Anthropologist Reese (Black Food Geographies, 2019) immerses herself in the subject of how present-day Black families and churches, mostly in the South, use the sharing of food to build and preserve communities and family structures. Reese grew up in rural East Texas, watching a beloved grandmother “stooped over tomatoes and her uncooperative collard greens, while talking to the plants or humming a hymn.” Now based in Austin, Texas, she reached out to find people who were growing food to share, planning family reunions, and holding memorial services and visited and reported with affection and gratitude on as many as she could. Even though the book is short, it still occasionally feels padded. It’s not clear, for example, what a chapter on “Mutual Aid”—which features a breakdown of an essay by 19th-century Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin and an analysis of how students and professors engaging in a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas took care of each other—has to do with her theme. But when she anchors herself in her central subject, she moves with fluid grace between close observation of and emotional bonding with her subjects as well as a more detached but never cold discussion of the cultural and social implications of seemingly simple and personal gatherings. While pointing out that the food served at the events she attended may not be the most heart-healthy and nutritious, she also celebrates its importance in bringing people together. The book is full of warmly memorable vignettes of impromptu tug-of-wars, afternoons of joyful dancing (Reese includes an extensive playlist in case you want to join in), and touching descriptions of post-funeral meals that “allow[ed] grief to make room for other feelings.”