Perigee Bookmarks

The Lost Art of Kneading Cabbage

Posted by Maria Gagliano

 

As an editor, I’m pretty lucky. I work on books that teach me things I never realized I wanted to know. In fact, this blog’s tag line (useful, useless, curious, creative) epitomizes my list. One day I’m learning about brewing beer (The Naked Pint), the next I’m reading about the origins of nursery rhymes (Pop Goes the Weasel). Turn to the next manuscript and I’m getting tips on effective persuasion (27 Powers of Persuasion); after that I’m up to my watch strap in salty cabbage.

 

Yes, salty cabbage. A finished copy of The Lost Art of Real Cooking by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger hit my desk last week, and since then I’ve been kneading, brining, baking, and curing my way through the book. The obsession started when the proposal hit my desk last year. Of all things I never realized I wanted to know, cooking from scratch hit a particular nerve.

 

I remember reading their recipe for handmade pasta, something I’d never considered making on my own, let alone on a weeknight for myself and my three roommates. But something happens when you read these recipes. Something that snaps you out of that computer-monitor daze, that feeling that your city kitchen is too cramped, your work schedule too demanding, your refrigerator too sparse to produce anything remotely rewarding. You just want to get in the kitchen.

 

Maybe it’s because Ken and Rosanna give us recipes as they once were: simple, but not necessarily easy or convenient. And that’s okay, because there’s something about making pasta the way your grandparents (or great-grandparents?) did, even if it means getting a little flour on the floor. Waiting a month for cabbage to ferment into sauerkraut suddenly doesn’t sound like a big deal. It’s slow, but it’s the way life used to be before gadgets, frozen dinners, and treadmills. It just feels right.

 

The pickle recipes really got me. I’m obsessed with all things cured, brined, and fermented. As a child, I’d sneak pickles and olives from the fridge whenever I could. I still do. And yet, it never dawned on me that I could make these things.

 

Last night I tried their sauerkraut recipe, which is insanely easy. So easy, in fact, that I recall querying the authors when editing the manuscript. “You just cut the cabbage, pour salt over it, knead it, and set it aside?” I asked. “Don’t you add water? Where do you get the brine? Sounds like something’s missing. Please revisit.”

 

But I was wrong. It’s seriously that easy. It’s so easy that I’ve now deemed the counter space behind my sink the “fermentation corner.” I want happy bacteria turning vegetables into pickles at all times. Let me tell you, this is addictive.

 

Here are my escapades in sauerkraut making (with help from Ken on the recipe steps):

 

1. Take a few cabbages and cut them into quarter-inch strips.

 

2. Throw the strips into a bowl with two tablespoons of kosher salt.

 

3. Knead the heck out of it. I had my doubts, but after about five minutes the salt starts to draw water out of the cabbage, making its own brine.

 

I started with so much cabbage I didn’t think it would fit in the crock. It broke down so much that it only filled it halfway (check out this before-and-after).

 

4. Transfer the cabbage to a crock or jar and weigh it down with a plate or ceramic jar lid so everything is submerged. Let it sit.

 

This will take about three or four weeks to ferment in a cool cellar. If you keep it on a kitchen counter at room temperature it will work much faster. Just keep an eye on it and skim any mold off the top should it form. Taste it often. When you like it, it’s ready.

 

 

 

 

The Lost Art of Real Cooking by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger publishes on July 6^th.

Get Creative with Penguin, Episode 2

Posted by Perigee Books

In the second episode of Get Creative with Penguin—Perigee's online series—learn how to bring out your artistic side at work with Summer Pierre, author of The Artist in the Office, how to make a charming doll from Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori, and how to make the most out of an unpleasant travel experience with Doug Lansky, author of The Titanic Awards.  For more information about these projects and more, visit Penguin's Video & Radio Network.

