Home Made: A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up--and What We Make When We Make Dinner
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-07 03:31:17
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Liz Hauck
- ISBN：0525512438
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Debra Buckley
，
Home Made is a story about grief， groceries， volunteering and broken systems。 The author's dedication to keeping the cardinal rule of volunteerism " show up when you say you will show up， do what you say you'll do， be prepared to improvise， leave when you are supposed to and then come back" structures this story line。 Liz honors her father's commitment and the work he did as a social worker making a difference in the lives of boys in state care。 The story is compelling， funny and heart wrenching Home Made is a story about grief， groceries， volunteering and broken systems。 The author's dedication to keeping the cardinal rule of volunteerism " show up when you say you will show up， do what you say you'll do， be prepared to improvise， leave when you are supposed to and then come back" structures this story line。 Liz honors her father's commitment and the work he did as a social worker making a difference in the lives of boys in state care。 The story is compelling， funny and heart wrenching all at the same time。 It is beautifully written。 Liz provides a vivid reminder about the importance of sharing a meal and the community that cooking and eating together creates。This remarkable story holds you to the very end。 You laugh， cry and smile。 Liz Hauck reminds us that relationships are Home Made！ 。。。more
Jeff
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This is a book about teenage boys in state care in Boston。 More specifically， Liz Hauck documents the several years she spent cooking and eating weekly dinners with an ever-revolving group。 It all takes place at a home where her late father worked for decades。 His death is the catalyst for her volunteer work， but this is very much a book about these boys。Hauck set out to capture what happened when she showed up with groceries and notions of making a few boys' lives a little better。 But in tellin This is a book about teenage boys in state care in Boston。 More specifically， Liz Hauck documents the several years she spent cooking and eating weekly dinners with an ever-revolving group。 It all takes place at a home where her late father worked for decades。 His death is the catalyst for her volunteer work， but this is very much a book about these boys。Hauck set out to capture what happened when she showed up with groceries and notions of making a few boys' lives a little better。 But in telling the stories of these dinners， she captures the larger issues that lead kids into this system: the perpetual cycle of racism， poverty， mental health challenges and more。 It's impossible to not be frustrated at how these kids get passed along in school， neglected or exploited by their relatives， and then essentially abandoned by the state when they turn 18。While you can't ignore the heft and seriousness of these problems， the book manages to be relatable， funny， and heartfelt。 When she tries to get adventurous or healthy with the meals， she's so often told， "Yeah， but nobody likes that。" This results in a lot of quesadillas， pizza and brownies。 Hauck is clear that this isn't a book with a happy ending。 That would be disingenuous。 But as a record of what life is like for kids who can easily be forgotten， it's an important work。Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Mary Lehnertz
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Volunteering at a community home for teenage boys weekly for 3 years is the basis for this beautiful true story。 Liz as she calls herself， has intricately described the dinners at the group home and the lives of these boys that she cared so much about。 What a wonderful tribute to her father volunteering where her father had worked to honor him。Thank you for this ARC of this book， I am glad I had the opportunity to read and review this book。
Elizabeth
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Is there anything more revealing than a meal shared？ Pairing tender words and painful realities， Home Made was an invitation to me to enter the lives of youngsters I do not know， but will ever remember。 it was so hard to stop reading any succession of chapters。 What looked ordinary， a brownie， the table top， A lineup of ingredients， over and over became extraordinary images of the struggle to belong。 The story is an unraveling of the beatitudes of hope， patience， remembering， and building one an Is there anything more revealing than a meal shared？ Pairing tender words and painful realities， Home Made was an invitation to me to enter the lives of youngsters I do not know， but will ever remember。 it was so hard to stop reading any succession of chapters。 What looked ordinary， a brownie， the table top， A lineup of ingredients， over and over became extraordinary images of the struggle to belong。 The story is an unraveling of the beatitudes of hope， patience， remembering， and building one another。 A small coterie of individuals is neighborhood。 What a vivid reminder。 I am grateful for the invitation。。 。。。more
C A
