By Christina McLaurine
My Ackee Tree is a memoir full of food and heart. Suzanne Barr is vulnerable and open as she recounts her journey to becoming a chef. This journey takes her from her childhood home in Plantation, Florida, to New York City for college and in search of her independence. Soon, she finds herself in Atlanta, where she discovers her activist spirit. However, before long, she returns to Florida to care for her ailing mum. While grieving the loss of her mother, Barr sets off again. Her travels take her back to New York City and subsequently to culinary school. Post culinary school, she spends some time in Hawaii, the Hamptons, and France before eventually settling in Toronto, where she opens her own restaurant.
Barr is candid about the challenges and losses she’s faced along the way and offsets them with her strength and leaps of faith. From learning to quell self-doubts to navigate being a Black female in white-male dominated spaces and vindictive landlords and business partners. As Barr recounts each challenge, she contrasts it with her takeaways and lessons learned in a way that both educates and inspires her readers. Those who have limited knowledge of culinary school or the restaurant industry shouldn’t shy away from reading My Ackee Tree. Barr does a great job of explaining and illustrating those spaces for those unfamiliar with them.
Sometimes it’s not about what is waiting for us at our destination but about how we’ve changed and grown during the process. Barr seamlessly weaves themes of grief, race, identity, activism, and community through her journey while highlighting the importance of the journey itself. It’s unmistakable that Barr is deeply influenced and inspired by the places she’s been, the experiences she’s had, and the people she’s met. Each one has not only shaped her but also directly or indirectly influenced the rest of the journey. She carries them with her in her soul and infuses them into everything she does, especially her food. My Ackee Tree reads like an ode of thanksgiving for the people, places, and experiences that have inspired her the most.
Thank you, Penguin Random House, for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.