This cookbook’s full of recipes — accompanied by mouth-watering photos — that boost both the yum and health factors with delicious superfoods. Many dishes simply show you how to add on an extra nutritional kick to the dishes you know and love. Lasagna your favorite dinner? Make a Garden Lasagna layered with eggplant and a rich lentil-hemp filling. Can’t live without risotto? Try the Kabocha-Quinoa Risotto with Sage Cream and Sun-Dried Yacon Root.

But “Superfood Cookbook” isn’t just about revamping comfort food favorites. In fact, many of Julie’s recipes cater to the raw-gans — many of whom already consider themselves superfoodies too. Even if you’ve got a bunch of rawlicious dishes under your culinary belt, this cookbook’s worth picking up. Julie’s recipes add that extra touch that turn basic raw dishes into tantalizing concoctions. Thought my raw chia pudding looked a little boring? Now that I’ve tried making the Spiced Chia Porridge (below) in “Superfood Cuisine,” I do too!

The photo doesn’t do the taste justice. This recipe’s base isn’t simple nut milk, but a sweet and creamy blend of cashews, hemp seeds, dates, and spices. Let the chia seeds plump up overnight in this rich shake along with goji and mulberries, and you get a deliciously thick pudding with a complex, nutty-sweet flavor — that’s full of superfruits, omega 3s and 6s, and lots of other vitamins and minerals.

I also loved the Mango & Berry Parfait (below) — A delicious creamy raw vegan tropical delight you could enjoy for breakfast but is really sweet enough for dessert.

Don’t know your chia from your camu camu? That’s fine — “Superfood Cookbook” has got a descriptive pantry list you can refer to at the front of the book, a resources list at the back, and a smattering of FYI facts throughout — all explaining the origins, pointing out health benefits, and offering cooking (or uncooking) tips for superfoods.

Superfood Cuisine‘s available now for $29.99. Want to try making a few dishes before buying the book? Vital Juice has a recipe for raw Maca-Macaroons, and Julie Morris’ own blog has one for Quinoa with Secret Pesto & Sun-dried Tomatoes.

Written by L.A.-resident Judita Wignall, Going Raw begins by covering all the basics, starting with what raw is (and the fuzzy definitions people quibble over) and why raw food can be beneficial. Then she goes on to basic raw kitchen techniques — from picking out a high-speed blender to using a mandoline to sprouting grains.

Then it’s on to the recipes! All the raw basics like green smoothies, juices, and kale salads are covered — as well as more complicated fare — like Coconut-Curry Samosas with Plum Chutney and Spinach-Walnut Pesto and Pignolia Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms! Judita includes raw versions of many comfort food favorites — including Spaghetti Bolognese and Vegetarian Homestyle Chili.

And you won’t have to give up your favorite desserts to go raw with this book either. Just opt for dehydrator-crafted Mexican Spiced Brownies, Ice Box Chocolate chip Cookies, and White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake instead — a la mode with raw Maple-Pecan Ice Cream!

I gave away my dehydrator and don’t have an ice cream maker — so I haven’t been able to try those desserts. I did, however, make myself a cool Asian Noodle “Stir-Fry” — rawlicious! The tamari-ginger-sesame oil sauce — with a kick of red pepper — made a perfect savory marinade for the juicy shitake mushrooms, fresh organic veggies, and soaked arame. I loved this foolproof recipe, which really included all the steps a newbie might not know to do — like soak the kelp noodles in lemon water first to soften them up and get rid of that “squeaky” texture — a tip I could have used when making Ani Phyo’s Korean Jap Chae.

I plan to try more of Judita’s recipes soon. What I really loved about this book, though, was the down-to-earth practicalness of it. Her tips to make enough salad dressing, hummus, nut milk, and a couple snacks every weekend to last the whole week makes a lot of sense. She advises making flax crackers, raw granola, and raw chocolate in big batches to last a whole month — instead of becoming a slave to the dehydrator.

Judita tells her own raw story — which basically started as an attempt to clear up her skin. Apparently, after a month of going all raw, she lost 15 pounds. After two months, her skin cleared up. Now, after four years of eating raw, she says her tastebuds crave a very simple diet — green juice and fruit before noon, a green smoothie for lunch, a small raw snack in the afternoon, then a green salad or soup for dinner.

