Climbing the Mango Trees (A memoir of a childhood in India) - Madhur Jaffrey

I love good food - cooking, not so much.  I do love collecting cookbooks, though, and Madhur Jaffrey is one of my favorites.

Climbing the Mango Trees, though, is not primarily a cookbook.  It has some recipes at the end of the book, but for the most part of the book deals with Madhur Jaffrey's early life, her joint family, her memories while growing up, and the food that links it all together.  I have always loved the little write-ups that accompany most of her recipes, so I would obviously love the extended version that this book is, but I think anybody who has spent life with a large family, remembers family gatherings and a fun-filled childhood with a million cousins would really love this book.  And for all those who haven't lived that life, well then, pick this book up, and take a dive into what is a quintessential Indian family's story, told in by Ms. Jaffrey in her usual charming way.

There are some recipes at the end of the book, family recipes, and there a mix of vegetarian and nonvegetarian, so there is something for everyone.