The Surprising Power of Family Meals
How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier and Happier
When Miriam Weinstein’s good friend died unexpectedly, and other losses followed close behind, it led to a year of introspection and black outfits. All Set For Black, Thanks ditches the sanctimony to give us the help, and the laughs, that we actually need in times of mourning and grief. She explores such topics as how we keep our dead with us even as we learn to let them go; why we should not bring casseroles; how to write the Best Eulogy Ever. Part memoir, part how-to, this book will help you get through the rough bargain of human existence: We are sustained by the connections that we make, and keep, with the living and with the dead.
Praise for The Surprising Power of Family Meals
“Thank you for writing this wonderful book!”
— Barbara Bush
“Children who grow up with a strong sense of family are likely to become solid, healthy adults. Sitting down together for supper – or any other occasion – is essential to family, and its importance cannot be overestimated.”
— Washington Post
“Weinstein does not look through rose-colored glasses. She acknowledges that single-parent households, dual-income families, extracurricular activities and peer pressure promote skipped meals and dashboard dining. She offers strategies for bringing back this simple but highly effective communion.”
— The Plain Dealer
“Thoughtful, meticulously researched…Weinstein offers small steps families can take to reinstitute this basic tradition.”
— Newsday