That sounds like a rather austere diet to me, but it seems to work for her — and certainly makes eating raw sounds a lot easier. Making a Classic Veggie Pizza by sprouting kamut, mixing it with other ingredients to dehydrate into a raw pizza crust, then blending up pizza sauce, soaking nuts to blend into nut cheese, marinating mushrooms, and cutting up toppings to dehydrate the final creation for three hours before sitting down to dinner seems like a raw deal — but perhaps not if it’s only for special occasions.

Judita’s quick to point out that a 100 percent diet is not right for everyone. In fact, some of her recipes aren’t all raw. The stir fry I made, for example, makes liberal use of toasted sesame seed oil. She emphasizes small raw goals — and setting just one goal at a time to ensure long-term success.

So if you’ve wanted to incorporate more raw food into your life, grab a copy of Going Raw to get started. The softcover book costs $24.99 — and comes with a bonus DVD demo-ing simple raw techniques like spiralizing veggies and blending up nut milk. Want to try a couple recipes before parting with your cash? Judita’s shared her recipe for Mexican Spiced Brownies on her own blog, and Vital Juice has Judita’s recipe for Orange-Chocolate Mousse Parfait.

I picked up “The Compassionate Diet” because it’s written by Arran Stephens, co-founder of Nature’s Path Organic Foods — a company I adore. As a former vegetarian turned ethical omnivore who eats about 95 percent vegan, I thought perhaps this book might convince me to return to vegetarianism or even try total veganism, and opened it with an open mind.

Alas, “The Compassionate Diet” is heavily inspired by Arran’s spiritual beliefs — that are highly unconvincing to an atheist like me. Arran kicks off the book by pushing for lacto-vegetarianism — which he clearly believes to be the best diet. Eating dairy’s just fine, but in his opinion, ovo-vegetarianism is a contradiction in terms. How so? Well, Arran’s best argument is a quote from a “poet-saint” called Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, who argues that even infertile eggs “represent a form of life which cannot fulfill itself” and eating them “stupefies the mind and enflames the passions.” That sounds — scientific!

To attract readers to his version of vegetarianism, Arran spends a big chunk of his book naming famous people who happened to be vegetarians — as proof that the choice didn’t hold them back in their field. As you may have guessed, Hitler does not nab a mention in his roster of star vegetarians. He also devotes a big chunk of the book to linking various religions to vegetarianism — including making a case for why Jesus was really a vegetarian — which also didn’t do much to convince a nonbeliever like me.

When I read Arran’s argument that if people gets sick on a vegetarian diet, they shouldn’t blame the diet but know the illness was caused by other reasons like “karmic destiny,” I actually laughed out loud. His suggestion for avoiding B12 deficiencies on a vegetarian or vegan diet? Eat processed foods manufactured by companies with B12 artificially added in!

Of course, I still agreed with Arran on a lot of issues — from the evils of factory farming to the health problems associated with meat-heavy diets. Those are facts backed up by many studies by environmentalists and health professionals. But as with many pro-veg books, Arran extrapolates from the fact that a diet of mostly plants makes for better health and environment to argue that a diet with no meat (and eggs) is the best choice. He big ups organic farming, but stays mum on how on organic livestock often take a central role in keeping farms sustainable.

As you can tell by now, I wasn’t moved by “The Compassionate Diet.” Still, the book managed to nab jacket quotes from eco-luminaries like Jane Goodall, Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey, and “Diet For a New America” author John Robbins. Want to give “The Compassionate Diet” a read yourself? The book is available now for $17.99.

From Mushroom “Bul Go Gi” for Korean barbecue fans to Yellow Coconut Curry Vegetables for Indian food lovers to Pineapple “Fried Rice” with Pineapple Curry Sauce for foodies craving Thai, “Ani’s Raw Food Asia” covers all the major Asian cuisines — along with green and healthy tips to get you feeling and looking good this summer and beyond.

But “Ani’s Raw Food Asia” goes beyond just the recipes and tips. This book is the most personal and heartfelt from Ani yet. She kicks off the book by revealing the long personal journey it took for her to embrace her Korean heritage — and ends it with a revealing story of her health struggles created by an unbalanced raw food diet and hectic schedule — struggles that she overcame by reintroducing cooked foods — and even fish — back into her diet, following the advice many holistic doctors gave her, and adopting a healthier lifestyle with meditation.

