“My sister and I watched my mother mix those spices countless times. She fed half the community. She basically funded the building at New Harvest with her chicken dinners. And she left the recipe to me and Marvina.” – Stimpson, M. (2024) Sisters with a Side of Greens
Sisters with a Side of Greens by Texas author, Michelle Stimpson, is the perfect lazy Sunday read as we transition into summer down South. This book focuses on various themes surrounding sisterhood, Black family dynamics, Black church culture, and of course Southern cuisine.
Sisters Rose and Marvina have not spoken to one another or been on friendly terms in years, but as one sister approaches retirement from a job that she dedicated the last few decades of her life to, she realizes that she does not want to spend her latter years with nothing of her own to show for it. That realization forces her to drive out to her hometown of Fork City, Texas on a whim and show up unannounced on her estranged sisters’ front steps.
Just when Sister Marvina realizes that her days cooking for the community and church that she loves are coming to an end, as if things could not get any worse– she opens the door and finds her older sister Rose barely holding on for dear life against a pillar on her front steps. Instead of questioning her sister’s motives for showing up unannounced, she instantly springs into action like any good Christian woman would and welcomes her inside. Concerned with the current state of her sister and her bum knee, she does not interrogate Rose upon her arrival, but waits until that next morning to find out why after all these years has her sister has shown up in Fork City.
What starts out as a journey to find the missing ingredients to perfect their mothers’ seasoning blend, turns into a journey of discovery between two sisters. Neither sister really knew what moment caused them to lose the bond between them. They both could only remember the hurt they felt when they thought they had been betrayed by the other. For one sister, it was the judgment from their mother, the Church, and the other sister that had forced her to leave their hometown for a life of freedom in nearby big city Dallas. For the other sister, it was a selfish decision to leave the other behind that caused years of resentment and misunderstanding.
When it seems as if the sisters will never make peace with their pasts, an unexpected guest opens their eyes to a whole new way of thinking and existing. Kerresha is a beautiful, Black teenager who the sisters find trespassing in the guest house who is also very pregnant. When the sisters realize that Kerresha will be taken into custody by the police for trespassing, they use their cooking to convince the police officer to leave the pregnant teenager in their care. Neither of them had any intention of fostering a stranger, but faced with an unspoken duty to protect the young girl they agreed to take care of her until the baby was born.
Having grown up with a mother who constantly found herself addicted to drugs and with constant Child Protective Services interference, Kerresha knew exactly what kind of life she wanted for her unborn child. Despite her circumstances, she knew she wanted her baby to feel safe to be themselves, who could grow up in a life free from judgment, and who could aspire to live the life they wanted. Her dreams for her baby were the dreams that both sisters wished they could have experienced for themselves and given to their own children.
As the unlikely trio awaits the arrival of Kerresha’s baby, change occurs. Kerresha challenges them to make amends with their past, as well as to salvage the pieces left of their fragile relationship. She also gives them hope. The sisters in turn, provide Kerresha with a love that she did not have growing up, as they become more like family than strangers. So much so that they almost contemplate sharing the ingredients to their mothers’ seasoning with her.
With food playing a character in this book, the Stimpson highlights the importance of preserving the culture with traditional meals passed down from family to family. A secret spice blend not only fed generations, but it also provided the seasoning for their lives. Whether keeping the youth at the church out of trouble or ensuring that the less fortunate had something to eat, their mother’s seasoning was an important part of their existence. This is not a story of Black generational trauma, but rather is a story of Black people recognizing the mistakes of their elders and rectifying some of the wrongs done by them with grace and understanding. Sisters With a Side of Greens challenges the misconception that Black people and Black stories usually do not have happy endings. This book proves that families can work through challenging times, experience forgiveness, and get the opportunity to recreate themselves repeatedly. Even if the ingredients used to season the collard greens is the same as generations used before…
