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A review by pussreboots
Bannock, Beans and Black Tea: Memories of a Prince Edward Island Childhood in the Great Depression by John Gallant, Seth
5.0
Seth, a Canadian graphic novelist, grew up listening to his father's stories of growing up in extreme poverty on Prince Edward Island. In 2004 he put his father's stories together in a slim volume called Bannock, Beans and Black Tea.
The title refers to their basic diet, when they had money for food. Bannock is a fry bread, similar to the American biscuit but fried as a flat bread, sort of like pita or na'an.
The book is a rather bleak memoir. Gallant's family was always struggling for money and it took its toll on everyone. This is not the idyllic PEI of L.M. Montgomery. This is a harsh and cruel island divided into the haves and have-nots.
The memoir begins and ends with some of Seth's illustrations in comic form. I wish there were more of them peppered through out the book, or even comprising the entire volume.
The title refers to their basic diet, when they had money for food. Bannock is a fry bread, similar to the American biscuit but fried as a flat bread, sort of like pita or na'an.
The book is a rather bleak memoir. Gallant's family was always struggling for money and it took its toll on everyone. This is not the idyllic PEI of L.M. Montgomery. This is a harsh and cruel island divided into the haves and have-nots.
The memoir begins and ends with some of Seth's illustrations in comic form. I wish there were more of them peppered through out the book, or even comprising the entire volume.