cover image Heart to Heart

Heart to Heart

Marcia Adams. Xlibris Corporation, $26.99 (547pp) ISBN 978-0-7388-5860-9

Adams, cookbook author and host of several PBS cooking shows, chronicles her difficult medical struggles, which extended from the summer of 1999 through July 2000. Best known for popularizing the menus of the Amish (with Cooking from Quilt Country, etc.), Adams suffered heart trouble for a number of years, but her condition took a turn for the worse during the aforementioned period. She was often short of breath, fatigued and in great pain, all of which frustrated and prevented her from her normal bustling routine of work, cooking, travel, media appearances and so forth. In this detailed diary, she discusses losing days because she couldn't get out of bed and becoming exhausted after spending only 45 minutes shopping in a favorite Chicago department store. Ever hopeful, Adams still manages to keep a busy schedule for an older, unwell woman, as she visits friends, travels a little and, of course, cooks. In an intimate yet direct style the author willingly invites fans and strangers into her world, where even readers unfamiliar with her work can't help but become sympathetic to her plight, and still others can identify with her physical and psychological difficulties. At times, Adams's frankness may make readers uncomfortable, but for the most part, they will find her courage and charisma inspiring. B&w photos. (Apr.)