My  longtime readers already know that I am a foe of censorship and speak out about this issue each fall during the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week.    So when one of the nicest publicists I work with sent me an email about the new 2009 release Burn this book : PEN writers speak out on the power of the word I was immediately interested.   And when she followed up with an excerpt from the book written by the book’s editor Toni Morrison,  a much beloved and best selling author,  I was ecstatic.     Without further ado,  here is Peril by Toni Morrison.

Peril
by Toni Morrison,
Editor of Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the World

Authoritarian regimes, dictators, despots are often, but not always, fools. But none is foolish enough to give perceptive, dissident writers free range to publish their judgments or follow their creative instincts. They know they do so at their own peril. They are not stupid enough to abandon control (overt or insidious) over media. Their methods include surveillance, censorship, arrest, even slaughter of those writers informing and disturbing the public. Writers who are unsettling, calling into question, taking another, deeper look. Writers — journalists, essayists, bloggers, poets, playwrights — can disturb the social oppression that functions like a coma on the population, a coma despots call peace; and they stanch the blood flow of war that hawks and profiteers thrill to.
That is their peril.

Ours is of another sort.

How bleak, unlivable, insufferable existence becomes when we are deprived of artwork. That the life and work of writers facing peril must be protected is urgent, but along with that urgency we should remind ourselves that their absence, the choking off of a writer’s work, its cruel amputation, is of equal peril to us. The rescue we extend to them is a generosity to ourselves.

We all know nations that can be identified by the flight of writers from their shores. These are regimes whose fear of unmonitored writing is justified because truth is trouble. It is trouble for the warmonger, the torturer, the corporate thief, the political hack, the corrupt justice system, and for a comatose public. Unpersecuted, unjailed, unharassed writers are trouble for the ignorant bully, the sly racist, and the predators feeding off the world’s resources. The alarm, the disquiet, writers raise is instructive because it is open and vulnerable, because if unpoliced it is threatening. Therefore the historical suppression of writers is the earliest harbinger of the steady peeling away of additional rights and liberties that will follow. The history of persecuted writers is as long as the history of literature itself And the efforts to censor, starve, regulate, and annihilate us are clear signs that something important has taken place. Cultural and political forces can sweep clean all but the “safe,” all but state-approved art.

I have been told that there are two human responses to the perception of chaos: naming and violence. When the chaos is simply the unknown, the naming can be accomplished effortlessly — a new species, star, formula, equation, prognosis. There is also mapping, charting, or devising proper nouns for unnamed or stripped-of-names geography, landscape, or population. When chaos resists, either by reforming itself or by rebelling against imposed order, violence is understood to be the most frequent response and the most rational when confronting the unknown, the catastrophic, the wild, wanton, or incorrigible. Rational responses may be censure, incarceration in holding camps, prisons, or death, singly or in war. There is however a third response to chaos, which I have not heard about, which is stillness. Such stillness can be passivity and dumbfoundedness; it can be paralytic fear. But it can also be art. Those writers plying their craft near to or far from the throne of raw power, of military power, of empire building and countinghouses, writers who construct meaning in the face of chaos must be nurtured, protected. And it is right that such protection be initiated by other writers. And it is imperative not only to save the besieged writers but to save ourselves. The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages nourishing underground, essayists’ questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, canceled films — that thought is a nightmare. As though a whole universe is being described in invisible ink.

Certain kinds of trauma visited on peoples are so deep, so cruel, that unlike money, unlike vengeance, even unlike justice, or rights, or the goodwill of others, only writers can translate such trauma and turn sorrow into meaning, sharpening the moral imagination.

A writer’s life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity.

The above is an excerpt from the book Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the World edited by Toni Morrison. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2009 Toni Morrison, editor of Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the World

About the Editor:
Toni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. She is the author of many novels, including, Sula, Song of Solomon, Beloved, and most recently, A Mercy. She has also received the national Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction.

About PEN:
PEN is the leading voice for literature and a major force for free expression and the unhampered exchange of ideas and opinions worldwide. Founded in 1921, it is the world’s oldest ongoing human rights organization, and it currently has 144 PEN centers in 102 countries dedicated to protecting the right of all humanity to create and communicate freely. By mobilizing the world’s most influential literary voiced and an international network of writers, readers, and human rights supporters, PEN makes a difference every day in the lives of writers who are facing persecution around the world. For more information about PEN, visit www.pen.org

For more information please visit www.therighttoread.com or http://theharperstudio.com/authorsandbooks/burnthisbook/about-the-book/

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I will be the first to admit that this is not a pretty picture.   Not in any sense of the word.   But lest my loyal readers think that the reason I’ve not been posting any book reviews lately is because I don’t have any books to write about.    The above photograph,  which has been expanded to give you a fair shot at counting just how darn many books I have awaiting some disposition as to review or no review.   Add in the fact that lovely summer weather has me spending more time outside and with new friends and reading a lot less and you notice that Ron pretty much carried the site for me in June.

