Tables of Content: Food for your mind and your body

Norwich Public Library Fundraiser Creates a Great Reading List

It’s that time of year — a time when those of us lucky to be near Norwich, Vermont can combine food, books, and great company in a fun pair of evenings entitled Tables of Content. Lucky because what could be better than raising money for an incredible public library (our own Norwich Public Library), meeting new people, eating great food, and discussing superb books and the topics they lead us to?  For those of us unable to join a Tables of Content gathering, take heart, the books being discussed as well as a brief blurb about the book and the evening are listed below. We hope these reviews both inspire those of us near Norwich to attend a Table of Content, and that they help those of us who are not nearby, to read a great book and find some good food.

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Tables on Saturday April 7, 2018

FC9780735212206.jpgExit West by Mohsin Hamid (2017) – NPR called Exit West “a breathtaking novel by one of the world’s most fascinating young writers…Hamid encourages to us to put ourselves in the shoes of others, even when they’ve lived lives much harder than anything we’ve endured. We have nothing in common except the most essential things, the things that make us human.” The book is on all the best books of 2017 lists — let’s read it and find out why! Then join us for a family-style meal inspired by the delicious and palate awakening cuisines of those who have come to our country from far, far away to begin again. *Sorry, but please choose a different different TOC if spices and flavors from other parts of the world are not your bag! Vegetarians welcome!

FC9781501126062.jpgSing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (2017) – Set in rural Mississippi, told from each character’s point of view, we learn about the untimely and extremely unfortunate deaths of two people, different generations, both a result of racial strife, who come to haunt a mother and her son. The focus is a broken family in rural Mississippi — a failed black mother, her husband whose cousin killed her brother and is about to be released from jail, her sensitive and paternal thirteen year old son, and the toddler, who adores her older brother. The torments of imprisonment, racism, and innate hatred are weaved throughout the narrative. But we’ll manage to keep the conversation lively and the food just might have to include some southern biscuits!

FC9780062120397.jpgThe Son by Philip Meyer (2013) – ​The Son covers 200 tumultuous years of Texas history, as told by three generations of the McCullough family.  Much of the story centers around Eli McCullough, who was kidnapped by Comanches at the age of 13 in 1849, and went on to become a Texas Ranger and then a cattle baron at the turn of the 20th century.  We also hear the voices of Peter McCullough, Eli’s conflicted son, and Jeannie, his great-granddaughter who watches the family wealth shift from cattle to oil.  But while The Son is a great read that provides a detailed portrait of the triumphs and brutalities of frontier life, we’re really in it for the food. We’ll be feasting on beef brisket (imported from our favorite brisket maker) and other Texan treats, while sampling four kinds of whiskey from Balcones Distillery in Waco, Texas.

FC9780374228088.jpgThe Wine Lover’s Daughter by Anne Fadiman (2017) – We found a memoir of a happy father-daughter relationship to guide our Tables of Content evening!  What miraculous book you might ask? Answer: Anne Fadiman’s (of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down fame) portrait of her famous father Clifton. Born in 1904, Clifton rose far above his early beginnings, but remained impressively down to earth. His dream to teach at Columbia ended when he was told they could only hire one Jew (Lionel Trilling). So Clifton pivoted and became a rising star of the editorial and publishing world. His career included writing for the New Yorker, being an editor for Simon & Schuster, a judge for Book-of- the-Month Club, and co-author of The Lifetime Reading Plan (still in print.) However, lucky for us, wine might have been his greatest joy. Join us as we celebrate wine and the written word. Our menu will harken back to 20th century Manhattan (vegetarians welcome!). Let’s raise a glass to family and sharing stories around the table.Related imageTables on Saturday, April 14, 2018

FC9780143118527.jpgThe Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi by Elif Shafak (2010) – Written by the most widely read female writer in Turkey, this is a lyrical tale of parallel narratives. Ella Rubenstein finds herself drawn to the life of Rumi and his teaching based on the unity of all people and religions. Our dinner will feature delicious foods from many regions. Please join us as we discuss love, life and all that makes us human.

FC9780199537150.jpgFrankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818) – 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus. Through her seminal work, Shelley sparked the imaginations of generations to question the balance between progress and ethics. Join us in a gastronomical laboratory where food, fun, conversation, and science meet.

FC9780062409218.jpgNews of the World by Paulette Jiles (2016) – Before fake news, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd earned money by reading newspaper articles from far-flung locales to audiences throughout northern Texas. After raising a family, fighting in two wars, and completing a career in printing, the widower Captain Kidd enjoyed a nomadic carefree lifestyle in his twilight years. His life takes a most unexpected turn when he’s asked to deliver a 10-year orphan, who had been kidnapped by Native American Kiowa raiders four years earlier, to surviving relatives 400 miles away. Come share their remarkable journey of danger and discovery while enjoying food of the region as interpreted by your New England hosts.

FC9781476753867.jpgThe Stowaway: A Young Man’s Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica by Laurie Gwen Shapiro (2018) – Tale of a young immigrant in the 1920’s who tries to become part of Richard Byrd’s Antarctic Expedition, during an era when the American media and populous is swept up in daring feats of formidable explorers like Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart. Theme for dinner: 1920’s common meals, as found in Fannie Merritt Farmers The Boston Cooking School Cook Book (Jessie Thorburn Kendall’s copy- My Great Grandmother).

FC9781616207823.jpgWhat Unites Us by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner (2017) – This is a gently presented, welcome overview of the long life of a journalist and observer of our country who also considers himself a deeply patriotic American. Rather’s evenhanded and civil insights into some very difficult current topics are accurately suggested by calling out the section heads in his table of contents (beginning with his pages simply entitled “What is Patriotism?”): Freedom, Community, Exploration, Responsibility, and Character. Please join us for a meal that we will create in the spirit of celebrating the warmth and comfort we enjoy in this melting pot of Norwich, Vermont, USA.

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