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Liz Hauck has created a poignant memoir highlighting how disparate lives can come together。 Four letter words are the keys: Food—Life—Help—Love。 She and her Dad had planned a “one night a week” cooking class at a residential group home in Boston。 Her father died and the author chose to honor his legacy by remembering his words， carrying out his dreams and learning lessons through generosity and pain。 The book contains heartfelt memories of family experiences interspersed with special moments of Liz Hauck has created a poignant memoir highlighting how disparate lives can come together。 Four letter words are the keys: Food—Life—Help—Love。 She and her Dad had planned a “one night a week” cooking class at a residential group home in Boston。 Her father died and the author chose to honor his legacy by remembering his words， carrying out his dreams and learning lessons through generosity and pain。 The book contains heartfelt memories of family experiences interspersed with special moments of humor， “just do what you can do！” 。。。more
Mary
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This was a great read about a woman’s search for understanding and purpose， with a lot of humor and compassion weaved in。 After the author births an almost accidental plan with her dad， she finds herself following through - and bearing through - the following years in ways she didn’t expect and certainly couldn’t plan for。 There were moments I laughed out loud， cringed， held my breath in stillness， or stopped reading altogether to consider the reality being shared。 The people she writes about ar This was a great read about a woman’s search for understanding and purpose， with a lot of humor and compassion weaved in。 After the author births an almost accidental plan with her dad， she finds herself following through - and bearing through - the following years in ways she didn’t expect and certainly couldn’t plan for。 There were moments I laughed out loud， cringed， held my breath in stillness， or stopped reading altogether to consider the reality being shared。 The people she writes about are real， sometimes raw， and her experiences are relatable。 The topics of race， education， grief， and universality are timely， and sometimes， timeless。 It’s a book that captured my attention from the first sentence to the last and I will read it again。 。。。more
Jennifer M。
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Overall， I felt kinda meh about this book。 Not necessarily bad， but not particularly memorable either。 Giving it 2。5/5 Stars。
Robin
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Guys， this book was amazing。 I received an advance copy from the publisher and am writing this honest review at their request - but I would've given 5 stars anyway。 Liz Hauck wrote a story that is coming at the perfect time。 Through a memoir that details several years running a small volunteer cooking program at a Boston residential program for young men she explores grief， community， racism with a thread of perseverance throughout。I grew up in the neighborhood this book is set in， and Liz captu Guys， this book was amazing。 I received an advance copy from the publisher and am writing this honest review at their request - but I would've given 5 stars anyway。 Liz Hauck wrote a story that is coming at the perfect time。 Through a memoir that details several years running a small volunteer cooking program at a Boston residential program for young men she explores grief， community， racism with a thread of perseverance throughout。I grew up in the neighborhood this book is set in， and Liz captured it perfectly - I know that readers from other places will have a true sense of this little intersection of Jamaica Plain。 I also know - or knew - several of the individuals who are depicted in the book， and even the ones I never met （those boys！） have stayed with me since I finished reading。 This isn't exactly a fun or easy book to read （I definitely cried）， but it's a GOOD one that I couldn't put down until the end。 In this year that's been marked by loss and reminders of what community NEEDS to be， I'm so thankful that this book was created。 If you read it like I did， you'll find it's an irresistible call to action。 。。。more
Suzanne
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Warm， authentic tale of a young woman embarking on a dining program with institutionalized boys in honor of her recently deceased father。 The book is a memoir that reads more like a friend telling her tales of a volunteer effort。 There is not a recognizable story arc with an ending that draws all the experiences together。 And the author warns readers of this fact at the onset。 This is a rumination on loss and the effort to build something out of it; when really it is a slice of life， nothing mor Warm， authentic tale of a young woman embarking on a dining program with institutionalized boys in honor of her recently deceased father。 The book is a memoir that reads more like a friend telling her tales of a volunteer effort。 There is not a recognizable story arc with an ending that draws all the experiences together。 And the author warns readers of this fact at the onset。 This is a rumination on loss and the effort to build something out of it; when really it is a slice of life， nothing more or less。 And worthy for the effort。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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An amazing heartfelt memoir that's about more than the author。 Hauck's father was committed to working with young men in residential care and， after his unexpected death， she carries on with the project he envisioned。 She cooks with the young men， who have difficult pasts and uncertain futures。 