These stories help explain Ani’s forgiving, relaxed approach to raw foods. Throughout her book of delicious raw food recipes, Ani offers helpful suggestions for the less-than-100-percent raw foodie, from heating up the soup slightly on cold days to using toasted sesame seed oil for extra flavor — a substitution she makes herself for many Korean dishes.

Alongside the recipes, Ani offers health and nutritional details of ingredients people may not be familiar with, explaining what nutritional yeast really is and pointing out the power of papaya. And as with all her books, Ani provides a quick crash course on the benefits of raw food as well as simple suggestions for kitchen equipment and techniques — so that raw food newbies who pick up this book won’t be left wondering what exactly spiralizing means. Plus, green living tips — from making nontoxic cleaning recipes to adopting greener beauty regimens — grace each chapter of the book.

But of course, the real highlights of the cookbook are the recipes! I had been craving bibimbap, so I tried my hand at making Ani’s raw Bi-Bim-Bop — a spicy Korean version of your basic Buddah Bowl, for those not familiar with the dish. This was an all-from-scratch feat that included making not only my own raw rice from cashes and radish, but mixing my own gochujang (Korean hot chili pepper paste) and making several namul (Korean seasoned side dishes) to boot!

Luckily, Ani has recipes for all of those — and once the components are made, the Bi-Bim-Bop requires just a simple assembly with the rice on the bottom, namul arranged on top, and a dollop of gochujang topping off the dish. For simplicity’s sake, I made just two namul — mushroom and cucumber — along with a slightly pink rice (I had regular radish on hand that needed eating, so I used that instead of daikon radish) and cayenne pepper gochujang. Behold the result:

The dish — especially the marinated mushrooms — was so delicious and healthy I may have to make it once a week. For the less brave, less raw-curious, or food processor-less, I recommend starting with just making the namul dishes and gochujang — which really only takes a few minutes — and putting it atop brown rice for warmth. If you want a cooler, salad-ier dish, you can work up to making raw rice. Need something even simpler to get started? Vital Juice Los Angeles has Ani’s recipe for raw Miso Soup with Spinach and Bean Sprouts.

Find “Ani’s Raw Food Asia” in stores for $22.50. Or if you’re in L.A., stop by Ani’s book signing event this Sat., May 28, from 1 pm to 2:30 pm at Erewhon Natural Foods, 7660 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. There, Ani will talk, do a food demo and tasting, answer questions, and sign books.

Earlier: Book review: Ani’s Raw Food Essentials — Cool dishes for dehydrator fans

You may already know Samuel as the author of the 1995 book, “The Safe Shopper’s Bible.” Now, with “Healthy Beauty,” Samuel provides an updated look at the problem plaguing modern beauty products — which, for the most part, remain unchanged.

As regular green LA girl readers know, the cosmetics industry is largely unregulated. “Healthy Beauty” gives a birds-eye-view of the problem, which centers on the fact that the FDA neither reviews products before they go on store shelves nor has the proper authority to take those products off the market — even when they’ve been shown to be dangerous. Add to that the fact the cosmetics industry’s often deceitful practices — which underplay the dangers of the cheap chemicals and exaggerate the FDA’s involvement in the regulation process — and we’ve got a pretty problem indeed. To drive his point home, Samuel focuses mainly on rising cancer rates, which he says provide the hardest numbers that show this lack of regulation’s creating serious human harm.

After an overview of the problem at hand, Samuel then goes on to devote a chapter each to specific product types — from baby products to nail salon chemicals — going over the dangerous ingredients to avoid in each group and identifying the greener alternatives. Each of these chapters ends with a list of recommended products — but these short lists usually contain just one or two products best-liked by Samuel, and are by no means a comprehensive list of your options.

Samuel’s more scientific-focused bent makes “Healthy Beauty” a much wonkier read than, say, “No More Dirty Looks,” last year’s green beauty book which tackles the same topics, but with a girlier, more personal, and more practical-minded tone. “Healthy Beauty,” on the other hand, boasts more scientific jargon, long lists of tough-to-read chemicals, and even a breakdown of carcinogens into three subgroups — all somewhat tougher to get through for the average reader, but nicely detailed for research-minded types.

