Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight

SAM AND THE INCREDIBLE AFRICAN AND AMERICAN FOOD FIGHT

By Shannon Gibney

I recently wrote a review about cultural differences between African Americans and those who are African-born, from the perspective of an African-born man who has also lived in the U.S. Shannon Gibney’s children’s book, Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight, illustrates this in the context of a family.

6-year-old Sam and his younger sister Connah sit at the crossroads of two different cultures. Their mother is an African American from Minnesota, and their father and aunt are African-born from Liberia. When it came to meals, their differences have been playing out at the dinner table, since his mother, his father, and his aunt insist on eating only the food from their own respective cultures.

Not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, Sam has been eating both meals. However, he has been paying a price for this, since his stomach can only accommodate so much food, and the adults won’t budge from their beliefs.

Sam wonders why there has to be such a contest over food, with him and Connah caught in the middle. Finally, Sam and his stomach come up with a plan to end the conflict. Will it work?

I appreciate the way Gibney illustrated cultural differences from the viewpoint of a child. As adults, we can become so entrenched in a belief that “our way is the only way” that we miss out on opportunities to learn from another culture. In resolving this dinner struggle, Sam became the adult in the situation, ultimately teaching his parents and his aunt that the foods are simply different; one is not better than the other.

In our day-to-day lives, this book begs the question: how often do we take the opportunity to broaden our horizons, especially with the diversity of the African diaspora? Contrary to beliefs, it isn’t monolithic, and broadening benefits not only ourselves, but our children and grandchildren as well.

A Bush author and McKnight Writing Fellow, Gibney is also a Minnesota Book Award winner, teaching writing at Minneapolis College. The beautiful illustrations are courtesy of Charly Palmer, who studied art and design at the American Academy of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight will be available through the University of Minnesota Press this year.

In the inspiring words of Toni Morrison, “If there is a book you want to read, and it hasn’t been written yet, then you must be the one to write it.” Thank you so much for writing this one, Shannon. Well done!