Regardless of nationality, as soon as a student completes the 8th grade, they have just two million minutes to prepare for college, and ultimately, a career. For some, high school is little more than a necessary rite of passage -- the standard American backdrop for prom nights, tailgate parties, and teenage rebellion, but for other students around the world, these two million minutes are spent with tutors and textbooks as they sharpen their minds...

"For many, cooking is simply the mechanical act of reproducing standard recipes. To Maryse Condé, however, cooking implies creativity and personal invention, on par with the complexity of writing a story. A cook, she explains, uses spices and flavors the same way an author chooses the music and meaning of words. In Of Morsels and Marvels, Condé takes us on a literary journey around places she has travelled to in India, Indonesia, and South Africa....