Pocket Change Collective: Food-Related Stories

 

My Thoughts:

This is a very short (65 pages) personal account of food and the lessons learned from food and cooking by chef and activist Gaby Melian. It was short enough that I finished it on my airplane commute between Honolulu, Oahu and Hilo, Hawaii island - about 40 minutes with time to spare. These are heart felt anecdotes about the different ways in her life that food has not just taught her lessons, but saved her life. 

Each of her mini chapters starts with Food is. . .and lists one truth. For example, her last chapter or vignette is Food is Love. From the first paragraph:

Oftentimes, I ask "Have you eaten yet?" before I say "Hello." You have to understand that it is not just a result of an ever-curious stomach, although that surely plays a part. It is out of a deep, deep love for every aspect of cooking, down to the very atoms.

Although the anecdotes are short, I feel like I learned more about Ms. Melian than if I read a traditional memoir. I wish the purpose of these books were not to be small books for big ideas, only because I was hoping for some recipes, but I like the concept of pocket change literature. It is like carrying a poem in one's pocket for poem in a pocket day. It has to carry the most punch to be shareable and fit in your pocket, like this series.

Like a good poem or a great vignette, essay, short story or collection of shorts like this, the publishers want to leave an impression in a short amount of time. What this book has done is to leave an impression but also cause me to search out more from this series. I spent more time researching than reading the book. So here is what I found. The Pocket Change collective is a series out of Penguin Random House. This 10 title series is touted as "a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists." 

Other books in the Pocket Change Collective series: The New Queer Conscience by Adam Eli; Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon; Imaginary Borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez; This is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew; Concrete Kids by Amyra León; Taking on the Plastics Crisis by Hannah Testa; Continuum by Chella Man; Skate for Your Life by Leo Baker.

From the Publishers:

Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. This is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists.

"Food rescued me so many other times -- not only because I sold food to survive. I cook to entertain; I cook to be liked; I cook to be loved." In this installment, chef and activist Gaby Melian shares her personal journey with food -- from growing up in Argentina to her time as a Jersey City street vendor and later, as Bon Appetit's test kitchen manager. Powerful and full of heart, here, Melian explores how we can develop a relationship with food that's healthy, sustainable, and thoughtful.

 

Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words

 

Publication date: August 17, 2021 by Orca Book Publishers

My Thoughts:

This collection of stories, poems and artwork by transgender and other gender-diverse teens, from 12 - 18 range in emotion from heartbreaking to hopeful and everything in between. It started as a conversation by the two editors to quiet the voice of cisgender adults talking about trans youth and step aside to let the youth tell their own stories.  Herriot and Fry coordinated three writing retreats in Canadian communities as a way to amplify the strong voices in this anthology.

They divide the pieces by certain large themes like childhood, bodies, mental health and acceptance which makes it easier for readers to both read this through as well as read for specific insight. What also makes this such a powerful resource in the classroom is that each section ends with a What Can I Do Now? section written by adult professionals in a way that does not preach but offers up small nuggets of advice and actionable suggestions for both youth and adults. 

Finally, what will keep me coming back to this book as a resource is the part after each section that asks "What Can I Read Next?" I like that in each section if offers up picture book references, YA and graphic novels as well as General Audience items. 

A diverse bookshelf in a middle and secondary classroom library needs this resource. Books can heal and having this anthology in your classroom means that it will find that student that needs this book for a little inspiration, understanding and healing. 

In their own voices: Butterflies by Maisie Bodrug, age 13

We are done concealing our true identities/We fly high and free, and feel warm sun in our wings

But we butterflies are sensitive/An insult causes us to wilt and fall/So be kind to us, and cherish us/For we do not last forever

 

From the Publisher:

What does it mean to be young and transgender today? Growing Up Trans shares stories, essays, art and poetry created by trans youth aged 11 to 18. In their own words, the works illustrate the trans experience through childhood, family and daily life, school, their bodies and mental health. Together the collection is a story of the challenges, big and small, of being a young trans person. At the same time, it’s a toolkit for all young people, transgender or not, about what understanding, acceptance and support for the trans community looks like. In addition to the contributed works, there are questions and tips from experts in the field of transgender studies to challenge the reader on how to be a trans ally.