Raj Tawney’s “Colorful Palate” wins Bronze Medal at the 2024 Living Now Book Awards
By Katie Sweeney
14th August 2024
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY & FOREWORD REVIEWS BOOK OF THE DAY • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY ZED BOOK CLUB & INDIA CURRENTS • LA WEEKLY BOOK PICK • RECOMMENDED BY BOOK RIOT & ELECTRIC LITERATURE
“Raj Tawney deftly explores his culturally rich upbringing, unearthing pivotal answers to one of the most fascinating questions in the world: Who am I? Through a captivating mix of intimate stories of family, tradition, and flavor, he paints a poignant portrait of identity and what it really means to be an American. Coupled with mouth-watering recipes that reflect his multifaceted heritage and his respect for food, Colorful Palate is a touching example of the power we can all yield when we embrace our roots as we partake in—to use Tawney’s words—the ‘Great American Experiment.’ ”
John Leguizamo
NEW YORK –– We are pleased to announce that Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience by Raj Tawney, published October 3, 2023 through Empire State Editions (ESE), has been awarded the Bronze Medal at the 2024 Living Now Book Awards in the ‘Inspirational Memoir – Male’ category.
The Living Now Book Awards celebrate the innovation and creativity of newly published books that can help us improve the quality of our lives, from cooking and fitness to relationships and mature living. Each year, “books for better living” are chosen for their unique ability to enrich readers’ lives and promote global sustainability. This year’s medalists are an exceptionally impressive list of inspiring books, a testament to the dedication of authors and publishers today.
Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience explores Tawney’s multiracial American heritage, his struggles with understanding his own identity, and the mouthwatering flavors of the melting pot from within his own childhood kitchen. The book has received much critical acclaim since its release last October and will be taught this fall semester at Queensborough Community College as part of their English department’s curriculum. Tawney will appear in person at the institution on November 13.
“Writing and putting this book out into the world has been an incredible journey,” says Tawney. “I’m deeply grateful to Fordham University Press for their support. I’m honored to receive this medal and I hope more voices like mine will have a place in the publishing world.”
About the Author
Raj Tawney is a writer and journalist whose work largely reflects his mixed-race upbringing in New York. Born to an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian American family, Tawney has explored his identity through personal essays published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and other outlets throughout the country. His Middle Grade novel All Mixed Up (Paw Prints Publishing) is due October 28, 2024.
Learn more about Raj here.
Colorful Palate
A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience
Raj Tawney
Empire State Editions; Hardcover; October 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781531504571 | Memoir| Food Sudies | New York City & Regional | $24.95
160 pages
eBook Available