Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story by Rachel Louise Martin Book Review
A new book explores the socioeconomic and racial politics that brought us Nashville’s signature chicken dish.
Today is National Hot Chicken Day, which sounds like a holiday I want to celebrate at least once a week!
In recent years, Nashville’s hot chicken has evolved from a local delicacy to a bit of a phenomenon. When we lived in Nashville a decade or so ago, you didn’t hear a lot about it, other than the word-of-mouth that it existed and it was delicious; these days, chain restaurants like KFC and O’Charley’s offer up their own versions of “Nashville Hot Chicken” that sort of taste like the real thing.
As for the “real thing,” Bob and I love it. We find a way to pick up some chicken on every trip to Nashville, and we’ve attended the Hot Chicken Festival. But, to be honest, I hadn’t given a ton of thought to the origins of the iconic dish beyond the legend that Thornton Prince’s lady friend made some allegedly inedible cayenne-spiced chicken as payback for his dalliances, and it turned out delicious. Of course, I receive a lot of press releases in which marketers purport to know the origin of foods, the “original” bourbon distillers, and so on, so I take these origin stories with a bit of a grain of salt. Or, at least I did until I read the new book Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story by Rachel Louise Martin.
In Hot, Hot Chicken, Dr. Martin, a writer and Nashville native, sets out to learn why hot chicken has been a legendary dish for decades among Nashville’s Black community, but only gained notoriety in white Nashville relatively recently. The result is a fascinating history of the Prince family, soul food in the Mid-South, and the experiences of Black Nashvillians from the Reconstruction Era to the present day.
Dr. Martin’s painstaking research traces the Prince family through over a century of public records. She provides excellent insight into the zoning and segregation laws that created two distinct Nashvilles — one for Black people and one for white people — for so long. A particularly interesting anecdote arises in the 1950s when a group of white folks — musicians from the Grand Old Opry, including George Morgan (father of Lorrie Morgan) followed the delicious smell of Mr. Prince’s original Chicken Shack and attempted to order some for themselves. Soon the restaurant, previously frequented solely by Black diners, was forced to put up racially segregated dining rooms to comply with the Jim Crow laws. It’s a harsh reminder of the not-too-distant South.
Nashville Hot Chicken Festival, 2014
In recent years, there has been so much good work done towards setting the record straight on the role that Black Southerners played in creating the regional cuisine and beverages that are an integral part of the cultural identity of the Southeastern United States. These days, any serious whiskey enthusiast knows that Mr. Jack Daniel learned about distilling from Nathan “Nearest” Green. The study of Southern Foodways has expanded to acknowledge the role of enslaved cooks in creating the staple recipes of both Black and white Southern cooks. In Hot, Hot Chicken, Dr. Martin continues this important tradition by tracing hot chicken’s roots from the food served by enslaved cooks in plantation houses to the burgeoning soul food movement of the twentieth century. In the process, she produces an unflinching history of the city of Nashville.
Sophie and I enjoyed some hot chicken at Centennial Park, 2019
Hot, Hot Chicken is a must-read for anyone who loves the food and writing of Sean Brock and Vivian Howard, who wants to learn more about how Black Southerners shaped our cuisine, or anyone who, like me, just loves Nashville and its signature dish of hot chicken!
Dolly Parton Songteller Book Review
Before she was America’s Patron Saint, Dolly Parton was an amazing songwriter. This book tells the stories behind her most beloved and memorable songs.
There’s never been a more wonderful time to be a Dolly Parton fan, y’all. All of a sudden, the whole world is figuring out what some of us have known for years, which is that Dolly Rebecca Parton of Sevier County, Tennessee is The Actual Queen of All The Things. She’s celebrated as an icon and a philanthropist and a businesswoman. She’s been on TV and Netflix and a quirky little podcast. And it looks like she might just save our lives.
Whatever your conception of Dolly — her over-the-top appearance, her amazing capacity for kindness, her rather newly-anointed status as America’s Patron Saint — her original role is as a songwriter. In Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, Dolly notes that, no matter her accomplishments as an actress and performer, she thinks of herself primarily as a songwriter.
Songteller is a celebration of Dolly’s career as a songwriter, which has spanned over six decades. The book showcases dozens of her most popular and memorable songs, with Dolly providing memories and backstory to each song. The result is a fascinating and visually stunning look at Dolly’s amazing career as a performer and storyteller.
