This Book Made Pete Hunger For Information About The Era AND The Wonderful Food

"The Secret Life of Frida Kahlo not only tells a fictionalized account of the great artist's life (though quite accurate in many parts), but also includes a plethora of authentic Mexican recipes that Frida kept in a long lost but recently discovered notebook (that part is true).
 
I'm not usually one to read recipes, but this book made me hunger for La Sopa de Tortilla (Tortilla Soup), Mole Verde (Green Mole), and Loma al Tequila (Tequila Pork Loin). Also, too, I enjoyed learning more about the extraordinary lives of Frida Kahlo and her on again-off again mural artist husband, Diego Rivera. They lived in a fascinating era (early to mid 20th Century) and socialized with Communists (Leon Trotsky), Capitalists (Nelson Rockefeller), and seemingly all the major artists and writers of the day including Georgia O'Keefe, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, and Salvador Dali. In fact, Frida wasn't even supposed to live after being impaled by a metal object during a horrific train collision when just a young girl. But sometimes artists who aren't long for the world make up for it with bountiful productivity in just a short time. Van Gogh was one and Frida another.
 
I would recommend this book to aspiring artists, lovers of Mexican food, or anyone who has read and enjoyed Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate. As much as I believe you'll want to share this novel with friends, you will also want tear out your favorite Frida Kahlo recipes first."

--Pete