Books by JJ Johnson

The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table

by JJ Johnson, Danica Novgorodoff

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES' "BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2023"
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST FALL BOOKS BY EATER, FORBES, ROBB REPORT, PLATE, GARDEN & GUN, ANDREW ZIMMERN’S SPILLED MILK, DELISH, AND NY MAG’S THE STRATEGIST.
INCLUDED IN BEST GIFT GUIDES FROM SAVEUR AND ESQUIRE

From award-winning author and acclaimed chef JJ Johnson comes a cookbook full of delicious recipes that celebrate the history and versatility one of the world's essential foods.

The Simple Art of Rice is a celebration of rice and the many cultures in which this life-giving grain takes pride of place at the center of every table. The recipes are influenced by these global flavors from Asia to Europe, Africa to the Americas, and feature many of the world's favorite dishes. With Danica Novgorodoff, award-winning author Chef JJ Johnson takes readers on an informative and exciting culinary adventure that will help anyone master the art of cooking rice.

From iconic savory dishes like Liberian Jollof and Poppy William's Red Rice and Beans to sweet finishes like Champorado, The Simple Art of Rice has a rice dish for every kind of meal and occasion, including nourishing comfort foods and dishes that can be made quickly to transform a weeknight dinner into a feast. The book also features a fool-proof method for turning out perfect rice every time, as well as fascinating information on the role that rice has played in culture and history.

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Believarexic

by JJ Johnson

Asking for help is only the first step.
Jennifer can’t go on like this―binging, purging, starving, and all while trying to appear like she’s got it all together. But when she finally confesses her secret to her parents and is hospitalized at the Samuel Tuke Center, her journey is only beginning.
As Jennifer progresses through her treatment, she learns to recognize her relationship with food, and friends, and family―and how each is healthy or unhealthy. She has to learn to trust herself and her own instincts, but that’s easier than it sounds. She has to believe―after many years of being a believarexic.
Using her trademark dark humor and powerful emotion, J. J. Johnson tells an inspiring story based on her own experience when she was hospitalized for an eating disorder as a teenager. The innovative format using blank verse and prose, changes in tense and voice, and forms, workbooks, and journal entries mirror Jennifer’s progress toward a healthy body and mind.

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Believarexic

by JJ Johnson

A girl struggling with an eating disorder realizes that asking for help is only the first step.

Jennifer can't go on like this—binging, purging, starving, and all while trying to appear like she's got it all together. But when she finally confesses her secret to her parents and is hospitalized at the Samuel Tuke Center, her journey is only beginning.

As Jennifer progresses through her treatment, she learns to recognize her relationship with food, and friends, and family—and how each is healthy or unhealthy. She has to learn to trust herself and her own instincts, but that's easier than it sounds. She has to believe—after many years of being a believarexic.

Using her trademark dark humor and powerful emotion, J. J. Johnson tells an inspiring story based on her own experience when she was hospitalized for an eating disorder as a teenager. The innovative format using blank verse and prose, changes in tense and voice, and forms, workbooks, and journal entries mirror Jennifer's progress toward a healthy body and mind.

Copies

No copies available.

The Theory of Everything

by JJ Johnson

Just because everyone else thinks you should be over it, doesn’t mean you are.
Last year, Sarah’s best friend Jamie died in a freak accident. Back then, everyone was sad; now they’re ready for Sarah to get over it and move on. But Sarah’s not ready to move on. She can’t stop reliving what happened, struggling with guilt, questioning the meaning of life, and missing her best friend. Life just seems random: no pattern, no meaning, no rules―and no reason to bother.
In a last-ditch effort to pull it together, Sarah befriends Jamie’s twin brother Emmett, who may be the only other person who understands what she’s lost. And when she gets a job working for the local eccentric who owns a Christmas tree farm, she finally begins to understand the threads that connect us all, the benefit of giving people a chance, and the power of love.
Critically-acclaimed author J.J. Johnson gives readers a powerful look at the later stages of grief when the rest of the world has seemingly moved on.

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The Theory of Everything

by JJ Johnson

Just because everyone else thinks you should be over your trauma and grief, doesn't mean you are.

Last year, Sarah's best friend Jamie died in a freak accident. Back then, everyone was sad; now they're ready for Sarah to get over it and move on. But Sarah's not ready to move on. She can't stop reliving what happened, struggling with guilt, questioning the meaning of life, and missing her best friend. Life just seems random: no pattern, no meaning, no rules—and no reason to bother.

In a last-ditch effort to pull it together, Sarah befriends Jamie's twin brother Emmett, who may be the only other person who understands what she's lost. And when she gets a job working for the local eccentric who owns a Christmas tree farm, she finally begins to understand the threads that connect us all, the benefit of giving people a chance, and the power of love.

Critically-acclaimed author J. J. Johnson offers a powerful look at the later stages of grief when the rest of the world has seemingly moved on.

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Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day

by Veronica Chambers, Alexander Smalls, JJ Johnson

Winner of the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook

“Between Harlem and Heaven presents a captivatingly original cuisine. Afro-Asian-American cooking is packed with unique and delicious layers of flavor. These stories and recipes lay praise to the immense influence the African Diaspora has had on global cuisine.”― Sean Brock

In two of the most renowned and historic venues in Harlem, Alexander Smalls and JJ Johnson created a unique take on the Afro-Asian-American flavor profile. Their foundation was a collective three decades of traveling the African diaspora, meeting and eating with chefs of color, and researching the wide reach of a truly global cuisine; their inspiration was how African, Asian, and African-American influences criss-crossed cuisines all around the world. They present here for the first time over 100 recipes that go beyond just one place, taking you, as noted by The New Yorker, “somewhere between Harlem and heaven.”

This book branches far beyond "soul food" to explore the melding of Asian, African, and American flavors. The Afro Asian flavor profile is a window into the intersection of the Asian diaspora and the African diaspora. An homage to this cultural culinary path and the grievances and triumphs along the way, Between Harlem and Heaven isn’t fusion, but a glimpse into a cuisine that made its way into the thick of Harlem's cultural renaissance.

JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls bring these flavors and rich cultural history into your home kitchen with recipes for...
- Grilled Watermelon Salad with Lime Mango Dressing and Cornbread Croutons,
- Feijoada with Black Beans and Spicy Lamb Sausage,
- Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Casserole with Rosemary and Caramelized Shallots,
- Festive punches and flavorful easy sides, sauces, and marinades to incorporate into your everyday cooking life.

Complete with essays on the history of Minton’s Jazz Club, the melting pot that is Harlem, and the Afro-Asian flavor profile by bestselling coauthor Veronica Chambers, who just published the wildly successful Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson, this cookbook brings the rich history of the Harlem food scene back to the home cook.

“This is more than just a cookbook. Alexander and JJ take us on a culinary journey through space and time that started more than 400 years ago, on the shores of West Africa. Through inspiring recipes that have survived the Middle Passage to seamlessly embrace Asian influences, this book is a testimony to the fact that food transcends borders." ― Chef Pierre Thiam

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