Al Gored in the Tabloids

Posted by Katie Jane Wennechuk and Diana Mercer

 

Just weeks after Al and Tipper Gore announced they are amicably divorcing, juicy rumors blaming Al for the divorce have begun. It seems the public is unsatisfied with the news that a couple who has been married for 40 years and has four children and three grandchildren can let each other go peacefully. It can’t be that simple. Or can it? Someone must be wrong. Someone must be blamed. Even if they want to make their divorce work, will the public let them?

 

First, Star magazine reported an exclusive story claiming that Al had an affair with Laurie David, Seinfeld co-creator Larry David’s former wife, and the producer of Al’s Nobel and Oscar winning Inconvenient Truth. The article quotes an unidentified “insider” who said, “Al and Laurie went from friends to lovers. It couldn’t be avoided.” The magazine’s cover shows a photo of Laurie David arm-in-arm with Al. And unless a reader opened the issue to the story, they would not see Tipper is also in the photo, on Al’s other arm.  Laurie David patently denied the rumor in The Huffington Post.

 

Next, a very sparse announcement appeared in the National Enquirer claiming that Al Gore was accused of attacking a “gorgeous massage therapist” who saved a pair of his pants as evidence.

 

Our culture tends to look at divorce as something that requires blame. It seems we need to point fingers. Since divorce is bad there must be a bad guy, right? After 20 years helping couples end their marriages peacefully and with dignity, we don’t see it this way. The bottom line is: no divorcing couple, not even the Gores, owes anyone an explanation.

 

Though Laurie David officially weighed in, we still haven’t heard from Al and Tipper. We think this is healthy. The advice we give in our practice and in our forthcoming book Making Divorce Work: 8 Essential Keys for Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Your Life is for couples to exercise what we call containment.

 

Containment means avoiding drama to maintain your sanity. A couple keeps what is happening in their divorce to themselves. Speaking with a therapist, counselor, or best friend can be an excellent investment of time and money, but indulging friends, family, and the public in every sordid detail can scatter a couple’s focus and make an unfortunate situation significantly worse.

 

Blaming one spouse or the other for the divorce implies that one person is a helpless victim who had no role whatsoever in the breakdown of the marriage.  Really?  After 40 years of marriage, could it be that one single event shattered an otherwise completely solid marriage? And that Tipper was so out of touch she never even felt the distancing start?  We give both of the Gores more credit than that. 

 

Containment allows a divorcing couple to gather insight about personal responsibility and power. On a very practical level, the sane thing to do is be grown-up, keep quiet, and move forward.

 

We wish the public would give Al and Tipper the privacy they need to work through this very sad time in their lives and grieve the loss of their marriage. The loss in divorce is similar to a death. It takes time and energy to move through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and into acceptance. To us, the fact that they haven’t responded to the rumor mill is making their divorce work.

 

We will weigh in throughout this very high profile divorce in support of Al and Tipper Gore and with the hopes that they can continue their process with grace and class.

 

Katie Jane Wennechuk and Diana Mercer are the authors of the forthcoming Making Divorce Work,  to be published by Perigee in December.

 

Just Two Minutes To Tell Your Story

Watch for Peter Lovenheim at a Jewish Book Fair near you!

Just Two Minutes To Tell Your Story: Authors were given two minutes to present their books to the Jewish Book Network.

Making Toys

Posted by Meg Leder

 

Last summer, I spent a delightful few weeks editing Heather Swain’s Make These Toys. The book is a charming collection of toy projects you can make using simple household items—cardboard tubes, clothes pins, mailers, balloons. Heather’s premise? Sometimes fun isn’t in the box—sometimes it’s the box itself.

 

And that got me thinking about boxes. I remember as a child when my grandparents ordered a new washer and dryer. They kept the two giant boxes in the basement, and let my brother Steven and I each have one. My grandpa helped us cut out flap-windows. My grandma gave us some fabric squares to tape up for curtains. We decorated the outsides using markers—drawing bricks and gardens and embellishing the shutters. I adored the houses, and remember the experience as fondly, if not even more, than playing with my Barbie Townhouse.

