Bite by Bite: American History Through Feasts, Foods, and Side Dishes
by Marc Aronson (Author) Toni D Chambers (Illustrator)
Explore the fascinating history of America as told through the lens of food in this illustrated nonfiction middle grade book that lays out the diverse cultures that have combined to create the rich and delicious tapestry of the American country and cuisine.
As American as apple pie. It’s a familiar saying, yet gumbo and chop suey are also American! What we eat tells us who we are: where we’re from, how we move from place to place, and how we express our cultures and living traditions.
In twelve dishes that take readers from thousands of years ago through today, this book explores the diverse peoples and foodways that make up the United States. From First Salmon Feasts of the Umatilla and Cayuse tribes in the Pacific Northwest to fish fries celebrated by formerly enslaved African Americans, from “red sauce” Italian restaurants popular with young bohemians in the East to Cantonese restaurants enjoyed by rebellious young eaters in the West, this is the true story of the many Americas—laid out bite by bite.
As American as apple pie. It’s a familiar saying, yet gumbo and chop suey are also American! What we eat tells us who we are: where we’re from, how we move from place to place, and how we express our cultures and living traditions.
In twelve dishes that take readers from thousands of years ago through today, this book explores the diverse peoples and foodways that make up the United States. From First Salmon Feasts of the Umatilla and Cayuse tribes in the Pacific Northwest to fish fries celebrated by formerly enslaved African Americans, from “red sauce” Italian restaurants popular with young bohemians in the East to Cantonese restaurants enjoyed by rebellious young eaters in the West, this is the true story of the many Americas—laid out bite by bite.
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Hardcover
$17.99
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Kirkus
More appealing to the brain than to the stomach, but nutritious nonetheless.
School Library Journal
Gr 6 Up--The authors take readers on a culinary journey of the cultural, historical, and social influences on American eating habits. Beginning in 10,000 BCE, this title explores the Indigenous foods of the Americas and their contributions to the societies of that time. The analysis continues through colonial times, European immigration, civil rights, and the modern day. The text-heavy pages and an ample index will appeal to students researching history or food. Those reading for pleasure will be immersed in the captivating writing and may find themselves interested in further exploring topics like the influence of World War II on German food, invention of nachos, or impact of Buddhism on the vegan diet. A table of contents, index, and sources will help readers use the text and explore beyond its pages. VERDICT A recommended purchase that will find a satisfied audience among tweens and teens researching food or American history.--Kate Rao
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"Rightly calling out the fallacy of regarding apple pie or any other food as quintessentially "American," the authors have enlisted feedback from a squad of food historians to highlight dishes and cuisines that have earned significant places in this country's story. . . . readers will come away with a food-forward overview of the "waves of prejudice and progress" that have characterized our multicultural history, not dating from 1492 or 1619 but from thousands of years ago." —Kirkus Reviews
Marc Aronson
Marc Aronson is the acclaimed author of Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert, which earned four starred reviews. He is also the author of Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue and Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado, winner of the ALA's first Robert F. Sibert Award for nonfiction and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. He has won the LMP award for editing and has a PhD in American history from New York University. Marc is a member of the full-time faculty in the graduate program of the Rutgers School of Communication and Information. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife, Marina Budhos, and sons. You can visit him online at MarcAronson.com. Paul Freedman is a history professor at Yale University and the author of American Cuisine: And How it Got This Way, Ten Restaurants that Changed America, and Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination. He is also the editor of Food: The History of Taste. Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie is a professor of history and foodways at Babson College, where he teaches courses such as "African American History and Foodways" and "Food and Civil Rights." The author of Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America, he also hosts a food history blog. Amanda Palacios has a master's degree in anthropology with a minor in food studies and a graduate certificate in public health from New Mexico State University. She plans to do work on addressing health issues and food access in the border region. Tatum Willis is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and descends from the Yakama, Nez Perce, and Oglala Lakota peoples. A graduate of Yale University, she is currently a managing director of Cayuse Mission Solutions, part of the Cayuse family of companies. David Zheng is an artist and filmmaker. After growing up in China, he immigrated to South Carolina and later attended Yale University. His passion for cooking got him started in food history, and he is especially interested in the history of Chinese cuisine. Toni D. Chambers earned her BFA in illustration at the University of Massachusetts. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents, Toni has always had family, culture, and the arts as prominent inspiring forces in her life.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665935500
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
May 28, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV000000 - Juvenile Fiction | General
Library of Congress categories
History
United States
Food
Food habits
United States
Food
Food habits