The hardcover coffee table book is a must-have for serious fans of Dolly or of country music. The book features well-known stories like the inspirations behind Jolene or I Will Always Love You, but also dives into stories that may be new even to devotees. (I particularly loved the story of Merle Haggard’s unrequited crush on Dolly!) The Audible version of the book brings an intimacy to the stories, as you actually hear Miss Dolly recalling each song, while the book provides stunning visual accompaniment. Both hardback and audio versions are a fascinating experience for anyone who loves Dolly Parton, Appalachian culture, country music, or just heartwarming and wholesome stories of good music. Both the hardcover and audio versions are 5/5 must-reads!!
The Best Summer Read of 2020
In a summer when most of us won’t visit the beach, author Jennifer Weiner brings a dreamy Cape Cod beach wedding to readers.
(This book review contains commissionable affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. Bookshop.org allows you the convenience of direct online ordering while providing financial support to America’s local bookstores. HerKentucky, LLC will receive a nominal profit from every purchase you make through these affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Visit the HerKentucky Bookshop.org shop for my latest book suggestions.)
About this book:
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Pub: Atria Books, May 5, 2020
HerKentucky Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars
It’s really crazy to think that 2020 is the summer that we’ll be reading beach books without actually visiting the beach! Even with the weird state of travel (or lack thereof) in the world right now, Jennifer Weiner’s Big Summer is the summer beach read you won’t be able to put down this summer!
Big Summer is the story of Phoebe Berg and Drue Cavanaugh. middle school frenemies who attempt to patch up their relationship in the weeks leading up to Drue’s dream wedding on Cape Cod. Daphne, a plus-sized Instagram influencer, works to forgive heiress Drue’s mean girl antics, while they both make sure to take plenty selfies for their social media accounts. A murder, a reality show bachelor, and a handsome stranger who might be covering up his past make the beach wedding unforgettable.
In the hands of a lesser author, this story could, of course, be tedious or vacuous. The brilliance of Ms. Weiner — a Princeton alumna who’s been publishing chick-lit-with-a-twist novels for nearly twenty years now — is that every character has a memorable spin, and every pop culture reference comes with wry social commentary. More importantly, it’s always wildly entertaining. Ms. Weiner addresses the current phenomena of social media influencer culture, reality dating shows, and “true crime” obsession, while making the characters complex and sympathetic. The book is poignant, romantic and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. It’s quite a feat, really.
Another sizable feat is to publish a blockbuster beach read type of book during the summer when very few Americans are actually visiting a beach. In a fantastic podcast interview with my friend (and fellow Louisvillian!) Anne Bogel, Ms. Weiner notes that she and her publishing company made the decision to move the book’s publication date up a couple of weeks due to COVID-19 projections, after having dismissed a later date. Ms. Weiner says the conversation took the turn that “We could try to move it to the fall, although selling a book called Big Summer in September maybe not the easiest thing.” Even listening to the audiobook on my porch was an escape — I could at least imagine Drue’s champagne-and-oysters wedding! Ms. Weiner’s attention to detail — no matter how minute or outlandish — provided the perfect distraction.
Big Summer is a must-read if you loved Ms. Weiner’s previous works, are pining for the beach, or if you’re fascinated by the Spon-Con world of Instagram Influencers. Check out my constantly-growing list of Summer Book suggestions on the Bookshop.org HerKentucky Shop. Happy Reading, y’all!
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty Book Review
Liane Moriarty’s newest book is compelling and unforgettable.
{Disclaimer: This review contains affiliate links to Amazon.com. I will be compensated a very small amount per book purchased through the links contained in this post, at no additional charge to you.}
I finished Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers today; it was one of the most compelling, un-put-downable stories I’ve read in a long time. I think it’s one of those stories that you’ll either love or hate, and I definitely fell into the love category.
Nine Perfect Strangers refers to nine people who seek a life-changing retreat at an Australian health resort. Playing on the cliche of “perfect strangers”, Ms. Moriarty’s characters are far from perfect — they’re all suffering from some sort of psychological or interpersonal crisis. The soon learn that the retreat is led by Masha, who may be a revolutionary in her field, or who may be something far more sinister. The work is compelling, funny, heartbreaking, and so thought-provoking. At times, I feared the story was turning a little cliched — the young couple whose lives were ruined by a winning lottery ticket springs to mind — but, then again, aren’t most human problems a little pedantic to everyone but ourselves? The story is full of twists and turns, some predictable and others quite surprising. Readers familiar with Ms. Moriarty’s previous work will note that this one presents a larger scale of story with several intertwined storylines. It ranks among Ms. Moriarty’s best, like Big Little Lies and The Hypnotist’s Love Story.
