I am torn with this novel. Adrian really nails so much of the postpartum tumult in a way I haven’t seen covered, right down to the destroyed perineum.

It's not often that I take a chance on a memoir from an unknown author. Forging a connection deep enough to invest fully into a random person's life story can be hard for me to achieve, personally. So, imagine my surprise when I slipped so deep, right into emotional investment with Phyllis's relationship with food and motherhood. It is no accident that the state grows during crises. Governments might have stumbled in the pandemic, but they alone can coerce and mobilise vast resources rapidly. Today they are needed to enforce business closures and isolation to stop the virus. Only they can help offset the resulting economic collapse. In America and the euro area GDP could drop by 5-10% year-on-year, perhaps more. Grant’s point of view is uniquely sensual and grounding. Think James Salter meets Ruth Reichel meets Marguerite Duras . . . She writes with grace and passion not only about cooking but feasting, family, falling in love and falling apart. She also writes extremely well about healing. When I finished this book, I felt more alive." -- Joanna Hershon, New York Magazine's The Strategist In Everything Is Under Control, author Phyllis Grant invites the reader into her life story, by way of her kitchen. We pass the typical milestones. Body image. Career choices. Awkward relationships. Marriage, Kids. And right away, food is a thread that weaves the chapters together. Avocados drizzled with savory vinaigrette and meats bubbling away in rich, umami sauces.I really enjoyed the distinct voices of Amanda, Carrie and her teen daughter, Nina. My one small criticism, while this book wasn’t very long, parts felt redundant. This book is set in current times, right before the 2016 election and focuses on motherhood, friendship, perceptions, and Trump’s Make America Great Again. This book is an encyclopedia, and if you don't like reading encyclopedias you won't like it. In the Age of Wikipedia, EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL can seem a bit quaint. It's also a bit dated; 20 years old now, Wilson's book spends a bit too much time talking about conspiracy theories which were very much on our collective minds in the 90s, but which don't make a whole lot of press or sense now. The most obvious example of this is repressed memory therapy, which Wilson clearly finds not just laughable but outright dangerous, traumatizing as it does individuals and their families. There are multiple entries in various facets of this practice, as well as AIDS conspiracies that are not even remotely plausible today, when we have made so much amazing progress (at least in the US) treating the disease.

Before the X-Files, before alt.conspiracy, there was Robert Anton Wilson and his legendary Illuminatus! Trilogy. Now this avatar of conspiriology, renowned for his razor wit and progressive philosophy, takes you on a fascinating, eclectic ride through what Wilson has termed the "Cultic Twilight" where conspiracy theories flourish. In a Fox News interview, Trump deflects criticism to his response by saying the Obama administration (including the vice president, Joe Biden) “didn’t do anything about” swine flu. We rated the claim False. I loved reading about her life in New York City. It was there that she met her future husband. Phyllis discusses her marriage, children, career moves, and life in general. It was a sort of easy, breezy, ironic and overall fun book. It was consumed very fast and was satisfying, like I'm sure a lot of her scrumptious recipes are at the end of the book!The power is in the vignettes Grant writes about love and parenting, growing up and settling down, baby food and wedding cake and Vicodin—all of which ring dead-true even though you don't know Grant yourself. You'll steamroll through it. And then you'll start cooking." -- Sarah Rense, Esquire