We Fed an Island audiobook

I'm giving this book 6 stars for the content, and 3.5 for the editing. It's hard to tell if the final copy will fix some of the flow of the book, since what I read is an advanced review copy. I'm hoping that photos and a timeline will be added, as will of course Lin-Manuel Miranda's foreword. This was part of the Anthony Bourdain imprint, so that may have impacted the final editing.That said: this is the most IMPORTANT book that I've read this year. It has the chance to change the "past is prologue" in a meaningful way for disaster preparedness and response. As the reality of Hurricane Maria's death toll unfolds, which is proving as much as quadruple that of Katrina, we can choose to:--give Puerto Rico full representation in our Senate and House--reject the Armed Forces expensive and almost useless plan of shipping MREs (meal ready equivalents), bottled water (also environmentally catastrophic for islands), and armed soldiers and saying "job well done"--work more closely with the Wal-marts, Home Depots, and other logistically savvy businesses, both now and during future disasters--build a new Red Cross replacement that delivers on the broken promises of the bloated old one--learn from the Chefs for Puerto Rico the importance of real food in times of disaster, and work to build a secular version of what the aging Southern Baptist Convention has done over the past few decades--an organization that will attract younger people to learn how to cook and mobilize for thousands of the needy.--vote for politicians who support real science.

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.We Fed an Island is definitely one of my favorite books of 2018. It's written by chef José Andrés, and discusses how he and his nonprofit organization helped feed Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria. "A plate of food is much more than food. It sends a message that someone far away cares about you; that you are not on your own." I started following José Andrés on twitter after seeing his tweets all over my timeline after the hurricane. He was sharing what he was doing in Puerto Rico and raising awareness to the struggle he was having trying to get the appropriate funding.Before reading the book, I didn't know he had a nonprofit that helped those affected by disaster. I thought helping during Maria was the first natural disaster he assisted in. I also didn't know he was a famous chef until a couple months ago actually. "I am done with being polite. I am done being politically correct, I am mad as hell because my people's lives are at stake. And we are put one nation. We may be small, but we are huge in dignity and zealous for life." While reading the book, my blood was boiling. Andrés wants to help, he has a great plan, but he needs the government's help to fund this project. It makes sense that food and water is the most important part of helping individuals after a natural disaster like this, but the government and FEMA are so INFURIATING. They didn't seem to care, didn't want to partner with him. He had a great plan, but they would rather work with for profit organizations that didn't even do anything to help rather than a nonprofit. There's one part where someone from FEMA makes a deal with him, to get FEMA to fund Chefs for Puerto Rico, the other guy gets a cut from the meals. It's so heartless that someone would use a tragedy like this to make money, and lots of it.Throughout the book José Andrés is critical of the government and president's response. He's not afraid to critique how the disaster relief was handled. He did this in a way that was respectful, but made sure to get his point across. "We didn't want to fight with the bureaucracy or restructure the government. All we wanted to do was to feed the people. But when you start with a simple goal, you learn you can achieve the impossible. You discover, before long, that you can actually feed an island." It was heartbreaking reading about the devastation, but glad at how José Andrés helped organize. You can see how passionate he is about feeding people that need it. While the government is telling stories about the violence and aggression of people in Puerto Rico, José Andrés tells story after story about all the devastated areas he went to, where communities were helping one another, not being violent like the president and government said they were. It is clear to see that Andrés cares about the people he's helping. Not only does he want to feed them hot food, he's trying to help regrow the economy by sourcing everything locally. "We could create a network of chefs, like Doctors Without Borders, to help in a crisis. Rather than dumping food aid on an already struggling economy, we would source our supplies locally, wherever possible, and help put the farmers and suppliers back in business." This was such a good book. I definitely recommend it. My book has so many underlined paragraphs and so many sticky tabs throughout it. I want to share all the great things I found, but then I would basically be sharing the entire book.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