I had the lovely opportunity to attend a book event for Nine Perfect Strangers last week here in Louisville. It was so fun to watch my friend and fellow blogger Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy interview Ms. Moriarty about this book. It was particularly fascinating to hear that the story was originally conceived from a single point of view (the middle-aged, unlucky-in-love romance novelist Frances Welty, who serves as the protagonist of the story). I found this interesting because the changes in point of view allowed the reader to really see the characters as others saw them, rather than through their own lenses of self-deprecation. Ms. Moriarty was just so charming and candid that it made me love her work even more! She was so lovely when asked about the Big Little Lies series — she noted, with exaggerated indignation that her Madeline (as originally conceived in the novel) would have never had an affair, unlike “Reese’s Madeline” (the character as played by Reese Witherspoon)! It was so perfect!
Do y’all read Liane Moriarty? I’d love to hear your take on Nine Perfect Strangers, Big Little Lies, or any of her other works!
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Rules of Civility by Amor Towles and The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis Book Reviews
Two compelling and fascinating stories of Jazz Age New York
{Disclaimer: This review contains affiliate links to Amazon.com. I will be compensated a very small amount per book purchased through the links contained in this post, at no additional charge to you.}
I’ve been in the car a lot recently — three trips to Lexington in two weeks — so I’ve had a lot of time to listen to audiobooks on Audible. I listened to Rules of Civility and The Masterpiece and, while I didn’t intentionally choose a “theme” for these days of listening to fiction, I started to realize that the two books have several similarities. Both are romantic and impeccably researched stories of money and manners in Manhattan of the 1920s and ‘30s, and both are strongly influenced by modern art —each making direct reference to the work of Stuart Davis — and the NYC jazz club scene. (When I type it all out like that, in fact, it seems hard to believe that I didn’t see the similarities immediately.)
I chose Rules of Civility first. Y’all, I just love this book. In fact, I listened to it for a second time last week, having first listened to it audiobook back in the spring, when I discovered author Amor Towles through his stunning novel A Gentleman in Moscow and immediately had to read his earlier work.) Rules of Civility is a smart, sophisticated, fast-paced novel of manners and social status in 1930s New York; it reads like The Great Gatsby if Nick Carraway had actually been one of the bright young things, rather than a judgmental and detached observer. It’s delightful and tragic and it’s one of the few novels I’ve ever read in which a male author successfully writes through the lens of a female narrator. Rules of Civility tells the story of Katey Kontent, the orphaned daughter of Russian immigrant parents. As a young legal secretary in 1937 New York, Katey finds herself in a dramatic romantic triangle alongside her roommate, Indiana-born beauty Evelyn Ross, and a mysterious, WASPy young banker named Tinker Gray. Towles’ work is delicate and complex — a world of wealth and beauty hanging by the thinnest of threads — and nobody is quite who they seem. After listening twice on Audible, I still find myself wanting more.
The Masterpiece, the most recent work by Fiona Davis, tells the story of Virginia Clay, a 1970s divorcee and breast cancer survivor who finds herself working at the information booth in Grand Central Station to support herself and her recent-college-dropout daughter. As Virginia learns to rely on herself, she also uncovers the secret world of the Grand Central Art School, which was housed in the train station nearly fifty years earlier and finds herself at the heart of the fight to retain Grand Central Station as a historical landmark. It’s a fascinating story for anyone who loves the history of New York, modern art (especially abstract expressionism), or vintage fashion illustration. Characters are based on Arshile Gorky and Helen Dryden, if you want to research those artists before reading or listening.
Both Rules of Civility and The Masterpiece are compelling stories of Jazz Age New York, filled with engaging and unique characters. I loved listening to both of these in Audible audiobook format.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Book Review
{Disclaimer: This review contains affiliate links to Amazon.com. I will be compensated a very small amount per book purchased through the links contained in this post, at no additional charge to you.}
I picked up Where the Crawdads Sing because it was the September book for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, and y’all know I pretty much do everything Reese tells me to. It was an interesting debut novel that I can only describe as Barbara Kingsolver meets Pat Conroy.
