Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration Of Culture And Cooking

From School Library Journal 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.