A review by southern_librarian
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

FANTASTIC. This book has it all: history. Memoir. Food. Photos. Appalachia. And more food. Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts reads like a love letter of admiration to the author's maternal ancestors. When I got to the end, I read the author's bio and was not surprised at all to read that she had served as Kentucky's poet laureate for some years. The prose sang throughout. It was an honor to be invited (metaphorically) into Ms. Wilkinson's current and past kitchens and spend time there with her and her family. The chapters, arranged by subject (not by "entrees," "sides," "desserts," etc. like many cookbooks) were so masterfully written as to take you right into the scene. I would sit down to a table laden with any or all of the foods mentioned immediately and happily, but at the same time felt like it might almost be an intrusion or a poor facsimile if I attempted most of them myself. Still, I do think I might attempt the blackberry cobbler and the biscuits. Just those two. It would be a joy to take my own boys to pick our own fruit then use it to make a flavorful cobbler... and I'm just the biggest sucker for a good biscuit recipe. I highly recommend checking out this beautifully written (and illustrated with real family photos!) cookbook memoir.