Using examples from a wide range of media, Witt (English, U. of Iowa) closely examines the intricate interrelationships that followed between African American women and the food culture. She describes the development of a mythology built on food that supported subordination, the ways in which body image was used against African American women, the role of food in patrimony and thereby in reproductive issues, and the continuing debate about whether soul food has become a target of middle-class appropriation. Witt includes a fascinating chronological listing of cookbooks by African Americans along with a very comprehensive bibliography. Reprint of the 1999 original by Oxford U. Press. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)