But this is about more than the meals they make together， it's about community， compassion， and hope。 The stories will linger in your mind。 Yes， dinner at the table is important but equally important is t An amazing heartfelt memoir that's about more than the author。 Hauck's father was committed to working with young men in residential care and， after his unexpected death， she carries on with the project he envisioned。 She cooks with the young men， who have difficult pasts and uncertain futures。 But this is about more than the meals they make together， it's about community， compassion， and hope。 The stories will linger in your mind。 Yes， dinner at the table is important but equally important is the shared experience of cooking with those who will share the meal。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 Hauck went into this to honor her father and she's done more than that- she's inspired me and I suspect others as well。 。。。more
meg
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Author， Liz Hauck， has written a true gem with her memoir Home Made: A Story of Grief， Groceries， Showing Up - and What We Make When We Make Dinner。Hauck brilliantly weaves the threads of loss， connection， and belonging throughout the true story of her 3 years， volunteering to cook weekly at a state run home for court-involved boys that her father co-founded。 Before her father died， he and Liz spoke about her volunteering to cook a meal with the boys in the House as a way of building a sense of Author， Liz Hauck， has written a true gem with her memoir Home Made: A Story of Grief， Groceries， Showing Up - and What We Make When We Make Dinner。Hauck brilliantly weaves the threads of loss， connection， and belonging throughout the true story of her 3 years， volunteering to cook weekly at a state run home for court-involved boys that her father co-founded。 Before her father died， he and Liz spoke about her volunteering to cook a meal with the boys in the House as a way of building a sense of community。 After his death， Liz decides to honor her father’s memory by fullfilling this project。This smart， heartwarming story is filled with wit and insightful observations of the boys she cooks with， offering vivid descriptions of their interactions cooking with her， snapshots of their difficult lives and the dance of trust built each week as they share a meal。 Liz shows up weekly offering constancy， caring and comfort to these boys who have only known change and hardship。 You can’t help but emotionally invest in these kids。 I read this book in just two sittings; a page turner of the heart， wanting to know， “What happens next？” Relevant in the current social environment， Home Made is a memoir well worth reading and sharing。 Hauck’s characters， their stories and hers， will stay with you long after the book is read。 Highly recommended！Thank you Random House， Netgalley and GoodReads 。。。more
Sue Simon
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Better than a new silk tie， or a box of favorite chocolates， or a coffee mug with “World’s Best Dad” inscribed， HOME MADE is the perfect Father’s Day gift a daughter could give her Dad。 I loved it！ Started on a Friday， finished on Sunday。 I wanted to （had to！） keep reading。 What dinner did they make that week？ Who was there？ Who went AWOL？ Who helped ？ Who just came to eat？ It was not just the food。 It was the personalities and the problems， （How do you cut chicken with a plastic knife？ Where ar Better than a new silk tie， or a box of favorite chocolates， or a coffee mug with “World’s Best Dad” inscribed， HOME MADE is the perfect Father’s Day gift a daughter could give her Dad。 I loved it！ Started on a Friday， finished on Sunday。 I wanted to （had to！） keep reading。 What dinner did they make that week？ Who was there？ Who went AWOL？ Who helped ？ Who just came to eat？ It was not just the food。 It was the personalities and the problems， （How do you cut chicken with a plastic knife？ Where are the pots and pans？ What can you make with frozen eggs？ Why are the cupboards all locked up？ What can I do about the guy who can’t read？） I laughed。 I cried。 I felt the boys’ pain， Liz’s too。 I saw the initial distrust of the new White teacher， watched their eventual acceptance （mostly）and smiled at the names they had and used for Liz and I wanted （had to！） stay for the end of the story。 I wanted， hoped for， an ending that was a gift all wrapped up in shiny paper， topped with a big red bow！ Spoiler Alert！！！ Maybe yes， maybe no。 Dear readers， you will have to read for yourselves。 You will be so glad you did。 Liz Hauck has honored her father with the perfect shiny wrapped present。 And the bow is a big one。 。。。more
Christina
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Lovely， engaging & full of grace （given and received）， Liz tells an authentic story， one with several ambiguous endings instead of one happy one， capturing the challenge of being a short term person who can't doing very much about someone's long term difficulties except to show up and be a good neighbor over chicken stir fry。 She remembers the boys and her younger self with humor， truth， and dignity。 Don't skip the afterword。Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC Lovely， engaging & full of grace （given and received）， Liz tells an authentic story， one with several ambiguous endings instead of one happy one， capturing the challenge of being a short term person who can't doing very much about someone's long term difficulties except to show up and be a good neighbor over chicken stir fry。 She remembers the boys and her younger self with humor， truth， and dignity。 Don't skip the afterword。Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC 。。。more