 

Last July, Heather’s manuscript started me thinking about boxes again. I read the section on cardboard box projects—big box shoes, a collapsible playhouse, a castle with a drawbridge—and earmarked a few. And when I flew to Cincinnati to visit my then five-year-old niece, Clara, I was ready for some inspired Make These Toys crafting.

 

At the time, Clara had just discovered Barbies and was pretty much smitten with her Barbie Dream House. But we sat down one evening with a shoebox and some clothespins, scissors, glue, glitter, markers—a whole plethora of cool supplies. And we made a fairy house, based on Heather’s castle project. There was a drawbridge, a mirror made of aluminum foil, a stool made of a spool. And of course, fairy inhabitants, like the clothes pin dolls from Heather’s book.

 

Clara was in awe. Carefully holding the project, she told me, “Aunt Meg, now I’ll have something to remember you with forever!” As I’m not planning on going anywhere soon, I hope I can bestow her with a few other cool memories in the upcoming years. But for now, I’ll settle for what my grandparents taught me and what Heather so brilliantly reminds us of in Make These Toys: boxes can make the best toys of all, better than even Barbie. 

 

Make These Toys goes on sale July 6.

Eureka! The Surprising Stories Behind the Ideas that Shaped the World

Posted by author Marlene Wagman-Geller

 One of the most pregnant-with-promise words in the English language is one borrowed from the Greek--“Eureka!” which translates to “I have found it!” The etymology derives from the story of the ancient mathematician, Archimedes, who, upon stepping into his bathtub, noticed the water level rise, thereby discovering the principle of displacement. In his elation he ran naked through the streets of Syracuse shouting “Eureka!” Since then, the expression has come to refer to aha moments, when one’s intellectual light-bulb (oftentimes long elusive) miraculously flashes.

After completing my first book, Once Again to Zelda: The Stories Behind Literature’s Most Intriguing Dedications, I found myself with the post-publishing blues: I had finished my manuscript and was adrift without a further project to engage my time and soul.  I deemed it a miracle I had thought of one idea for a book, and I could not imagine coming up with another. Yet one day, while driving to my position as a high school English teacher in National City, (located near the San Diego Tijuana border), I had my own Eureka! Moment.  It was born from a frequent question I had received about Zelda, “How did you come up with your idea?” This led to my realization: Everything originates with a creative spark; therefore, I could write a second book exploring the stories behind the Eureka moments that had left an indelible mark on society. Unlike Archimedes I did not run naked through the streets of National City, (I have enough on my life’s resume without adding arrest for indecent exposure,) shouting “I’ve found it!” What I did do was start my investigation into the significant light-bulb moments in history.

I had already been familiar with some of these catalysts, such as the origins of two childhood classics; A.A. Milne was inspired by the stuffed animal of his son, Christopher  Robin, and Winnie-the Pooh was born; Ruth Handler was inspired by her daughter, Barbara, playing with paper-doll cut-outs, and Barbie was created. My next step was to unearth the stories behind the everyday icons. As with most people who have internet access, I am familiar with Amazon.com, (I have a credit card bill attesting to this), and for my book I researched how Jeff Bezos thought of the online giant, thus changing the way American does business. Every day after work I attempt to decompress with a Starbucks, which led to my investigation of how Howard Schultz came up with the idea of giving an Italian name to coffee. However, not all the entries were of childhood classics or entrepreneurial strokes of genius.

Other intriguing slap-to-the-forehead gestures came from a colorful array of people from various countries. One of the world’s most beloved hymns, “Amazing Grace,” was penned by a British former slave-trader. We owe Madame Tussaud’s to the French woman who learned her trade making death masks from those guillotined during the Reign of Terror. The clothing staple of blue jeans was first manufactured by the Bavarian Levi Strauss. The Noble Prize was instituted by the Swedish inventor of dynamite who did not want his legacy to be “The Merchant of Death.”  As an antidote to the horrors of World War II, a Belgium water-polo Olympian advertised the first Club Mediterranee (Club Med). Kwanzaa was willed into being by an American in response to the Watts Riots.   

