I thought overall Twitty had interesting commentary on his life and this intersectional identities. A little slow at times, but a generally good food memoir.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I was pleased to include this title in the 2023 Summer Reading Roundup for The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2023/summer-reading-roundup-2023

I think I misunderstood what this book would be about, but it offer interesting insights and information.

Everything Michael W. Twitty writes fills me with joy and pride and gravity. Koshersoul is a gorgeous look at the blend of Jewish and Black cultures, especially at the heart of food.

I've been eagerly awaiting more from Twitty ever since I read and loved his debut culinary history The Cooking Gene. In his new 2022 release he explores the intersection of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine in the way only he can, laying out the history and culture of these two food traditions and what they can tell us about memory, meaning-making, and identity. I would read anything by Twitty but I especially appreciated hearing his reflections about being Black and Jewish. Plus, recipes are included!

Michael Twitty is a wonderful writer, and his love of different cultures and food comes out strong in the book. I purchased some for out library!

I felt like the book was a little all over the place. It seemed rushed to me. As a food history person and recipe developer I'm pretty good and identifying recipes that make sense and I don't think the rigor was really there. I think it should have been a personal memoir and not try to be a history text. It worked best when he was talking about himself and not when he was trying to make connections to the larger community.

I requested this book because of Twitter, ordered the book for my roommate as a birthday gift because of the first 10% alone, and am now slowly reading it with her. Did I miss finishing it before the date I was supposed to on here? Yes. Am I okay with that because now we have a copy in our house to read and discuss as a family? Yes. She also chose it for a book club at her work (a college) so yeah, it's made quite the impression here, lest anyone think this late review is because I didn't like it. It's actually the complete opposite. Like a good meal shared with loved ones, this book is getting savored here at my house.

This was such a learning experience in a book. The author tells his experience of a man being apart of two different cultures. Some of what he experienced was truly heartbreaking to read, but he also speaks about how he was able to rise above it and become the man he is today. I really enjoyed the flow of this book as well as his writing style. This book makes me want to do some more research and possibly do some work on my own family tree and history. Such a great job.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Very interesting book about the shoes of black people in the South and How incorporated into Enter Southern foods based on Jewish foods. I learned a lot about this book and how many people were dispersed around When When they were forced to leave Spain and Move around A lot. I like how he used his knowledge of these areas. You had a lot of great recipes and history behind them. It's interesting when people have to migrate to other countries and how may adapt traditional recipes what they have around them. It's interesting about the Southern people who are used rice. It was an interesting thing black and Jewish at the same time and how he incorporated soul feet a soul food into his life. It showed me how people can be different in the Jewish culture.

The only thing I would change about this book is that I would have had it come out years and years ago! Michael Twitty is an incredible historian and writer, and no one is better to talk about Black history, food, and Judaism at the same time. I wish there were more books that delved into the intersectionality of cultures, religions, and identities the way this one does. I was hungry while reading it, both for the food, and for more of Twitty's stories about his own journey, and the journeys of Black Jews. If you love history and you love food, this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

Koshersoul is fascinating and beautiful. The author's voice leaps off the page, and provides incredible insight into the intricacies of his culture and lived experience.

Michael Twitty is a wonderful storyteller. The way he uses our food heritage to shine a light on culture and history never fails to be thought-provoking (mouth-watering). Koshersoul focus on the intersection of Twitty's Jewish and Black identities. Time with this book was well-spent. I do wish the recipe section, which I was excited to explore, had pictures of the dishes. These recipes deserved to have a visual representation.

History, heritage, and identity are so deeply embedded in the foods we eat, the ways we prepare them, and the manner in which we consume them.
"The Cooking Gene" author explores identity & belonging in the most engaging way. He looks at the continuous questioning of validity for both Jewishness and Blackness. The discussion on Queerness is stunning and eye-opening (for someone who has not experienced Otherness). But, of course, the most glorious parts of the book are the discussions of recipes, Kosher replacements, menus, and meals. The list of foods to bring for tashlich based on your biggest sin is life! I felt a wonderful sense of community reading this book (though I'm not African American and am only Jew-ish).
To the joy of all, the book ends with recipes and suggested menus (the ones shared throughout the book make it feel like the Pesach episode of Friends if we'd had a Pesach episode of Friends). I will definitely try black-eyed pea hummus, greens with turkey neck, and 5-meat meatloaf!