If you’re the type that really would tear out a four-page, tightly-typed list of chemicals to avoid — and remember to carry it around with you to whip out and cross-compare with small-print ingredient lists whenever you’re shopping for cosmetics — then this book’s for you, as Samuel provides exactly that four-pager at the back of the book. If your eyes tend to glaze over when reading scientific studies, however, you’ll likely be better off picking up “No More Dirty Looks,” if you’re just going to read one book.

But “Healthy Beauty” did drive home for me some unique issues — like the undertesting of even natural ingredients and the potential harm they could cause in our bodies. Here’s one concern Samuel brings up that got my attention:

Lavender and tea tree oils pose another kind of hormone disruption dilemma: Breast enlargement, technically known as gynecomastia, has been reported in three boys, ranging from four to ten years old, following repeated use of scented soap, shampoo, and a “healing” balm containing tea tree or lavender oils. Laboratory tests have also confirmed that both oils possess weak estrogenic and anti-testosterone effects.

Could this be true — and should I be worried that my conditioner contains tea tree oil? I checked on Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database — to find that both lavender and tea tree oils were ranked a safe 0 and 1. So I asked EWG’s senior Scientist Rebecca Sutton for a rundown. Her take:

There is a single, well-cited case study suggesting these oils are hormone disruptors, but we haven’t yet turned up more data on this concern or many others in the scientific literature. You’ll see this study cited in our Skin Deep scores (Henley et al. 2007), and we’re definitely keeping an eye out for more information. The safety of long-term, extensive use of essential oils in the amounts that are now found in many products has never been adequately demonstrated; unfortunately, you could say the same thing about many other ingredients in cosmetic products. There are concerns that some people may develop allergic sensitivities (for example, lavender sensitivity is becoming more common); but the real risks of large-scale use remain under-investigated. It’s certainly important to note that naturally-derived ingredients cannot be assumed to be risk-free, and that all cosmetic ingredients, natural or synthetic, ought to be getting thorough safety testing. With the deplorable lack of safety standards for personal care products in the U.S., that isn’t likely to happen without some dramatic reform of the FDA.

Not exactly a satisfying answer — but then that goes for pretty much everything that has to do with products we use these days. Personally, I’m going to worry more about products that already have a more fearsome ranking on Skin Deep — and put my voice behind reforming policies to make for safer personal care products. EWG currently has a petition going demanding that congress take action to make these products safer. Have you signed it?

Earlier: The Story of Cosmetics: What toxic chemicals lurk in your shampoo?

For some environmentalists, the reusable bag’s a pesky accessory they always forget to carry. For others, totes are an fashion statement they never leave home without. Both types can get some eco-inspiration from “The Tote Bag,” a new book that celebrates some of the best in tote bag design.

Oh — and the book comes with, you guessed it — a tote bag!

After all, tote bags are highly multifunctional — as makeshift pillowcases, laptop cushions, and in as this case, book covers. The text of “The Tote Bag” doesn’t focus on the repurposing of tote bags much, but it does emphasize their reusability. “The tote bag is an eco product for this century, destined to replace plastic bags,” is how the author Jitesh Patel begins the introduction to his book.

If you’re marveling about how an entire book could be dedicated to tote bags, you likely haven’t yet visited Jitesh’s popular blog, Tote Prints, which showcases tote bag designs. “The Tote Bag” is like an edited down version of the blog, with colorful photo featuring the work of more than 120 illustrators and graphic designers around the world.

The featured tote designs run the gamut, from simple typography with sassy messages to whimsical nature-themed paintings to cute cartoon characters. Many designs have an eco-bent — My favorite being Adrian Johnson’s “Resistance is Fertile” with its smart anti clear-cutting message.

“The Tote Bag” makes for an entertaining coffee table book or a nice green gift for a designer friend who’s looking for creative inspiration — and a nice tote bag. Pick up a copy and a tote for $24.95.

The message appears to be popular; “Crazy Sexy Diet” is officially a New York Times bestseller.

The book’s popularity likely isn’t a surprise for those who’ve watched “Crazy Sexy Cancer” — a moving documentary that begins with the then 31-year-old actress Kris discovering she has a rare form of incurable cancer — on Valentine’s Day, no less. But instead of sinking into despair, Kris starts to take control of her life by becoming a self-described “health junkie” — finding more health, happiness, and even love in the process.