Eureka moments, like lightening, can strike anywhere: Jeopardy was born on an airplane, Penguin Books originated in a train station, Curious George was drawn as a result of a visit to a zoo, and the Seussian world was hatched aboard a ship.  

On the Fields Medal for outstanding achievements in mathematics, there is a portrait of Archimedes. The inscription encircling the head of the mathematician is a quote attributed to him, in Latin: Transire suum pectus mundoque potin (“Rise above oneself and grasp the world”). Archimedes’ quotation embodies the very essence of the Eureka moment.

Hopefully, by reading about significant Eureka moments, you’ll find one of your own.

 

Eureka! goes on sale July 6. 

Graduation Day

Posted by Marian Lizzi

 

Lest you think my list is as fluffy and light as a cirrus floccus cloud (see Gavin Pretor-Pinney’s The Cloudspotter’s Guide, the first book I acquired when I came to Penguin six years ago this week), I hasten to add that there’s another side to what I acquire, edit, and publish. A more practical side.

 

And within that practical side is the niche that I’m probably most proud to be a part of: special-needs parenting—that is, books about the autism spectrum, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and related conditions.

 

This area has become a strong suit for Perigee. Ever since The Out-of-Sync Child was first published here in 1998, the imprint has developed into a go-to source for authoritative, timely books for parents and other adults concerned about these conditions (see the covers and links below for some examples). The authors of these books—who are variously doctors, teachers, parents, occupational therapists, and other hands-on experts—are passionate about helping every child reach his or her full potential. They know their stuff. And they’ve taught me some truly amazing lessons.

 

A case in point: Tomorrow, Jeremy Sicile-Kira will graduate from high school. Autistic and severely impaired, Jeremy communicates using an electronic keyboard, and by pointing at a letter board. Like many people with autism, he has difficulty with his senses; his vision, hearing, and motor skills are impaired, and he often relies on repetitive movements (“stimming”) to hold his concentration. (“If I don’t concentrate, the world seems surreal,” he said recently.)

 

When Jeremy addresses his fellow graduates tomorrow, with the help of a laptop and TextAloud software that turns his text into speech, he will be celebrating not just his own hard work, but that of his mother, author and advocate Chantal Sicile-Kira, as well as teachers, occupational therapists, support staff, and many others.

 

Chantal, more than anyone else, always knew that Jeremy could learn. When an “expert” told her, early on, that the best she could expect for her young son was for him to wipe tables at a fast-food restaurant, she vowed never to let that happen. He would progress, achieve, and reach his full potential.

 

Which is just what he’s doing.

 

I could not be more proud to work with this passionate, informed, and inspiring author, whose three books on autism demystify the condition and offer practical advice on everything from getting an accurate diagnosis and knowing your child’s educational rights to coping with puberty, finding meaningful work, and much more.

 

Tomorrow will be her day too.

 

Jeremy’s graduation speech ends with this:

 

“Teachers, never underestimate your students no matter how disabled they may appear or what difficulties they face.

 

Parents, believe in your children and encourage them to fulfill their dreams.

 

Students, give yourself the power to hear the voice inside telling you that you can create the life you dream of. Believe in yourself, and never allow anyone to discourage you.”

For more on Jeremy's story, you can read about him in the Carmel Valley News.  He was also part of the "I Have Autism" episode of MTV's documentary series, True Life.

Books by Chantal Sicile-Kira:

Autism Spectrum Disorders

 

 

Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum

 

Autism Life Skills

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of Perigee's other special-needs titles:

The Out-of-Sync Child

 

 

 

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun

 

 

 

Growing an In-Sync Child

 

 

 

 

 

Disconnected Kids

 

 

 

 

 

Asperger's from the Inside Out

 

 

 

 

 

Atypical

 

“What Kinds of Books Do You Work On?”