Librarian note: you can feel confident recommending this title to any avid reader who enjoys memoir or general nonfiction. Twitty is such a wonderful writer--lyrical and eloquent. There are so many discussion points--I recommend this title for book clubs, too.

More of a literary book than a cookbook, but I appreciate the author and his message.

I wanted more recipes.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

like his award-winning book The Cooking Gene, Michael Twitty’s new book Koshersoul is really something special. analyzes Black perspectives, Jewishness, and their intersection, all through the lens of food and through his personal experiences as a queer Jew of color. Twitty’s writing epitomizes the fusion of cultural commentary, personal experiences, and sophisticated research.

This book left me speechless on more than one occasion, and had me tearing up more times than I could count. Twitty writes equally beautifully about trauma and joy, and in this book he balances the two with grace and a palpable authenticity. His poignant anecdotes, meaningful conversations, and intelligent conclusions all come together to make this book thought provoking and a pleasure to read. Additionally, the recipe section has me excited to get into the kitchen and try them out.

July did not go the way I thought it would. instead of moving out of a very stressful 6 weeks dealing with health issues, I got drop kicked into a very stressful month of needing to find a new place to live, packing and moving and managing a whole bunch of people’s emotions. I meant to get Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew reviewed a month ago, but it was beyond my ability. The review I would have written is very different and probably better than this review that I’m actually writing. There are a lot of details I’ve forgotten about the book, but what stayed with me is the spirit and feeling of the book. I kept in mind that through this period of intense emotion and upheaval, I could choose connection and caring instead if retreating into myself. I chose to keep connecting to people and caring for people – usually through food. In my last week with the people who have been like a family to me, I baked chocolate cakes, cookies, blondies, raspberry oat bars, biscuits and bread. I made soups and salads and sliced fruit for snacking. I didn’t do it to make sure I would be missed but to stay in the moment. To reinforce that though we are soon to be separated by thousands of miles, we are a part of each other.

Michael W. Twitty’s first book, The Cooking Gene, was one of my favorite books of 2019. After I read it, I wished so much that I could have discussed it with my great-grandmother, a very Southern cook. She slid into dementia before I was realized she was my connection to my familial roots. As a white Southerner, familial roots are thorny, but Twitty’s book made me want to dive more deeply into that thorny heritage. Koshersoul is a wonderful exploration of identity and the intersection of identities. One of the features of white supremacy is the flattening and ossification of identity. Identities that should be fluid become rigidly codified, making inclusion a scarcity. Koshersoul is an act of protest against that scarcity. Twitty’s style is meandering and thoughtful. But the point is always to prove the table should be bigger.

I received this as an advance reader copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Michael W. Twitty is a culinary historian, living history interpreter, and Judaics teacher. Here, in his second book, Twitty creates a work centered on identity intersectionality as demonstrated through a hybrid of personal experience, cultural practice, history and interviews. Koshersoul is: "about how our food makes us, but it's also about the other stuff that gives the food meaning.." (Last page of the introduction).

Divided into five sections of varying lengths, Twitty takes us through his personal path of discovery and embrace of Judaism and the role of food in it. Intercutting this journey are interviews with others about their journeys of faith or cooking, or explanations of terminologies or the challenges of identity. Twitty is gay, Black, Jewish and of Southern descent and the personal experiences he shares show the challenges he's faced in being understood or accepted. Racism is in most communities, even those who portray themselves as accepting or liberal.

Unfortunately, this hybrid format leads to an uneven overall product. Sections are of differing lengths. For example the introduction is very well written and explained, whereas other sections are short transcriptions of interviews or a brief explanation before moving on to other topics.

The narrative is very focused on the Jewish faith and uses many Yiddish or Hebrew phrases, while these aren't defined beyond context, there is a robust glossary available. For those not familiar with Jewish culture or languages may find it a more difficult read.

As noted in the description, there are around 50 recipes in this volume, making up the last section of the work. Some are simply the ingredients and instructions, while others offer some understanding of their family history or context. Some of the recipes are very complex, with long lists of ingredients.

Overall a fascinating read that explores the Jewish and African Diaspora cultures and foldaways, that would be of most interest to those reflected in the title.