From a write-up in the December 22, 2020, issue of The Taos News by Lucy Herrman, "Cranberry Sweetts for Holiday Treats":
"Looking for a holiday gift for the baker on your list? Then you might be interested in Sweet Tarts for My Sweethearts, a collection of recipes and stories, recently published by Bonnie Lee Black. I included the recipe for Bonnie’s lovely Cranberry Walnut Tart in my accompanying article this week. The cookbook is a little treasure, filled with tips, techniques and recipes, plus stories to accompany each recipe."
A glowing endorsement for African Quilt from Howard W. French, author of A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa:
"This is a lovely, evocative work, by a writer who lived in Mali for three years, forging bonds of skill and empathy with local seamstresses whom she schooled in the making of quilts."
A quote in an Associated Press piece:
peacecorps.gov
An Award from Gourmand International as reported in the Taos News:
March 2012 - How to Cook a Crocodile: A Memoir with Recipes, by Taos author and UNM-Taos instructor Bonnie Lee Black, has just received a prestigious award from Gourmand International. Her book’s first-prize, "Best in the World" award was in the category of Charity and Community (North America). The award was given at an international ceremony held at the fabled Folies Bergeres theatre in Paris on March 6, 2012.
In How To Cook A Crocodile Bonnie Lee Black has not only channeled the spirit of M.F.K. Fisher with style and wit, she has provided an entertaining account of the trials and tribulations of her Peace Corps service in Gabon and a collection of inventive recipes. She has also succeeded in writing a guide to living with grace and gusto, wherever you are, and whatever you happen to be doing.
-- Thurston Clarke, author of (among others) Pearl Harbor Ghosts, Lost Hero, The Last Caravan, and Ask Not:The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech that Changed America
Bonnie Black’s lustrous account of her time with the Peace Corps in Africa is written with the perspective, warmth, and wit with which a lover might remember a passionate affair. We enter her world with the initial thrill of discovery and then fall in love, as she did, with the world she describes. What truly seduces us is experiencing it through Black’s fine prose and her expert storytelling.
-- Cherie Burns, author of Diving for Starfish, Searching for Beauty, and The Great Hurricane: 1938.
How to Cook a Crocodile reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love… Both books are about self-discovery, about love of humanity and laughter and certainly love of good food… Ms. Black, without preaching, by way of her wonderfully humorous stories, teaches us that we needn’t fear the pain we feel; we needn’t dwell in it either; we need to go through it with the knowledge that the simple act of trying to make even the tiniest bit of our world a better place is remarkably powerful; that the gift we give, whatever it is, will last long after we’re gone. I loved this book so much.
-- Paul Griffin, author of Ten Mile River, The Orange Houses and Stay With Me
Black's unique ability to connect with people at a profound and human level is clearly seen in her stories… Each chapter is like a savory treat, a well-prepared and beautifully presented dish of Black's adventures and misadventures at her post….The book also contains Black's philosophy: "I think life is a very difficult, a constant struggle -- not a struggle to be ‘happy’ but a struggle to stay on your own footpath and keep hiking." This brilliant memoir is a testimony to a life spent hiking and helping others find their own path.
-- Teresa Dovalpage, author of A Girl Like Che Guevara and Habanera
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