The 2022-2023 WSU Common Read book is "Notes from a Young Black Chef" by Kwame Onwuachi.
By the time he was twenty-seven years old, Kwame Onwuachi had opened—and closed—one
of the most talked about restaurants in America. He had sold drugs in New York and
been shipped off to rural Nigeria to “learn respect.” He had launched his own catering
company with twenty thousand dollars made from selling candy on the subway and starred
on Top Chef.
Through it all, Onwuachi’s love of food and cooking remained a constant, even when,
as a young chef, he was forced to grapple with just how unwelcoming the food world
can be for people of color. In this inspirational memoir about the intersection of
race, fame, and food, he shares the remarkable story of his culinary coming-of-age;
a powerful, heartfelt, and shockingly honest account of chasing your dreams—even when
they don’t turn out as you expected.
Excerpt from Penguin Random House
The Common Read Library Guide provides more information on the common read program, the book, and related topics, materials and initiatives.
» View the WSU Reads Library Guide for Notes from a Young Black Chef