In 2008, Will Allen received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." Two years later, Time magazine said he was among the 100 "Most Influential People" in the world. Forbes has included him in their list of the seven most powerful foodies. Clearly, he is somebody we ought to be familiar with.
The Good Food Revolution is an account of Allen's journey from his family's sharecropper past to his present position as CEO of Growing Power, a nonprofit organization that strives to inspire communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound. In an easy and honest tone, Allen takes the reader on a trip through his Southern roots, past his career in professional basketball, then corporate marketing and sales, and on to his start as an urban farmer with a desire to help his community grow and eat healthy but affordable food. By the end of the book, Allen is head of a nonprofit that has three active farms, multiple satellite training sites, an amazing number of educational and youth programs, a huge volunteer base, and a food production and distribution program that supplies needy families, as well as local grocery stores and restaurants, with fresh produce, honey, and animal and fish products. Readers will find themselves hungry as they finish Allen's book, ready for both personal sustenance and for participation in the Good Food Revolution. --Roni K. Devlin, owner of Literary Life Bookstore & More