A Nervous Man Shouldn't Be Here in the First Place: The Life of Bill Baggs
Under his leadership, the Miami News earned three Pulitzer prizes. For his stances, Bill Baggs earned a bullet hole through his office window, police officers stationed outside his home, and a used Mercedes outfitted with a remote starter so that if it had been rigged with a bomb, it would blow up before he opened the door. Despite his causes and accomplishments, when Baggs died of pneumonia in 1969 at the age of forty-five, his story nearly died with him, and that would have been a travesty because Baggs still has so much to teach us about how to find the answers to those not-so-simple questions, like how do we live in peace with one another?
In this first biography of this influential editor, Amy Paige Condon retraces how an orphaned boy from rural Colquitt, Georgia, bore witness and impacted some of the twentieth century’s most earth-shifting events: World War II, the civil rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. With keen intellect and sparkling wit, Baggs seemed to be in the right place at the right time. From bombardier to reporter to accidental diplomat, Baggs used his daily column as a bully pulpit for social justice and wielded his pen like a scalpel to reveal the truth.
Now available in paperback at indie bookstores, Bookshop.com, UGA Press, and Amazon.
“The marquee proclaiming the most celebrated journalists of the twentieth century probably wouldn’t include Bill Baggs. But ask everyone listed on the marquee who’s missing. By unanimous consent, they’d say Bill Baggs, the daring, fearless, ‘rapscallion’ editor of the Miami News. Why? Because as Amy Paige Condon so masterfully reveals, Baggs led them on race, Vietnam, the environment, historic preservation, land conservation, and the liberal conversation we’re still having today. This is a necessary resurrection of a departed journalist worth celebrating.”
— Hank Klibanoff, Pulitzer Prize-winnng co-author of The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation, on A Nervous Man Shouldn’t Be Here in the First Place
Coming from HarperCollins in February 2024
Roots, Heart, Soul: The Story, Celebration, and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America
Across centuries and continents, the influence of West African food and culture draws a delicious family tree whose branches stretch into the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States from coast to coast—from the deep South to the Wild West and all the roads in between. In this sprawling and evocative cookbook, acclaimed chef Todd Richards traces these shared roots and the journeys that connect them.
Researched and informative, this book takes you beyond the recipes, exploring the history behind these traditional dishes—and the people who created them—and how peoples of the West African diaspora shaped and changed American history as we know it today.
Including vibrant documentary photography, features throughout highlight interviews with chefs and luminaries, additional notes on ingredients and historical context, and expert chef’s tips. At the heart of the book are Chef Todd’s inspired recipes, including:
Peanut and Mustard Greens Soup with Ginger and Tomato
Haitian Oxtail with Beef Broth and Pikliz
Grilled Shrimp Mojo with Black Bean Puree and Toasted Rice
Grilled Quail Tacos with Mole Poblano
Scallion and Smoked Cheddar Cornbread Fritters with Red Pepper Honey
Peach Cobbler with Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Buffalo Style Frog Legs or Chicken Wings with French Onion Ranch Dressing
7-Up Cake
Chicago-Style Beach Spaghetti
BBQ Shrimp with Garlicy French Bread and Parsley Butter
Beignets with Espresso Powdered Sugar
From page to glorious page, Todd’s deep knowledge and vivid storytelling remind us that cooking and sharing food is a joyous way to connect with history, culture, and each other.
An Amazon Editors’ Pick
Bress ‘N’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer
In this groundbreaking and beautiful cookbook, Matthew Raiford pays homage to this cuisine that nurtured his family for seven generations. In 2010, Raiford’s Nana handed over the deed to the family farm to him and his sister, and Raiford rose to the occasion, nurturing the farm that his great-great-great grandfather, a freed slave, purchased in 1874. In this collection of heritage and updated recipes, he traces a history of community and family brought together by food.
Wiley's Championship BBQ: Secrets that Old Men Take to the Grave
Until his passing in 2018, Wiley McCrary spent more than 35 years as a dedicated evangelist of barbecue. He wanted to dispel the myths and mysteries behind good barbecue and teach everyone what they’re capable of doing on their own. The techniques and recipes in this cookbook don’t favor one region over another, and cover everything from pork to vegetarian dishes. Wiley’s Championship BBQ on Whitemarsh Island still serves up prize-winning competition barbecue to thousands of customers every week.
The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook
Enjoy the sweet life with scratch bakers Cheryl and Griffith Day, who, along with co-author Amy Paige Condon, have crafted a book filled more than 100 of their customers’ favorite recipes, from Rustic Cheddar Pecan Rounds to Chocolate Heaven Cake. In the pages and photographs, this dynamic duo celebrate family traditions as well as the down-home and handmade.
