colorado, a backroads hamlet in Mississippi -- and interviewing not just experts but also the families who live on extremely limited incomes or access to food, the filmmakers capture the pervasive problem of food insecurity.
The movie argues that hunger should be a nonpartisan priority, simultaneously positing that certain pro-"agribusiness" politicians oppose more social spending to combat hunger. Add your rating See all 3 parent reviews. This isn't just about our nation's fascination with fast food like Super Size Me or Fast Food Nation or eating poorly but about the epidemic of food insecurity -- how 50 million Americans one in four children don't know whether they'll be able to eat on any given day. The filmmakers interview a host of academics, specialists, and advocates -- from public health professor Mariana Chilton to actor Jeff Bridges , who founded the End Hunger Network -- but it's the "real experts" -- mothers and kids who live with food insecurity -- who are the heart of the film.
Seeing eloquent fifth-grader Rosie explain how it's hard to focus in class because her stomach hurts from being hungry, or watching an unhealthy, overweight Mississipi girl reveal that the only food she has at home is cookies and chips is upsetting.
What's even more disturbing is all of the documentary's evidence that private food relief programs -- through churches and nonprofits -- mean well but don't solve the fundamental problem of hunger. On the other hand, the movie follows some real champions of the cause: Chilton, who founded a program to empower "Witnesses to Hunger" -- families in which at least one adult works but they still can't afford to feed their kids; and Bridges, who is Hollywood's most outspoken advocate for ending hunger. This isn't a happy documentary, but it's an important one that challenges how you think and what you assume about hunger, public assistance, and the needs of people -- in some cases, our neighbors -- who are hungry every day.
Families can talk about the issue of hunger and what people can do to help. Can you join a local food bank through your community or house of worship? Can you write a letter as a family to your elected officials? What can your family do? The experts interviewed in A Place at the Table explain how processed food is a big cause of obesity and poor nutrition, how poverty -- and not a shortage of food -- is the cause of hunger. Can your family's shopping decisions help put better food on not just your table, but everyone's?
Challenge your family to go on the SNAP diet, even for one day, to see what it's like to live on supplemental assistance. How does it affect your nutritional choices? Is it harder than you imagined?
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