Read: ‘The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears’ & 'Notes from a Young Black Chef'
For Dreaming of: a beautifully diverse city.
Books
‘The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears’
Book by Dinaw Mengestu
Captured best by The Washington Post who asked the book buyer at one of our favorite independent bookstores (East City) to recommend a D.C. book: “There are lots of wonderful potential answers, but my first response is always “The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears.” Dinaw Mengestu’s novel is the story of Sepha, an Ethiopian immigrant running a corner store here in the mid-1990s. It’s beautifully written with vivid characters, but the Logan Circle setting, on the cusp of gentrification, makes it a very D.C. story — a thoughtful look at the tensions between old and new, Black and White, and residents’ competing definitions of “progress.” Come for the gorgeous writing; stay for a story showing that Washington is not just the White House, Capitol Hill, or Georgetown. Our neighbors and neighborhoods are so much more.”
Where to find it: East City Books in Capitol Hill.
‘Notes from a Young Black Chef’
Book by Kwame Onwuachi
Like many who live in Washington, Kwame Onwuachi is not a “native,” hailing rather from the Bronx, Nigeria, and Louisiana. But, he does now run one of the city’s most noted lux dining venues, and is soon-to-be head chef of the Salamander, the new hotel from the ex-B.E.T.’s C.E.O.’s wife fame. Onwuachi’s memoir is an expose on working behind the scenes in some of the city’s top restaurants, and the trials of now running his own.
Where to find it: Your local, independent bookstore.
Syllogi’s ‘Musings’ is a series helping you paint a picture of a destination while traveling from your living room. From relevant books and articles, inspiring movies and tv shows, to songs and even treats and dishes, our goal is to curate a sensory experience that will prepare you for an upcoming trip, reminiscence on adventures past, or simply to envision a place that exists in your bucket list fantasies.