I enjoyed reading We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by chef José Andrés. It's a fascinating story of the efforts Jose Andres and a group of chefs from off - island and those also on the island to try and feed Puerto Rico after the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria.On the whole, it's a very uplifting story, about how these chefs and their volunteers were able to bring food; ham and cheese sandwiches, paella and other meals to the people of San Juan and then expand it to the outlying areas. The amazing thing is that they were able to accomplish this while the government efforts, through FEMA and other organizations, and also the larger NGO's like the Red Cross were unable to accomplish the same successes.Jose Andres wanted to get down to Puerto Rico as soon as possible and pulled as much money as he could from his own bank accounts to get started. He teamed with friends in Puerto Rico, like restaurateur Jose Enrico and others to start feeding right away. He started small making meals and then expanding successfully for the time he was there. As a chef and with many of his friends and business associates, they were able to cut through the red tape and find sources of food, barter food for gas, use local food trucks and move out into those areas hardest hit to provide food to them. His team also endeavored to get kitchens working in schools, in outlying restaurants and such to ease the workload of the people working out of San Juan.He does highlight frustrations dealing with the federal government and the local governments, but the majority of the book details their hard work and positive results and ideas for providing support to future disasters. Food and water were their priorities but as they grew they were able to provide other forms of support as well, tarps, medicines, etc.It's an amazing, fascinating story and even with the frustrations, does make you feel good for their efforts. The story moves along very nicely and is well - written and keeps you turning pages. Excellent book (5 stars)

Not a five star due to lack of proper editing. This timely and important book by José Andrés, a true mensch lays out his experiences while bringing food to a devastated Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Included is a history of the relationship between the island and the United States, how it became a territory without the benefit of State status. But what a kind man, using his belief that food connects all people and that the preparation and distribution provides more that just a warm belly, but a connection that is vital for humanity.

Back in March 2020 we had all sorts of estimates of how bad COVID would be in the States saying 100K would be on the low end if we were able to mobilize quickly and 1 million on the high end if we did nothing. Almost a year later we are at 500K dead. Realizing this while reading We Fed an Island puts into sharp relief how good leadership can push through bureaucracy to make things happen in an emergency; when every moment counts. Chef Jose Andres pushed himself into the process and pushed out all thought of paperwork and licensing to get what was needed done for Puerto Rico post Hurricane Maria. Relying on years of personal connections, expertise, and a ability to MacGyver his way out of jams, Andres led the charge to feed 1,000 people each day, doubling and expanding as often as he could until he, his three person team, a ton of volunteers were able to make a little more than 3 million hot meals.We Fed An Island goes over the colonial mentality, the hubris, and some of the issues that created friction with the more process following agencies. But Andres focused on the indomitable and good natured human spirit that belied the stereotypes of the poor. Amazing things happen when you share a meal with a stranger. Amazing things happen when you honor the dignity of the other person and their expertise. We do not have a scarcity issue when it comes to food, we have a distribution problem. This has become something of a blueprint for future emergencies; revitalizing local economies to help rebuild the local population instead of bidding out to the lowest (and possibly most inexperienced) vendor.

this was hella inspiring.. even for one as cynical of the aid industry in general as i. it shows that there are more efficient modes of aiding those in need- by centralizing their needs, relying on the locals knowledge, their economy and their knowledge... and by individuals responding without the need for bureaucracy. too often these words are bandied about and not really applied to the situation on the ground. we have much to learn... and unfortunately so does the aid industry.

I found this book inspiring! As some of the other reviews state...it isn’t the best writing ever, but the story itself is five stars. Jose and his team are amazing humans who took immediate action in a time of need when the US government essentially abandoned Puerto Rico.

Its amazing what chef Andrès was able to accomplish without clear leadership from the government. It’s really sad all the hoopshe had to jump through to feed as many american people as he did. I always wondered what was going on one the news machine forgot about Puerto Rico. What a sad but inspirational book!

Inspiring true story of Chef Jose Andres' groundbreaking work feeding Americans after Maria in Puerto Rico. Gave me a while new perspective on how to get things done in the aftermath of disaster through innovation and decentralized efforts with a strong simple common goal, rather than the FEMA model of command and control.

I’ve seen Jose Andres interviewed on talk shows many times. He’s funny, engaging and he makes things in the kitchen interesting. He uses his common sense and creativity to make those interviews great. I had heard him interviewed about his start and why he became a chef and instantly loved his story and purpose for being alive. This book is the tale of a group of people who saw a problem and tackled it. They saw an open door and ran right through to help. There were times when I wished I was part of the food relief efforts in Puerto Rico. To be part of something that amazing would be fulfilling and life changing. If you want to be inspired; Read this book. You will be convinced you can do more but doing little things. If your want to be disappoint; Read this book. You will be shocked at how badly those that were there to help messed up their efforts and caused more harm then good. Slow response and weighted down process just won’t work. If you want to be shocked, this is the book for you. You will be shocked at how successful things were and how badly they failed at the same time. Overall, a very good read.