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Photographer Frank Bennett Fiske (1883–1952) grew up near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, and both his fascination and camaraderie with his neighbors, the Sioux tribe, are apparent in this captivating series of portraits shot at his studio at Fort Yates. The somber black-and-white photographs depict the men, women, and children of the early 20th century in remarkably sharp focus during a period of cultural transformation. Some of the subjects proudly display their heritage, such as two Sioux Powwow Dancers done up with body paint, while others appear comfortable in modern settings, including Louis Good Iron and his friend Herbert Keeps Eagle, two young men who pose in slacks. Others are photographed in both worlds with a quiet grace, like Joe No Heart, an older man who gazes peacefully into the camera in three portraits taken of him over a 10-year period. The subjects’ clothing is representative of the era and location, and includes items such as bobcat skin capes, buffalo horn headdresses, capes decorated with elk teeth, leather boots, sports coats, cowboys hats, and even a Theodore Roosevelt campaign button. Though Fiske’s work doesn’t always transcend early-20th-century stereotypes of Native Americans, more often than not his photos reveal a respectful view of these people. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

Saline, a psychologist with more than 25 years’ experience working with school-age children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, offers parents concrete tools for creating a compassionate and supportive parent-child relationship so that kids with ADHD can learn to function in the world. On the premise that most parents don’t understand what having ADHD is like, Saline gives kids a voice in the book, sharing vignettes and interview excerpts to showcase experiences from various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. In part one, she lists the “Five C’s of ADHD Parenting”—self-control, compassion, collaboration, consistency, and celebration—and, in a particularly helpful chapter, shares facts about the ADHD brain and feedback from kids about medications and therapy. Parts two and three address challenges at school and home, with solutions and advice on using the five-C method. The book would have benefited from greater attention to what it means for a parent to have ADHD—particularly because some evidence now suggests a genetic component. However, its recommendations for an attentive and involved, but not overbearing, parenting style will be well-taken. Saline’s prescription is simple, easily adopted, and highly convincing. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

One must really love pom-poms—those small, ornamental tufts of yarn often used to embellish accessories or clothing—to dive as deeply into them as Ito does in this intricate craft guide. Ito begins with seductive pictures of pom-poms, among them rabbits, dogs, frogs, hamburgers, and an apple pencil-topper. Instructions begin with a discussion of tools and sizing before getting into the basics of making pom-poms, and then the individual projects. She shows how to place eyes to change expressions, how to form shapes with glue, and how to trim. The simplest project makes a chick hair tie and involves little more than wrapping yarn around a plastic base called a pom-pom maker, and making a single cut. The more advanced projects include two- or three-tone figures, like the parakeet or puffer fish, which incorporate up to three strands of yarn at points in the winding process. The projects yield palm-sized works of art that are both adorably cute and painstakingly detailed. Ito’s instructive and visually pleasing book will appeal to fans of Amigurumi (crocheted animals) and miniature-making enthusiasts. Color photos. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

Korean journalists Lee O-Young and Lee Kyou-Tae join forces with chef Kim Man-Jo, serving up seasonal versions of the classic Korean condiment in this vibrant and approachable collection. The authors begin with familiar recipes, including the ubiquitous jumbled cabbage kimchi, before moving on to dishes less known to American readers, such as cubed radish kimchi with oysters or pearl onion. Because the dishes are based on incorporating items a cook has on hand, seasonality plays a large role in terms of flavor as well as sourcing. Dishes like anchovy-infused radish stems (autumn), seafood kimchi bundles of octopus and shellfish (winter), stuffed crab shell kimchi and pickled young garlic bulbs (spring), stuffed green tomato kimchi and the light and juicy cucumber kimchi (summer) exemplify this approach. The authors offer a few dishes, like a young spinach kimchi and a quick kimchi with mixed greens, that can be consumed immediately, but most take weeks or even months to ferment and reach their full potential. Kimchi lovers will certainly be rewarded by this practical and flavorful collection. (July)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

In her terrific debut cookbook, Agbanlog collects Filipino favorites from her Salu Salo Recipes blog. Recipes include traditional dishes such as kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut sauce) and champorado (a chocolate rice porridge commonly served at breakfast), as well as more inventive ones, such as a chicken kabob marinated in lemon juice, citrus soda, ketchup, chili and soy sauces, and garlic. Vinegar figures prominently in many recipes, not only in classic Filipino pork and chicken-based adobo dishes but also in a brine for fried chicken, the classic fish escabeche, and paksiw na isda, in which fish is cooked in a broth of vinegar, water, and ginger. Although most recipes aren’t overly complicated (pork in guava soup calls for just eight ingredients; her must-try sweet rice cakes only requires four), readers may have to do some digging for some ingredients, like the cornstarch noodles known as pallabok sticks, sponge gourd, and burro bananas for banana fritters. Nevertheless, this is a flavor-packed introduction to a vibrant cuisine sure to resonate with armchair travelers and curious home cooks of all skill levels. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

