The Last Sweet Bite

Michael Shaikh knows what our mothers and grandmothers have known for generations: that our recipes tell the stories of who we are so that we never forget. As a human rights investigator, he has witnessed how violence has changed recipes, cultures, and communities. The Last Sweet Bite tells the powerful and personal stories of the heroic home cooks fighting to keep their food - and their identity - alive – José Andrés, World Central KitchenThe power of food cannot be underestimated! Whether it’s children eating together at school or parents preserving a cherished family recipe in a refugee camp, The Last Sweet Bite beautifully demonstrates how a cuisine can not only hold communities together but also help them rebuild after a crisis – Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse and New York Times bestselling author of THE ART OF SIMPLE FOODFrom Japan to Afghanistan, the Czech Republic to Sri Lanka, Michael Shaikh takes readers on a vivid journey of cultural and culinary discovery. With the same care and curiosity he employed as a human rights investigator, he uncovers how food nourishes not just the physical body but how it enlivens memories, shapes identities, and carries hope from one generation to the next. A book of resilience for our times – Rachel Martin, award-winning journalist and host of Wild Card from NPRThrough intimate stories of community and resistance, Michael Shaikh shows us how violence is erasing beloved food traditions, and how people are risking it all to save them – Nathan Thrall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ABED SALAMAMichael Shaikh is an experienced human rights investigator with a knack for compelling storytelling. He is also a sophisticated guide who shows us how communities facing repression not only lose their political freedoms but also parts of their culture. His book is a deeply informed study and delicious adventure through culinary history – Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and author of RIGHTING WRONGS

Michael Shaikh is a writer and human rights investigator who has worked for twenty years in areas marred by political crisis and armed conflict. He has worked at Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. Michael is on the board of Adi Magazine. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in New York City.