Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers

A collection of illustrated, personal essays about comfort foods from a number of celebrated literary writers, including Lev Grossman and Carmen Maria Machado, reveal the way these dishes helped them cope with dark times and pain. Illustrations.
“Food binds this book together, and each beautifully told story circles life’s truths in ways that are surprising, often revelatory, and always moving. It’s impossible not to love Eat Joy, and equally impossible not to want to bake and eat these dishes while reading. It’s an extraordinary collection.” —Dorie Greenspan, James Beard Award–winning author of Everyday DorieThis collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well-regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times—be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache.Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune-stuffed pork tenderloin.” What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope.
An illustrated anthology of essays about the comfort foods—and recipes—that helped writers survive painful times in their lives. With contributions from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Anthony Doerr, Colum McCann, Lev Grossman, Carmen Maria Machado, Claire Messud, Maile Meloy, Alexander Chee, Edwidge Danticat, and many more