Friends of the Forks Library Book Reviews
Courtesy of the Forks Forum
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment
(reserve this book)
By Julie Powell
Review written by Debbie McIntyre
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”; however, words can do far more damage, because they label people, and people become their label. I’ve been thinking about a comment made in Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, that I really enjoyed except for one statement in the beginning, which almost made me stop reading.
“Julie” is a 30-year old New York temp worker, who has had a number of “soul-sucking” jobs, and has a condition which might prevent a desired child. Julie meets a “mentally disabled” person, whom she refers to as a “loon”, which is a very offensive label. I have known many alternatively abled people who have provided more insight than many “normal” people, which is also a subjective description. However, some revealing self-awareness caught my attention: she was feeling close to “loony” herself- desperately searching for something to impart meaning to life.
“Julia” Child’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking became the vehicle for a year-long journey of self-discovery- accompanied by her husband, friends, and many blog readers. Julie created many delicious meals, some entertaining disasters, and a “word salad” with obscenities thrown in for added spice, becoming a writer in the process. Interspersed among hilarious cooking exploits are plausible, fictional vignettes from the life of Julia and Paul Child- created using biographical information. Included is a very moving tribute to Julia Child, who died while the book was being written:
“Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world…It’s joy…it’s the best word I can think of for the heady, nearly violent satisfaction to be found in the text of Julia’s first book… what comes throbbing through is that here is a woman who has found her way…. I thought I was using the Book to learn to cook French food, but really I was learning to sniff out the secret doors of possibility.”
Before she became a famous TV cook, Julia Child struggled to find her ability. Please don’t label anyone with a word that makes life even more difficult, because everyone has possibilities and gifts to share if they can be discovered through looking at the world through different eyes. Books can broaden that view.
North Olympic
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