When Eric Copage was researching ideas for a new inspirational book for African Americans to follow up on the success of his Black Pearls series, he poured over readers’ comments for books like Simple Abundance, Chicken Soup For The Soul, and Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff. What he discovered was that there was amazingly no book available for African Americans that combined the inspirational approach of these books with specific practical steps.
“Soul Food” is comprised of seven chapters, each devoted to a different aspect of life: Love, Self-Esteem, Family, Wisdom, Tenacity, Creativity, and Faith. Each chapter contains about fourteen stories, not just quotes or proverbs, but anecdotes from celebrities in magazine articles, folk tales from the African Diaspora, inspirational tales from your average person on the street, and even cartoon strips. At the end of each chapter, there is a one to three page recipe discussing how to find and maintain love, or creativity, or faith, for example. The chapter on Love has, among other things, an incredible story told by Ruby Dee about the hopes and anxieties she was feeling on the she embarked on her 50-year marriage with her husband Ossie Davis.
