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MWSA Review
When five members from Corrales Writing Group joined with six visiting writers and combined their award-wining talents, this staunch group created an anthology about…kale! The ubiquitous green that now seems to appear on many dishes served in trendy settings has a dark side well established in 134 pages. The skilled authors expose the crinkly and bitter green in a series of essays, short stories, plays, and cartoons.
One spouse insists on forcing the green in various forms on her husband as a necessary diet. He reacts. A quoted cartoon clearly shows his reaction: "Whether you eat kale or not, you're going to die." An enterprising promotions company seeks some marketing scheme in a reoccurring feature throughout the book. Kale is the subject in a one-act play. Sci-fi, history, and horror stories further expose this leaf as the featured, not so popular, character. The leaf, of various colors and toughness, is a murder weapon in a mystery. Kale is also mixed in a salad bowl arena, engaged in a fierce battle with other greens and eventually discovering all are related. “Hale, Caesar!” was actually “Kale, Caesar!”
Brassica oleracea’s alleged favorable contents in essential nutrients suffers from various negative features, which are pretty much recognized by most who attempt to eat it. All the plant's deficits are heartily—and cleverly—exposed in this small book. If the reader were still interested in attempting to eat this stuff after reading this ringing non-endorsement, the closing pages switch the theme to several, almost, (real) recipes. Set space alongside Strunk and White for a fine little book exhibiting the strong writing examples the former extols. The writers had to have laughed a lot together when composing this anthology.
Review by Tom Beard (March 2021)
Author's Synopsis
Kale has invaded our culture as the go-to food for healthy living, appearing everywhere on restaurant menus, in grocery stores, and in beauty products like soaps and scrubs. For some, the vitamin load and beneficial fiber cannot outweigh the bitterness and texture of this member of the cabbage family. For those people, kale has ignited a passionate response, often reflected in internet memes and T-shirt slogans. This collection of short stories shows kale in a new light. A couple of tales are horror stories about kale’s effect on a life; another one describes a speculative history of kale; one is a murder mystery where kale plays an unusual role; and one is a fantasy about kale’s rivalry with cauliflower. This book also features delicious kale recipes.
ISBN 978-1951122096 ASIN: B087V9KFV5
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Collections—Anthology
Number of Pages: 140