Sharon
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The author was raised in a home where volunteering was valued so this wasn’t her first gig。 She and her father had talked about a program where she would cook one night a week for the young men who lived in the group home her father had helped found and where he still worked。 After his early death， she wasn’t sure she could go through with it， but with the blessing of his partner and co-founder Gerry， she inaugurated her program。In her words， “this book is my story about dinners and conversation The author was raised in a home where volunteering was valued so this wasn’t her first gig。 She and her father had talked about a program where she would cook one night a week for the young men who lived in the group home her father had helped found and where he still worked。 After his early death， she wasn’t sure she could go through with it， but with the blessing of his partner and co-founder Gerry， she inaugurated her program。In her words， “this book is my story about dinners and conversations with six boys， or twenty-seven boys， living in foster care who were assigned to a group home run by the human services agency my father had confounded， there as a volunteer。 It’s a story about the interconnectedness of food and memory， and community service and community care。 This is also a story of modern America。”There was a race against the system to get these young men who came in their mid-to-late teens be prepared for living on their own after they turned 18 and were released to whatever came next， another residential assignment or independence。 Their assignment to the house was supposed to be transitional but sometimes there was no where for them to go and Frank was “transitionally” there for four years。 He didn’t even have a birth certificate so his celebration dinner was whatever year he decided he was。 You can’t help becoming attached to these lost and lonely boys and I absolutely fell in love with Leon。This is a story of the interactions of the boys with the author over the dinners and it’s a story of food。 When they were trying to decide what their dinners would look like， Hauck suggested they allow an hour for cooking and an hour for eating。 Leon quite honestly asked， why don’t you cook and we eat？ Expect to be charmed to pieces and expect to cry。 。。。more
Ami Travillian-vonesh
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I will preface this review （note: you will have a new take on the word "preface" after reading this book） with this fact: I don't usually read non-fiction。 I want a plot and good character development。 （My preferred genres are mysteries and historical fiction。）But。。。 this book is riveting。 I read it in two sittings - one until almost 3 a。m。， the second until I finished it at 2 a。m。 In the day between my marathon sessions， I thought about the characters and wanted to get back to the book。 I， too， I will preface this review （note: you will have a new take on the word "preface" after reading this book） with this fact: I don't usually read non-fiction。 I want a plot and good character development。 （My preferred genres are mysteries and historical fiction。）But。。。 this book is riveting。 I read it in two sittings - one until almost 3 a。m。， the second until I finished it at 2 a。m。 In the day between my marathon sessions， I thought about the characters and wanted to get back to the book。 I， too， have worked extensively with kids like these， and found Ms。 Hauck's portrayals of them to be very well drawn。 My only complaint is not knowing more about the fate of these young people。 I would love for the story to continue。 。。。more
Megan
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As a teacher myself， the story of these boys hit home。 Students I have taught have had the same type of life story as the boys in this book， and dealt with things I could not imagine。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。
Melrose's
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Who's cutting onions here？ Please stop！When I read the synopsis I was hesitant since I'm not a big fan of cooking。 However， this book is surprisingly good。 It's heartbreakingly sadder that this boys are real they lived through this and some are still out there。 I was so attached to the boys James， Carlos， Wesley， Frank and Leon。 I read each word carefully and took in everything。It's wonderful to learn from this book the power of connection through food， by sitting together on a table and sharing Who's cutting onions here？ Please stop！When I read the synopsis I was hesitant since I'm not a big fan of cooking。 However， this book is surprisingly good。 It's heartbreakingly sadder that this boys are real they lived through this and some are still out there。 I was so attached to the boys James， Carlos， Wesley， Frank and Leon。 I read each word carefully and took in everything。It's wonderful to learn from this book the power of connection through food， by sitting together on a table and sharing the intimacy of unity and the essence of a family。 I would like to thank Liz and the other people like Liz that provide these young boys moments in their lives an experience of warmth and love even it was just a passing moment。 。。。more
Jennifer