Watching the film inspired me to start following Kris’ group blog at Crazy Sexy Life — which features health and wellness tips, advice, and recipes. Early this year, all that advice got compiled into book form as “Crazy Sexy Diet” — and I couldn’t resist getting a copy.

And I’m glad I did. Though the eating advice in “Crazy Sexy Diet” may be considered extreme, the book has a likable, upbeat, sassy tone — kind of like “Skinny Bitch,” except a lot less angry and a lot more encouraging. “Crazy Sexy Diet” is basically all about getting you to eat organic fruits and veggies — and a lot of it. Meat eaters may get a bit annoyed by the vegan menu — and certainly whether or not a vegan diet is the most optimal or greenest diet is debatable. But “Crazy Sexy Diet” isn’t too overwhelmingly preachy about veganism itself, instead choosing to focus on moving away from the inarguably unhealthy and ungreen standard American diet of processed edible food-like substances (including processed faux meats!) and factory farmed meats.

To that end, “Crazy Sexy Diet” weaves in a lot of eco-friendly eating ideas – by explaining the health and environmental consequences of factory farms, encouraging buying produce from local farmers, and preaching the downsides of a disposable bottled water habit. The book even includes a short essay about how to avoid potentially harmful chemicals in personal care products, written by Stacy Malkan, cofounder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

“Crazy Sexy Diet” isn’t a diet book focused on helping you lose weight. It’s actually a wellness book, focused on total health. A lot of advice — about trying meditation and yoga, for example — will appeal to mainstream readers. In fact, I’ve been convinced to try some lifestyle tips I’ve been curious about but never tried until now. Dry brushing, for example, sounds like it’ll feel soothing! And a neti pot’s something even my medical doctor sister’s been urging me to use to temper my seasonal allergies. This week, a heat wave hit L.A. — which meant I could basically follow the book’s advice to visit a sauna just by sitting still in my tiny, AC-free West Hollywood apartment!

That said, “Crazy Sexy Diet” also contains many recommendations many medical professionals have quibbles with — and the superiority of an all-vegan diet is just the beginning of it. The diet portion of “Crazy Sexy Diet” recommends an alkaline — versus an acidic diet — which in more plain terms boils down to eating at least 60 percent raw, with a huge chunk of that raw diet coming from raw greens. The book also recommends an astounding number of supplements — though the FDA has not backed the multitude of vague wellness claims made about many of these. Many doctors would question whether the body really needs quite so many greens; many more have argued that the body doesn’t require fasting or detoxing — while “Crazy Sexy Diet” recommends an occasional liquid cleanse. The book also recommends colonics — another medically controversial practice — and even big ups shooting wheatgrass juice up into your lower bowels. No, I kid you not.

“Crazy Sexy Diet” does make an effort to answer questions raised by some doctors about these wellness recommendations. If you’ve wondered why raw foodies are so convinced their bodies will absorb enzymes from raw foods despite the fact that stomach acids are known to overpower those enzymes — or are worried that a colonic will flush out all the good bacteria you need in addition to the cruddy stuff you no longer want, “Crazy Sexy Diet” has answers for you — though fans of peer-reviewed scientific studies (me!) may not find them quite satisfying enough.

Still, I’ve found much to love in the book — so much so that I’m doing the “21-Day Adventure Cleanse” outlined in it — with caveats. I’m starting my days off with green juices and smoothies — but still indulging my coffee habit, though I’m using the cleanse as an opportunity to slowly wean myself off the caffeinated stuff. I’ve incorporated a lot more raw food into my life, but I’m also still eating some seafood — To me it makes more sense to get my B12 from real food instead of supplements.

The book does recommend taking things at your own pace and not being hard on yourself — so my modifications, I could argue, are an essential part of the cleanse. Regardless, I’m enjoying the new recipes I’ve tried in “Crazy Sexy Diet” — like the Cabbage Hemp Salad above (with brown rice and black beans) and Vanilla Chia Tapioca Pudding below (with mint leaf garnish and extra coconut nectar drizzled on top).

Want to try the cleanse yourself? “Crazy Sexy Diet” is available in hardcover for $24.95.

Earlier:
>> Raw vegan restaurants in Los Angeles
>> Film review: Simply Raw — Can a super-eco diet reverse diabetes?

In her introduction to the book, Lindsay reveals that she is against cooking with oil; she believes most added fats (including extra virgin olive oil, when heated) are dangerous to health. Whether or not you agree with her, the gorgeous 4-color photos of the scrumptious-looking vegan dishes in “Happy Herbivore” will make you want to give low fat vegan dining a try.