Posted by Marian Lizzi

 

Like most editors, I’m asked the above question about ten times a week. Or day. It’s trickier to answer than you might imagine—sort of like writing a headline for an online-dating profile (not that I would know anything about that).

 

One of the things that makes answering the question so tough, for me, is that I love publishing books that aren’t easily categorizable. As my first boss (an old-school publisher if ever there was one) used to describe them, I’m drawn to books that “fall between two stools.”  He would also call them “tweeners.”  Or, in a less charitable light, “a dog’s breakfast” (He had a vast catalog of idioms at his disposal).

 

Anyway, I’ve never been one of those editors who can answer this question with ease. Sometimes I’ll go with “quirky nonfiction”—by which I mean (but often don’t specify) a mix of pop science, pop history, pop culture (really anything with pop in front of it), humor, how-to, miscellanies, and a few funny, topical memoirs. Among other things.

 

My conversation partner usually seems unimpressed.

 

Because, to borrow that great line from Elvis Costello about writing about music, describing your list can be a bit like dancing about architecture (that was Elvis, right?). It’s much more interesting—and useful—to cite a few particular “tweeners.”

 

Let’s segue to an example.

 

The Wave Watcher’s Companion is Gavin Pretor-Pinney’s far-ranging exploration of all things waves—including ocean waves, light and sound waves, brain waves, stadium waves, and more—how and why they form, and why they’re so captivating. The book is part nature, part science, part memoir, part humor, part “who knew?”—just the type of mix that draws me in…and the type that keeps an editor up at night wondering how best to pitch, position, and otherwise describe it.

 

It’s also the type of book that keeps sales reps, publicists, and other key players on their toes, since they’re the ones being handed a square peg to sell. (Sorry, guys….)

 

The Wave Watcher’s Companion is a book that’s tough to compare to other books, which is both a great virtue and a bit of a challenge. After all, comparisons are an important part of our business. Everyone’s looking for the next Midnight in the Garden of Eat, Pray, Love (or Marley & Julia?).

 

But some of us are more drawn to the tweeners. Let’s hope some readers are, too.

 

The Wave Watcher’s Companion by Gavin Pretor-Pinney goes on sale July 6. Check out his wave experiment here.

 

 

 

 

 

Gavin Pretor-Pinney is also the author of The Cloudspotter's Guide.

The Power of Intention

Posted by John Duff

 

Over the weekend I was reading a proposal for a self-help book that emphasized the power of intention. In other words, no matter what advice is being offered, it doesn’t mean a thing unless the reader intends to follow it—or at least commit to do something about the problem that the book addresses.

 

I was reminded that Intention is the first entry in How We Choose to Be Happy by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks. Foster and Hicks created what they call a “model” of happiness, a model that can, in fact, be applied to a wide range of life issues. According to the authors’ research, there are nine choices that truly happy people make in their lives. The first choice, Intention, is described as “the strong desire to be happy and the commitment to take action. It is the fully conscious decision to choose happiness over unhappiness.” Intention is, in fact, the anchor for the model from which the other choices flow.

 

Having read thousands of proposals for self-help books (although now I alternate between the terms “prescriptive non-fiction” and  “self-empowerment”, depending on the tone of the book and my mood) and edited too many to count, it occurred to me that the singular factor shared by all these books, either implicitly or explicitly, is the notion of intention: If you don’t make the conscious decision that you want to be happy (or healthy or smarter or a better parent or richer), then it’s just so much reading.

 

In this area of the publishing business (and I use the term publishing in the broadest sense of the word to include books, magazines, newspapers, and online publications—anyone that “publishes” advice) we often joke that if people actually followed any of this advice that our readership would, in fact, disappear. Everyone’s problems would be solved and we would be as happy, healthy, and prosperous as we claim to want to be.  

