African-American Vegans

I always admire individuals who can take a stand against the mainstream. In today's society of more and more meat, sometimes its a bit refreshing to try an alternative avenue. Its' with this goal that I found myself in the vegan cookbook section of my local library.

I came across Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry and realized it hit a nerve. You mean, I could eat vegan and not give up tastes that I was so used to eating? I felt hungry when I read about the Black Eyed Peas Fritters and the Open Faced BBQ Temph Sandwich.





Then, I did some research of possible other individuals who knew how to season their vegan food well and not make it taste "healthy".




I came across another book, By Any Greens Necessary: A Revolutionary Guide for Black Woman Who Want to Eat Great, Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and Look Phat by Tracy Lynne McQuirter and quietly added it on my need to read list.

One of the Most Beautiful Books in the Library

The library has been one of my favorite places for quite a while now. As a child, I would drift off in another world within its confines, while my peers would rather be outside playing. Whenever life gets stressful, I go to the library and it is as if time stands still. The smell of the used books and reading spines upon spines of books, never bores me. The biggest problem in a library of sticking to one stack of books rather than several, is much more welcomed than other challenges I face. I even sewed a special library bag just for these homages to be used to fill all of my treasures.

Going to the library also helps me build my personal library. It's like test driving a car. After two weeks I know which books I want to see in my collection and which books I rather pass on for another time.

Brown Rabbit in the City by Natalie Russell is just that kind of book. I love the classic artwork with my favorite color palette and the story of friendship. Russell's skill for screen printing undoubtedly will make it an adult's favorite as well as a child's. The prequel to this book is Moon Rabbit.

A Children's Book, That May Not Be One

Another great book from the library, Busing Brewster by Richard Michelson is worth the awards it has received. Noteworthy illustrations and a topic that can be used to teach anyone from 5 to 100 years old. I skipped over some language that is used in the book, because I didn't want toddlers repeating a word like "colored".

Other than that, I highly recommend including it in your home library.