For lunch today, I had the African Kale and Yam Soup — a flavorful and satisfying dish rich enough to work as a meal. The recipe begins by water-sauteing thinly sliced onions — sans cooking oils! I worried that the complete lack of added oils might make for a bland and thin soup — but I enjoyed the unique mix of spices and the comforting mix of kale and yams.

But can low-fat recipes work for vegan desserts? I got an answer to that question last week, when I baked up a dozen Strawberry Cupcakes using Happy Herbivore’s recipe for a dinner for four. Again, the cupcakes had no added fat — just what was in the flour and soy milk. Yet everyone at the table — after a filling meal — ate two cupcakes each. None were vegan; one called the cupcakes “magical.”

Did the cupcakes taste exactly like “conventional” cupcakes? No. They required less sugar and were made with whole wheat flour — giving the cupcakes a more chewy texture and less cloyingly sweet taste, features preferred by people like me. No one noticed that the cupcakes had no added fat, but everyone was surprised to discover each cupcake had less than 160 calories — before the icing.

The 175+ recipes in “The Happy Herbivore” all have nutritional information at the bottom of the pages, and come with symbols letting you know if a dish is fat free, gluten-free, or soy-free. I’m not vegan or averse to cooking with olive oil, but I think I’ll be consulting “The Happy Herbivore” for delicious veg-friendly recipes a lot this year.

“How to Build a Fire” lends a fresh new perspective on both men and women learning to do “traditionally” male tasks — and even on what those “traditionally” male tasks really are! Erin agreed to answer a few questions about her latest book — which she says is as much for women as for men.
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“How to Build a Fire” certainly has some very male oriented tasks — like waxing mustaches — but also includes what have been traditionally considered “female” tasks — like ironing or sewing. Did the grandpas you interviewed for the book really know how to do all of these tasks? Was there more gender crossover on these types of tasks than we imagine there was back then?

Of over 100 how-tos in How to Build a Fire, and only two pertain to men-only: how to wax a mustache and grow a beard. Every other skill, like changing a flat tire or making homemade ice cream, is gender neutral.

Of course, during our grandparents’ time, there was indeed a greater gender divide. Men typically worked outside of the home, while women worked within the home, and their skill sets do, in part, reflect that. But Lucile Frisbee, 80, taught me one of the most surprising lessons: She said that during the Depression, there was just so much work to be done that, when push came to shove, there was “no men’s work” or “women’s work.” “There was just work,” she said, “and whoever was around was expected to chip in.” If there was laundry to be done or firewood to be chopped, then whoever was free, regardless of gender, took care of it. Everyone had to know how to do these things because their lives (or at least, the quality of their lives) depended on it.

Yes, the men surely did know how to do many of these so-called softer skills, like sewing and ironing. Many were taught these skills in the military and others, like Al Sulka, 88, learned even sooner. Sulka joined the Civilian Conservation Corp when he was 17 years old. He told me, “When I was in the CCCs, I had a side job. I used to iron shirts for 15 cents and pants for 10 cents. I’d have to put three pleats in the back and one on each pocket. We had no electricity, so you had to heat the irons on a stove. Later, I used to iron my daughter’s pleated skirts for school. One day, the nun says to her, ‘Boy, your mother does a good job!’ She says, ‘My dad does it!’ I was so proud.”

I sensed from my interviews with the grandparents that the gender divide—and subsequent devaluing of so-called “women’s work”—came a little later. And unfortunately, I think it still persists. Women and men have rebelled against the idea of learning how to sew, cook and clean, because we find these skills to be oppressive or worthless. I definitely consider myself a feminist, but I’ve found that sustaining ignorance as a means of rebellion is only disempowering. I’ve learned that mastering as many skills as possible, from hanging drywall (I’ve done it) to baking pies (done that, too), only makes my life easier. Sweeter, too.

Most of your how-to are indeed technically gender neutral, but most tasks also seem clearly addressed to a male reader. How to dress for a date, for example, assumes a menswear closet free of heels or dresses. Which made me wonder — Have you gotten a lot of responses from female readers who would describe themselves as proudly boyish or butch, who may not have been able to find this type of practical advice from, say, the average women-oriented book or magazine?

