Fruits of the Harvest

April 1, 1992
YA- -Upon initial inspection, this book seems to be more of a fine cookbook than a resource for celebrating Kwanzaa. However, a closer examination shows that its recipes, as wonderful as they are, are secondary to the information about this holiday. The recipes themselves, from African and Caribbean countries as well as the United States, include dishes such as the Ethiopian chicken stew, Doro Wat; Shrimp Creole Fettucine; and a Jamaican iced tea, along with at least 100 others. Copage gives a short history of Kwanzaa and explains why more than five million Americans take part in this seven-day celebration in December. The real treasures, however, are his interesting stories of persons such as King Askiga Muhammad, whose reign of 36 years, starting in 1493, restored the city of Timbuktu to its status "as a world center." Several African folktales as well as short biographies of people such as Frederick Douglass and Fannie Lou Hamer help to make the reading interesting and informative. A tremendous resource book.- Paul McKendrick, W.T. Woodson High Sch ., Fairfax, VA

December 1, 1991
Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday (December 26-January 1) that celebrates African American heritage and culture. Because its origins are recent (1991 is the 25th anniversary), many traditions and rituals are either highly personalized and/or still developing. Copage, a New York Times Magazine editor, has compiled a sourcebook for the celebration, with a variety of appropriate texts and festive foods to choose from. Selections from oral histories and biography, folklore, and political, ethnic, and cultural history alternate with recipes from African American caterers, home cooks, historians, and others, each with personal reminiscences and cooking notes. A unique work, for most collections.

Copyright 1991 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 1993
Journalist and author of Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration of Culture and Cooking (Morrow, 1991), Copage provides a theme, a brief quotation from an African proverb or an African American (from Sojourner Truth to Bill Cosby, Muhammed Ali to Oprah Winfrey), a short meditation or explication, together with a suggested affirmation or action, for each day of the year. These meditations are psychological and spiritual, for people of any religious tradition--or none. Sometimes they deal with issues, such as invisibility to whites, special to African Americans, but often the meditations are deeply human, applicable to anyone, in the best self-help tradition. Essential for all public libraries and recommended for all seminary libraries.

Copyright 1993 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.