Where the Crawdads Sing is the story of Kya Clark, a young woman who, abandoned by her family, grew up alone in the marshlands of 1950s North Carolina. Kya is deemed “marsh trash” by most denizens of the nearby town and attends only one day of school in her life. She forges a few strong friendships, develops an almost preternatural knowledge of the local flora and fauna, and learns to read (and love) with the help of a kind local boy. The story alternates between Kya’s bleak 1950s childhood and the late 1960s when, as a young adult, the “Marsh Girl” finds herself on trial for the murder of the town’s golden boy.
Where the Crawdads Sing creates a delicate and fascinating world within the North Carolina marshes. In her fiction debut, author Delia Owens, an internationally-acclaimed wildlife scientists, raises complex questions about the laws and morality of the natural world vs. those proscribed by society. This was a very good book that could have been a great book if the ending had been a little more finely tuned. I recommend to anyone who loves murder mysteries, stories of the Carolina Coast, or the works of Barbara Kingsolver.
More HerKentucky Book Reviews
Reese Witherspoon's Whiskey in a Teacup
A fun and meaningful look at Southern traditions.
{Disclaimer: This review contains affiliate links to Amazon.com. I will be compensated a very small amount per book purchased through the links contained in this post, at no additional charge to you.}
Earlier today, I listened to Reese Witherspoon's Whiskey in a Teacup on Audible. I’m headed to the Book Tour event tomorrow, where I’ll receive my print copy, but I just couldn’t wait to hear what Reese had to say. I knew it would be a fun read for those of us who love Southern manners and traditions, but even I was surprised by how much I loved it.
In fact, I may have shed a tear or two. Not because the author was bloviating on the value of hot rollers and monograms and Steel Magnolias in her best Tracy Flick inflection (although, to be fair, these are all things I love…), but because the heart of Whiskey in a Teacup is family and tradition and, well, doing things properly. It’s hard to articulate sometimes, as a Southern woman, what it is that makes our traditions so special to us. I think that, too often, that we Southerners are often unfairly characterized as backward or small-minded. Whiskey in a Teacup is a lovely tribute to the graciousness, strength, and sense of purpose to which so many of us were raised to strive.
A signature Reese Witherspoon quotation at the Lexington Draper James boutique
Whiskey in a Teacup is, the book tells us, a phrase which Ms. Witherspoon’s grandmother used to describe Southern women — those who are fiery and strong whilst presenting as delicate and demure. Time and again, as she described the lessons her grandmother taught her, I thought of some of the lessons I’ve learned from my own beloved granny. A chapter about quilts passed down among generations of Ms. Witherspoon’s family felt especially familiar. When she spoke of red-and-white quilts passed down from her grandmother… well, let’s just say I could relate.
A red and white Ohio Star quilt that my grandmother made for me
If you read HerKentucky on even a casual basis, or have ever perused my blog’s Facebook or Instagram pages, then you know that I’m quite a fan of Draper James, Ms. Witherspoon’s fashion and lifestyle brand. Of course, I’m fond of the designs — fun and feminine pieces at a reasonable price point — but I also love to support Draper James because I’m so inspired that Reese, who is only a couple of months younger than me, has found a “second act” as an entrepreneur, author and film producer. It often feels that options become more limited for women who are over 40. As a small business owner who is currently finishing her first book, I am so inspired by the idea that Ms. Witherspoon keeps redefining her professional role. Of course, I love her signature performances in films like Sweet Home Alabama and Cruel Intentions, but I’m inspired by the idea that ladies my age are successfully forming new companies on their own terms. Of course, when Ms. Witherspoon speaks of her affinity for needlepoint, monograms, and entertaining, I’m there for it as well.
I’m wearing Draper James, at an event I hosted at their Lexington event earlier this summer.
I’m so excited to attend the Whiskey in a Teacup book event tomorrow and get my hands on my print copy of this book Whatever form you choose to read it in, I highly recommend it for anyone who loves Southern hospitality, the movie Legally Blonde, or good stationery.
Will I see y’all tomorrow night at Reese’s book tour event?
Shop the Draper James Whiskey in a Teacup Line
