Food for the Soul touches on the topics of sisterhood, sexuality, interracial relationships, the word “bitch”, emotional intelligence, what it is to be a “Pillar of Strength” and a “Beast of Burden”, beauty and so much more. Its essence is as the title suggests, a component to feeds one’s soul literally, -a book no African-American household should be without, as it gives us a deeper and profound understanding of our state of being in the African American community today, in order to remedy our issues amongst ourselves and with one another.
Maryanne D. Brown Campbell, poet and playwright, and author of Serpentine Tongue, a book of 11 books of poetry, plays, collages and sketches, is an ambassador and activist for the upliftment of African American women through literature and the African American community. Her works encompass the concepts of black history, the perils of love, spirituality, sexuality, and so much more. Food for the Soul, is not just a comprehensive soul food cookbook, but it offers food for the black / African American woman’s soul. In a society that undermines the beauty and intelligence, and perhaps the existence of black women, under the guise of Don Imas’ quote, “nappy, headed ho’s”, as well as the portrayals of black women in rap and hip hop videos, to say the least, this book not only offers recipes, but statistics, articles, history and advice for black women in lieu of their relationships or lack thereof, stereotypes, emotional intelligence, and what black men both love and hate about black women, and vice versa, for black men; last but certainly not least, she offers poetry. She seeks to enlighten the spirits within all black women, and replenish what has been lost through each of their experiences, past and present, in order for their futures to be brighter.