Because the advice from grandfathers, a male point of view likely came through. For example, I don’t how much Buck Buchanan, a former cotton farmer, could’ve told me about finding a good hair salon or choosing the right heels for a date. In order to not make the book clunky or the reading of it burdomsome, I had to choose a point of view for some tips. Otherwise, every sentence would include “his or her,” and that’d just get tedious. I, of course, hope everyone reads both of my books, but if one appeals more to one person than another, so be it.

As far as your last question goes, I’ve heard from a lot of women who have enjoyed “Fire,” mostly because it reminded them of their own grandfather. And I’ve heard from one butch who loved the tie-tying advice, which makes me very happy. What else can I say? I love sharply dressed people in shiny shoes and bowties, no matter their gender.

Going back to the idea of traditionally male and female tasks: Beyond task-oriented skill sets like sewing or ironing, I was struck by the number of more emotional skills included in this book — like “How to comfort a loved one,” “How to apologize,” and “How to leave work at work.” From your interviews with the grandfathers for this book, do you get the sense that these emotional and relational skills were generally valued and practiced by men back then?

The grandfathers I interviewed were much more soulful, reflective and open than I had imagined them to be, and perhaps that’s a product of their age. When you live to be 82 years old or longer, you have a lot of time to reflect on what you’ve done right and what you’ve done wrong in your life, and you’re more willing to admit your mistakes. I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess that if you asked a thirty year old and an ninety year old for the secret to a happy marriage, for example, you’d get much different answers. I think that perspective is reflected in the book and that’s what you’re picking up on.

Your first book, “How to Sew a Button,” seemed very girly in a lot of ways — pink cover and all — and marketed towards women who wanted to get more self-sufficient. I noticed, though, that “How to Build a Fire” is not blue — but a more gender-neutral green! Who did you see as your audience when you wrote this book?

Though I’ve heard a lot of people label “How to Sew a Button” “the girl book” and “How to Build a Fire” “the boy book,” that was never my intention. I wrote both books for the same audience: someone, like me, who wants to learn to be more self-sufficient. I’d argue that everyone, male or female, should know how to cook dinner, sew a button and be a good friend, a good neighbor and a strong leader.

I’ve also noticed that people (of all ages) have picked up the books for many different reasons. Some simply want to master the tasks inside (or get a refresher). Others just want to reminisce. At a recent signing, I met a thirty-something man, who approached me, crying. He told me that his father recently passed away, and “How to Build a Fire” reminded him of the lessons his dad taught him. He said that he planned to read the book to his own six-year-old son, using it as a way to keep the memory of his father alive.

Another reader recently wrote to me, “The book had a special meaning to me because my own grandfather recently passed away and nearly every part of this work reminded me of him. He grew up in situations much like those described in your book. He and his brother climbed trains for coal, boxed for money in a traveling circus and he even lied about his age to join the Navy.” He went on to tell me how his grandfather met and fell in love with his grandmother and how he hopes to emulate him.

I’m very proud that I wrote something that helps people connect with and remember their own history. Two of the grandfathers I interviewed for the book, Bill Holloman and Angel Rodriguez, have passed away in the past year. It’s a stark reminder that if we don’t hear these stories now, they will indeed be lost forever.
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Both “How to Sew a Button” and “How to Build a Fire” are available in bookstores now. A senior staff writer at SELF magazine, Erin Bried also updates her How to Sea a Button blog with new DIY tips and video tutorials.

[crossposted on Blogher]

Photo of Erin Bried via howtosewabutton.com

That’s what I did, with a little help from “World’s Best Origami.” This book by Nick Robinson has more than 100 origami folding instructions — from animals to people to flowers to geometric and modular shapes to practical items like a disposable cup or party hat!

Thus, here are some recent environmental headlines — illustrated with junk mail:

Taiwan’s EPA found that potty-trained pigs can cut water waste by 80 percent, reports Treehugger.

New York Times reports that “In a landmark study published last year in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Yale researchers estimated that ‘at least’ one-third of 1,009 mountain bird species would be ‘severely threatened.’

The timber industry’s fighting a plan to save the northern spotted owl from extinction, according to the AP.

Flipper bands can harm the king penguin population, reports NPR.

A photographer for Wildlife Conservation Society captured rare footage of a Cambodian elephant in the wild.

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