 

I think that the problem is our failure to follow through on the second part of the Foster/Hicks definition of Intention: the commitment to take action. I suspect that many readers (or should I say consumers) stop short of action—or misinterpret the meaning of action assuming that the simple act of buying a book (or reading Oprah’s magazine or clicking onto WebMD) is enough. I really hate to think of the number of people who buy our books but don’t even take the time to actually read them. But I have this image in my mind of tens of thousands (OK, if you count Oprah’s magazines and her recommended books, it’s hundreds of thousands) of consumers clutching their latest purchase to their breasts (or posting their latest discovery gleaned from some website on Facebook), a smile on their faces, and a song in their hearts because they have, at last, found the answer. (Curiously, I also published a book called The Answer, which was, in fact, an intelligent and insightful book of questions, but is now out of print.)

 

Even though we seem to have lost a part of our readership to other media, I still find it gives me a great sense of purpose to publish books that help people understand themselves and the world around them. But, more to the point, show them how to take that next critical step—action.

 

For any reader who truly exercises the power of intention, a good self-help book is not necessarily the ultimate answer, but provides inspiration, a sense of community, and, most important, a roadmap for those committed to find solutions to their problems.     

 

 

How We Choose to Be Happy

by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happiness and Health by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks

The Gores Making Divorce Work

Posted by authors Katie Jane Wennechuk and Diana Mercer

During the writing and editing of Making Divorce Work: 8 Essential Keys to Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Your Life, several famous couples have begun divorce proceedings with varying degrees of drama. We  wished we could send a copy of our manuscript to the Woods, Jessie and Sandra, the Kings and the Sheens. And now amidst all this juicy scandal, the iconic Gores announce The End of their storybook romance and 40 year marriage. Since they broke the news June 1st, they appear to be one couple who is going to make their divorce work. Why go from till death do us part to a fight to the death?  Al and Tipper don’t seem to think that’s necessary.

The Gore’s e-mail to friends and the press came as a shock to many. The question on everyone’s mind is why? So, the Clintons made it in spite of the very public, embarrassing problems in their marriage but the couple famous for the Great Gore Kiss is calling it quits? Where’s the smoking gun?  What really happened?

Many people believe that marriages end mostly due to things like money, fighting or affairs. In 20 years of divorce practice, we have found that divorce occurs when a couple has looked for satisfaction outside their marriage for things they expected to have met within it. We call this turning. Turning is insidious and incremental, like erosion. When couples look outside their primary relationship to find the satisfaction they crave they can eventually reach a tipping point at which the marriage is no longer viable.

Al and Tipper Gore appear to have turned. They stated that they came to their decision after “laboring.” We find this to be true of most couples. No one enters the decision to divorce lightly. They also said the decision was mutual and they intend to support each other. As mediators, we wish every couple would follow their example. Someone doesn’t have to trash their ex to justify leaving. That’s old school thinking. We have no-fault divorce laws now because “irreconcilable differences” aren’t anyone’s fault. A couple can say goodbye without blaming each other and even use the parting to be restorative and let go of the grievances that contributed to the rift.

As the more scandalous divorces have been announced, we have seen lots of gossip, spin and contrition to the point of entering rehab.  Not so with the Gores. They are grieving. We are sad. This is healthy.  A divorce is like the death of a loved one. It is the death of a dream. Divorcing people need to get underneath the distraction of their drama and allow themselves to go through the normal stages of grief in order to rebuild their lives on solid ground and find the happiness they are leaving their marriage to seek.

We don’t see “divorce” and “failed marriage” as synonymous. A divorce is an unfortunate rite of passage that 67% of married people will experience in their lifetime. Almost everyone else is affected by it indirectly. The Gores had an enviable marriage and created a beautiful family. Now they’ve decided to reconfigure their relationship and move on. We think this is possible for every divorcing couple. 

Two married people can appreciate what they once had, honor their marriage and let each other go. The Gores don’t have to vilify each other as they divorce. And neither does anyone else. We’ll all be watching as the proceedings unfold and  trust that  Gore’s example of making divorce work will continue.

 

Katie Jane Wennechuk and Diana Mercer are the authors of the forthcoming Making Divorce Work,  to be published by Perigee in December.