— Char Nolan

Yeah, it's actually actually a really, um, it's a really lovely story. It almost sounds like a romantic comedy in a way. Um, so I was on my way to this conference and, um, it just so happened that Brenda, who, uh, as you may know, is Canadian, um, was visiting a friend in the Bay Area. And so she happened to be on my flight on the way to this conference, and we happened to be sitting right next to each other on the plane. And I immediately knew who she was because my go-to resource when I started first started going more plant-based, was her book, uh, her seminal book, her seminal work becoming vegan. And so I knew exactly who she was, and I, I was having trouble believing that I was sitting next to Brenda Davis and we struck up a conversation and immediately connected. And after the conference, you know, I just felt like I, Brenda was the kind of person that I would love to stay in touch with. And so I wrote her an email and we ended up staying in touch, um, for that entire year. And the following year we were attending the same conference. And I remember, you know, I had thought about creating a resource for families because I really hadn't seen many plant-based books that were geared towards families and really geared towards families, like wherever they were on that spectrum, whether they were already fully vegan or plant-based, or they were what I like to call plant curious. Um, and so this idea had been sort of living in my head for a really long time. And the final day of that conference at second year, Brenda and I were having breakfast together, and I said, you know, you've done so much in your life in terms of, I think by that point she had written like 10 or 11 books. I said, mm-hmm. How did you manage it all and how did you start? And she sort of looked over at me and she said, well, we could do it together. And so that was the invitation to work with her. And I, you can imagine I said yes immediately, and on the flight home I started drafting the notes and the outline for the book. And that was like the beginning story. And then from there, you know, I'm a physician and I had no knowledge of how to write a book or get a book proposal. And so I just really started on a journey learning about, you know, putting together a book proposal and getting an agent and all the things. And yeah. And then we worked very collaboratively on the book. And the way that we sort of divided our work is we each had areas that we were gonna focus on. Obviously with Brenda's dietetic background, she was very, um, you know, she was definitely the one to be writing all the detailed information on all the nutrients. Um, and I sort of handled some of the more, the broader chapters, and it was one of the most collaborative working experiences I've ever had. So we had ownership of our chapters, but we went back and forth with the chapters until we got it right. Um, and so I would say the best part of the whole process was really working with Brenda. Um, I felt like I was in such good hands, and I, I hope that Brenda would say the same mm-hmm. Because, you know, trusting someone with your ori like your rough drafts is a, it can be a very vulnerable thing. And so I think we've both felt very, um, fortunate to work with one another and, you know, uh, it's been very well received and, um, it really warms my heart when someone says, I have your book, I love your book. It's made such a difference. Mm-hmm. Well, I have to say that what I like about the book is the science in the book, because I think that that lends to more understanding of what, why a plant-based diet may be beneficial for many, many people. But I also love the recipes, especially soup and salads. And I have made on numerous occasions your carrot raisin recipe. And, uh, as you know, I don't use oil. So in place of the sesame oil, I will, uh, toast some sesame seeds and then grind them to give that sort of flavor of the sesame oil and it still tastes delicious. So the recipes are easy to follow, easy to make, and I don't think that they, uh, break, break the bank. And they're also very practical recipes. So this is, the book should be in your kitchen or your bed bedside stands, so it's something good to to read.

Books by Dr. Shah