2026 Big Read Book Club

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees is a collection of personal essays by Aimee Nezhukumatathil that uses food as a way to examine memory, culture, and everyday life. Moving between childhood, family, travel, and the natural world, Nezhukumatathil reflects on how meals and ingredients connect to identity, place, and belonging. The book invites discussion not just about food, but about how small, ordinary moments carry history, meaning, and connection.

This program is supported by the National Endowment of the Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read—a partnership with Arts Midwest—broadens our understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the power of shared reading. Showcasing a diverse range of themes, voices, and perspectives, the NEA Big Read aims to inspire meaningful conversations, artistic responses, and new discoveries and connections in each community.