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This is a beautifully-written memoir about a cooking program in a residential home for teenage boys in state care。 I worked in a residential home similar to the one in the book when I was in my twenties， and found the author's writing real， poignant， and resonant。 This is a book about service and volunteering， about trying to be a good neighbor when you're not sure you can make a real difference， and about how shared food can build relationships even when everyone cooking the meal has genuine do This is a beautifully-written memoir about a cooking program in a residential home for teenage boys in state care。 I worked in a residential home similar to the one in the book when I was in my twenties， and found the author's writing real， poignant， and resonant。 This is a book about service and volunteering， about trying to be a good neighbor when you're not sure you can make a real difference， and about how shared food can build relationships even when everyone cooking the meal has genuine doubts about that。 Home Made is told with incredible warmth and humor， as the teenage boys try to make sense of who the author is and why she keeps showing up， and as the author uses her skills as a high school teacher to try to build rapport and teach new skills in the kitchen。 She shares her wins as well as her failures in this endeavor。 It is also moving and revealing about the complex systems that led to these children being in state care and the fates that await them when they age out。 。。。more
John
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Great I won the giveaway， can't wait to start reading Great I won the giveaway， can't wait to start reading 。。。more
Jodi
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I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。In 2006， Liz started cooking meals with the boys who lived in a group home that her father ran。 She and her father had planned to do it before he passed away。 Every week， Liz would come in and make a meal with the boys and eat it together。 She tried to teach the boys a life skill by cooking a meal and show them that someone cared about them。 She did this for three years until the home they were living in， closed I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。In 2006， Liz started cooking meals with the boys who lived in a group home that her father ran。 She and her father had planned to do it before he passed away。 Every week， Liz would come in and make a meal with the boys and eat it together。 She tried to teach the boys a life skill by cooking a meal and show them that someone cared about them。 She did this for three years until the home they were living in， closed down。This story is one that will sit with me for awhile。 It makes me sad that there are so many kids in this situation and the system doesn't provide a good way for teaching kids valuable life skills and a way to make their life better。 I was really rooting for Leon， Wesley， Frank and Carlos。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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Home Made is a heartwarming story。 Hauck’s father and she had a plan to cook with the young males who lived in a place called The House， where her father was a social worker。 Unfortunately， Hauck’s father passed away before the plan was realized。 Hauck made it happen a few years later。 It was good to read about her intersection with the boys who had tough lives。 It was also good to read the boys’ perspectives。 I think all，the boys eventually realized that some one cared about them， in a world th Home Made is a heartwarming story。 Hauck’s father and she had a plan to cook with the young males who lived in a place called The House， where her father was a social worker。 Unfortunately， Hauck’s father passed away before the plan was realized。 Hauck made it happen a few years later。 It was good to read about her intersection with the boys who had tough lives。 It was also good to read the boys’ perspectives。 I think all，the boys eventually realized that some one cared about them， in a world that usually was quite harsh and unforgiving。 Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the early copy。 。。。more
Sara
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The author of this book spent three years volunteering with boys living in a home。 She knew of this place because her late father had worked there。 She wanted to honor and remember him and she wanted to see if cooking with these boys would be something that would have good results。 In many ways it did。 She grew closer with them and they seemed to slightly open up。 It was interesting to hear of what they cooked and what they thought about it。 But each boy had a very sad story and in the end， the The author of this book spent three years volunteering with boys living in a home。 She knew of this place because her late father had worked there。 She wanted to honor and remember him and she wanted to see if cooking with these boys would be something that would have good results。 In many ways it did。 She grew closer with them and they seemed to slightly open up。 It was interesting to hear of what they cooked and what they thought about it。 But each boy had a very sad story and in the end， the reader wonders if any of it really made any difference at all。 How many people like Liz would it take to make a difference？ How could the system be changed so that it truly could make a difference。 This is just one story。 It left me wondering about all the other stories out there。Thank you go NetGalley for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Kelli
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