To enter the contest,  leave a comment on this post with your best guess of the number of books pictured in the chair.     A few hints:  the top row of books with their spines facing the camera is supported by a completely concealed back 2 stacks of books.   And yes,  the audio book does count.    The contest will run until July 31st.   In August,   I will announce the correct number and if anyone has chosen it that person will receive their choice of any of my advanced reading and review copies, listed below.    In the event that more than one person chooses the correct number,  I will use random.org to pick one winner from all who guessed correctly.   Now then the prizes.    Please include your choice of book in your comment.   Winner will be contacted by e-mail the first week in August.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly– Advanced Reading Copy

Afraid by Jack Kilborn–Advanced Reading Copy

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher– hardcover published copy

Fault Line by Barry Eisler– hardcover published copy

Home Girl by Judith Matloff– hardcover published copy

Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton–hardcover published copy

Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton– published CD audio book

Annie’s Ghost by Steve Luxenborg– hardcover published copy

The Islamist by Ed Husain– trade paperback published copy

The Dead Man by Joel Goldman– mass market paperback published copy

Alan brought home a book that totally fascinated me. Waiter Rant: Thanks for the tip–Confessions of a cynical waiter by The Waiter. The author keeps his identity a secret for multiple reasons and doesn’t reveal it in the book. Nor does he name the restaurant for which he works. Still it’s a fascinating look at life on the working side of the restaurant table. A life of paranoid/abusive owner/bosses, borderline alcoholic waitstaff, what really goes on in the unseen depths of the kitchen of an upscale Italian restaurant in New York, and what your waiter or waitress is probably thinking about you while taking your order and serving your food. The author claims he can sum up within ten seconds of seating customers approximately how much of a tip they’ll be good for.

He also occasionally mentions an order entry system, that the restaurant he works in uses for entering customers orders for the kitchen. The amount of other information stored in the system, such as are you a difficult customer, birthdays, special needs or unusual requests was surprising to me. He does bring up a lot of very interesting points. The stories of some of the immigrants who cook and prep our food, wash our dishes, and work hard to attain the American Dream are varied and interesting. Such as a South American man with a wife back home, and a son he’s putting through a law school. Or the young dishwasher who came here from Venezuela, and took a job that we wouldn’t tackle for the wage it brings , yet is happy to be here and hoping to build some sort of a life here. As opposed to the tremendous poverty and poor life he would’ve had at home.

Is the book perfect? No, the author can sometimes take on a bit of smugness and a blase , seen it all attitude. But to me the most shocking part of the book is where he describes a Mother’s Day night, where an older woman has a stroke in the back section of the restaurant. After calling 911 and clearing the other patrons seated in the area, then having yuppie couple and his mother throw a fit over not being able to be seated where they want to sit due to the “inconvenience of a poor woman having a stroke” Incidentally, he also mentions that Mother’s Day is the day waitstaff everywhere in almost any kind of restaurant hates, with as he describes good reason.

Waiter Rant is a good read and is a very pleasant read for a nice quiet day. Unless you’re planning to go out to eat that day as well. By the way, the author also runs a Web Site by the same name and has since 2002.   Which is where the idea for the book came from.   Waiter Rant is Highly Recommended.

Title: Waiter Rant    Author: The Waiter   Publisher: Harper Collins Format: Hardcover   Publication Date: 2008

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The Best Skillet Recipes is a book compiled by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. They also do the America’s Test Kitchen PBS TV show. All of the recipes have been tested and are reputed to be the best versions of classic one skillet recipes. Everything from Glazed Chicken Breasts to Sautéed Tofu. These one pot meals are quick as a rule, but be warned that some call for expensive and exclusive ingredients. Or require multiple steps. But none require advanced culinary skills and with the clear, illustrated directions, these recipes should be valuable for busy moms/dads/family members who need quick weeknight meals and are tired of boxed or frozen meals.

Some recipes are worth becoming family staples such as Glazed Pork Chops, or Pan Seared Scallops, or Pan Seared Shrimp with Parsley-Lemon Butter. Some such as the aformentioned Sauteed Tofu should be avoided unless you really do like tofu.

The book also includes diagrams for how to cut or prepare the meats and vegetables , plus very clear instructions on exactly how to follow the recipes directions. It has complete directions and instructions and if someone has any basic level experience in cooking, then they should be able to make any of these recipes with relative ease. As someone who’s read Cook’s Illustrated on occasion, this book has the same crystal clear information as the magazine.

