Life from Scratch, the Cook the Books Club Selection for April/May

I am happy to be hosting this round’s Cook the Books Club selection, Life from Scratch by Sasha Martin.

Sasha Martin is a local writer, hailing out of Tulsa, OK.   I had read about Martin in our local paper and because I am intrigued by all foodie reads, I ordered her book.

Publisher’s Blurb:
Witty, warm, and poignant, food blogger Sasha Martin’s memoir about cooking her way to happiness and self-acceptance is a culinary journey like no other.

Over the course of 195 weeks, food writer and blogger Sasha Martin set out to cook—and eat—a meal from every country in the world. As cooking unlocked the memories of her rough-and-tumble childhood and the loss and heartbreak that came with it, Martin became more determined than ever to find peace and elevate her life through the prism of food and world cultures. From the tiny, makeshift kitchen of her eccentric, creative mother, to a string of foster homes, to the house from which she launched her own cooking adventure, Martin’s heartfelt, brutally honest memoir reveals the power of cooking to bond, to empower, and to heal—and celebrates the simple truth that happiness is created from within.

Martin blogs at Global Table Adventures.

I recommended this book for CTB before I had completely read it so I am interested to see what everyone has to say about this food memoir.

For more information on how to participate in this round of Cook the Books, please check out the official announcement post here.

Postscript:   I had picked Life from Scratch many months ago for this CTB round.   Through the fickle finger of fate, I was able to attend a two-day food writing symposium with Martin just this past weekend.  I have a totally new appreciation of her book.   It was so interesting to hear her talk about writing this book in only one year, the publisher’s demands and ultimately how the book took on a life of it’s own, morphing into something unexpected.    

There’s more to come about Day Two soon.