The latest book by Michelin-starred chef and TV personality Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking) was inspired by his own fitness and healthy eating epiphany, and includes a wide variety of intriguing recipes for nutritious meals and snacks. While his intentions are good, some of the advice feels dubious or dated. For those who can’t resist chocolate mousse, for example, “Go for an extra long run the next day as penance,” he suggests. His section titles may be morally driven ( “Guilt-Free Snacks” and “Well-Deserved Treats”), but they include appealing recipes: maple soy kale chips, Cheesecake in a Jam Jar, and carrot cake macaroons. Lean breakfast offerings include quinoa-stuffed mushrooms with baked eggs, and for dinner there’s a single-pan chicken dish with lima beans, leeks, and spinach. Other dishes include salmon ceviche with grapefruit, avocado, and mint; a venison carpaccio with celeriac slaw; and duck breast with braised fennel and orange gremolata. Fitness-minded recipes are filled with protein and carbs for energy and include peanut butter and jam pancakes, Indian fish curry, and a sushi salad bowl. Ramsay’s selection of creative recipes makes good on his promise to make nutritious, healthy eating delicious. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

Mackey, the co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, along with a team of nutritionists, double down on the benefits of a vegan, oil-free diet over 14 sprawling chapters, offering instruction and motivation along with 120 original recipes from the Sarno brothers (Wicked Healthy). There are lessons on such topics as enhancing flavor through healthful ingredient selection (using dried fruit instead of refined sugar, for instance) and techniques, such as sauteing vegetables in a splash of wine or broth instead of oils, and the proper assembly of “wellness bowls,” which combine greens, grains, fruits, and seasonings into all-in-one meals. Five smoothie options, sans dairy, are provided, as well as a lengthy chapter featuring main dish salads, such as a pad thai with apples, carrots, and kohlrabi cut into matchsticks and mixed with an almond-chile sauce. Pasta is allowed, as long as it is whole grain, and a chapter titled “Family Meals” showcases penne carbonara with cauliflower, intensified with bits of smoked tofu. Beautiful photographs of fruits and veggies in a rainbow of colors enhance this wise and approachable guide to healthy eating. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

Ludwinski, founder and owner of the Detroit bakery Sister Pie, delivers a friendly guide for all things related to fillings and crusts, both sweet and savory. She devotes an entire chapter to the art of dough making, providing a classic dough recipe, as well as savory adaptations like aged gouda pie dough. The bulk of the pie recipes are divided into chapters based on seasonal produce. Some entries in the spring and summer chapter include strawberry pistachio crumble pie, apricot raspberry rose galette, and ginger peach biscuit pie. Meanwhile, the fall and winter chapter contains brown butter plum crumble pie, cranberry crumble pie, and minced pear pie. Recipes for savory hand pies are equally impressive, combining flavors like caramelized onion and delicata squash with sage, and apples with cheddar cheese. Ludwinski also includes a cookie chapter that joins sweet and savory flavors such as triple chocolate cookies and salted rosemary shortbread. Complete with photographs, helpful hints like “paperclipping” cherries to remove their pits, and uplifting writing (“You did it! You are now ready to fill the pie”), this book will motivate readers to become their own master pie makers. Agent: Kari Stuart, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

Noyes, owner of rural Virginia’s celebrated Red Truck Bakery, presents house specialties in this collection of popular Southern-style treats. In 85 recipes straight from what Travel + Leisure called one of “America’s Best Small-Town Bakeries,” Noyes draws inspiration from local ingredients, weaving them into breakfasts, sweet/savory pies, cookies, cakes, breads, and condiments. He shares secrets of biscuit-making (“the foundation of Southern baking”) and includes recipes for his blackberry and blueberry pie in a cornmeal crust, and layered sweet potato pecan pie, which President Obama once praised on his Facebook page. A twist on spoonbread features figs and mascarpone; boozy confections include a bourbon sarsaparilla cake, as well as a double chocolate moonshine cake made with small-batch whiskey. Bakers will appreciate lists for pantry, tools, and local producers. Throughout this inspirational book, Noyes recalls his journey from a small town baker (he won four prizes in the Arlington County Fair for his peach and ginger jam) to national attention via coverage in Esquire, Southern Living, and Oprah. Noyes’s enthusiasm for baking is infectious, and this volume will prove to be one bakers turn to time and again. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink

As Ottolenghi lightheartedly points out, he is often teased for requiring a surfeit of exotic ingredients in his bestselling cookbooks, which include Nopi and Jerusalem. This collection is meant to remedy that with “simple” dishes, though that simplicity is hazily defined, as many recipes call for a long list of ingredients. In a gimmicky touch, each of the letters in simple has been assigned a meaning (L is for lazy, E for “easier than you think”), and recipes are tagged accordingly. But these categories are coy: dishes tagged with a P, for example, can be made with what readers are presumed to have on hand in the pantry, which in this case includes urfa chile flakes and black garlic. This book may not be as challenging as Ottolenghi’s previous collections, but a side dish of harissa chickpeas with flaked cod calls for 13 ingredients, and baked mint rice with pomegranate and olive salsa has 14 ingredients. That said, the chef’s imagination shines in items like a cakey beet and goat cheese bread. Comfort food with an international twist rules the day: highlights include baked potatoes and soft-boiled eggs with Italian tonnato sauce, and lamb siniyah, a shepherd’s pie with a crust of tahini rather than mashed potatoes. Desserts include a mixture of crushed graham crackers, melted chocolate, pistachios, and rum-soaked raisins refrigerated until set, and a no-churn raspberry ice cream. Claims to simplicity aside, this is yet another appealing cookbook from a pro who seems to turn them out with ease. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/13/2018 | Details & Permalink