The Best Skillet Recipes by Cook’s Illustrated is Highly Recommended as a reference for making quick and easy meals in one pot.

Title: The Best Skillet Recipes    Author: editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine   Publisher: America’s Test Kitchen    Format: Hardcover   Publication Date: 2009

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I regret that I have not been nearly as faithful as planned about updating my Amazon store. The store is up and running at libdrone.com but I have failed to add every book to it that I’ve reviewed.   I do however, love the little selection that I am offering and am even pleased at some of the recommendations that Amazon makes to store visitors. It’s through one of these suggestions that I first became acquainted with Kit Wohl’s gorgeous new book New Orleans Classic Gumbo’s & Soups.

Back home in N’awlins it is said that the basis of Every recipe is “first you make a roux, and then you add the holy trinity”.   (For non-New Orleanians the “holy trinity”  is chopped onion, celery and bell pepper.)    And the subject of making a roux to begin your gumbo or soup is a passionate one for many New Orleanians.    All of the chefs who have contributed to this volume preach the old way of slowing browning butter and flour for about an hour to get it the perfect dark brown.     Me,   I  never do it that way.     I heat the big soup pot on high heat on top the stove.    When it’s really hot,   I throw in oil (not butter) and flour all at once and whisk like mad.   It smokes and  I whisk.     In about 2 minutes the smoke clears and I turn the heat Way down and add my shrimp or vegetables to simmer in my roux,  which is always a perfect shade of Hershey bar brown.

Apart from not standing with me on the Great Roux Question   (and  I kind of think the dividing line there is that professional cooks want to make it look really hard;  informed amateurs just want good food the easiest way they can get it),   the chefs whose recipes are included provide a full range of the many wonders of gumbo as experienced in New Orleans’ very best restaurants.    And honestly,  whether you choose to make the roux the only fashioned way as specified in the recipe or the easy way (see my recipe below) this book would be an excellent guide for a reasonably experienced cook to bring the classic flavors of Louisiana to their own kitchen.     The book is also very beautifully photographed by  Kit Wohl,   herself a  New Orleanian who has produced a book that is  beautiful and informative.

Alternatively,   below the book information  I am including my own recipe for Seafood Gumbo.     As the only child of gourmand parents who usually brought him along rather than call a baby sitter as they at their way through New Orleans’ best food,   I  kind of learned to cook by osmosis.    the recipe I give is just how I make it,   adapated from many different recipes and influences over the course of my life.*

Title: New Orleans Classic Gumbos & Soups   Author/Photogtrapher Kit Wohl    Publisher: Pelican    Format: Hardcover   Publication Date: 2009

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Seafood Gumbo

2 lbs shrimp

crab (here in the Northwest I use one Dungeness crab.   on the east coast I would use two or three blue crabs.    in New Orleans I would try to get a couple of pounds of small gumbo crabs.     if you can’t get fresh you can add a  pound of lump crab meat at the very, very end instead)

1 cup cooking oil

1 cup white flour

2 lbs fresh okra  + oil for frying

2 large onions

2 large bell peppers

2 bunches green onions

1 can tomatoes

6–10 cloves garlic

First,  make the roux.    Measure out your oil and your flour and heat a big soup pot on the stove on high heat.      In about 5 mins when the pot is Really hot add the oil and flour all at once.   WHISK!   It will smoke but keep whisking and leave the heat alone.    In a minute or two it will feel like your arm wants to fall off and the smoke will begin to clear.    Keep your eyes on the Roux.   When it looks like a hershey bar color,  turn the heat to low.

Add the two pounds of peeled raw shrimp to your roux and cook over low heat for about three minutes,  until shrimp pink.    Remove from heat.     Meanwhile,  in a separate large skillet cook the okra,  chopped, in a few tablespoons of oil.   (I never measure this).   You have to cook the okra for a long time.    It will be done when it STOPS making long gummy strings,  after about 45 minutes.  When the okra is done, add it to the soup pot with the shrimp cooked in roux,  which is set aside and not on the heat at this point.

Now,  add some more oil to the skillet and fry off all the other vegetables for 5–10 minutes until lightly browned.   Add the fried off vegetables to the soup pot.   Add the tomatoes and garlic,  both chopped.   (Note i said to chop the canned tomatoes — just run your knife through them right in  the can  and to Chop,  NOT mince, the garlic.)    If you are using crab in the shell,  add it to the pot  along with about two quarts of water and two or three bay leaves.    Simmer over low heat for about an hour,  then serve over hot white rice.

*This is why I am always saying that even though  I may never return to the city,   I will always be first and foremost a New Orleanian,  wherver on this planet I may call home.