Whether you're digging into a slice of cherry cheesecake, burning your tongue on a piece of fiery Jamaican jerk chicken, or slurping the broth from a juicy soup dumpling, eating in New York City is a culinary adventure unlike any other in the world.

An irresistible sampling of the city's rich food heritage, "Gastropolis" explores the personal and historical relationship between New Yorkers and food. Beginning with the origins of cuisine combinations, such as Mt. Olympus bagels and Puerto Rican lasagna, the book describes the nature of food and drink before the arrival of Europeans in 1624 and offers a history of early farming practices. Essays trace the function of place and memory in Asian cuisine, the rise of Jewish food icons, the evolution of food enterprises in Harlem, the relationship between restaurant dining and identity, and the role of peddlers and markets in guiding the ingredients of our meals. They share spice-scented recollections of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and colorful vignettes of the avant-garde chefs, entrepreneurs, and patrons who continue to influence the way New Yorkers eat.

Touching on everything from religion, nutrition, and agriculture to economics, politics, and psychology, "Gastropolis" tells a story of immigration, amalgamation, and assimilation. This rich interplay between tradition and change, individual and society, and identity and community could happen only in New York.

Whether you're digging into a slice of cherry cheesecake, burning your tongue on a piece of fiery Jamaican jerk chicken, or slurping the broth from a juicy soup dumpling, eating in New York City is a culinary adventure unlike any other in the world.

An irresistible sampling of the city's rich food heritage, "Gastropolis" explores the personal and historical relationship between New Yorkers and food. Beginning with the origins of cuisine combinations, such as Mt. Olympus bagels and Puerto Rican lasagna, the book describes the nature of food and drink before the arrival of Europeans in 1624 and offers a history of early farming practices. Essays trace the function of place and memory in Asian cuisine, the rise of Jewish food icons, the evolution of food enterprises in Harlem, the relationship between restaurant dining and identity, and the role of peddlers and markets in guiding the ingredients of our meals. They share spice-scented recollections of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and colorful vignettes of the avant-garde chefs, entrepreneurs, and patrons who continue to influence the way New Yorkers eat.

Touching on everything from religion, nutrition, and agriculture to economics, politics, and psychology, "Gastropolis" tells a story of immigration, amalgamation, and assimilation. This rich interplay between tradition and change, individual and society, and identity and community could happen only in New York.

The Rough Journey of Survival will inspire your heart and soul, which is a non-fiction book about severe conflicts that I endured from a lifelong struggle. Through poems as well as personal statements, I describe the life lessons that I learned from past experiences and the lessons that I learned from being incarcerated in prison. Because of my incarceration, I am capable of living my life based on righteousness. There are two ways to learn life lessons: the hard way and the easy way, but sometimes learning the hard way is the only way. For many years, I have been learning knowledge the hard way; now, I'm learning wisdom the easy way. I was always able to survive those different hardships because I am a survivor who conquered many adversities, and I will always fight any obstacles that would take away my right to cherish the gift of life.

Fighting for Survival will inspire your heart and soul, which is a non-fiction book about severe conflicts that I have endured from a lifelong struggle. Through poems as well as personal statements, I describe the life lessons that I learned from past experiences and the lessons that I learned from being incarcerated in prison. Because of my incarceration, I am capable of living my life based on righteousness. There are two ways to learn life lessons: the hard way and the easy way, but sometimes learning the hard way is the only way. For many years, I have been learning knowledge the hard way; now, I'm learning wisdom the easy way. I was always able to survive those difficult hardships because I am a survivor who conquered many adversities, and I will always fight any obstacles that would take away my right to cherish the gift of life.

"The Rough Journey of Survival" presents a collection of poetry and personal prose seeking to inspire both heart and soul. Author Michael LoMonaco chronicles the severe conflicts he has experienced from his lifelong struggle with psychological disorders. He describes the life lessons he has learned from his past experiences, including his time spent in prison.

LoMonaco suggests that there are two ways to learn life lessons-the easy way and the hard way-and that sometimes the hard way is the only way that works. Ultimately, he is a survivor who has conquered many adversities by taking responsibility for his actions and by viewing life in a more positive light.

In this autobiographical collection, LoMonoco states that he intends to fight any obstacles that would take away his right to cherish the gift of life. He offers an inspirational look at how he has learned to cope with the difficulties of the real world and learned to live a life based on righteousness.