Greek American Heritage Month, also known as Hellenic Heritage Month, is a time to recognize and celebrate the cultural heritage, accomplishments, and experiences of people of Greek descent in the United States. The month of March is chosen to coincide with Greek Independence Day on March 25, which commemorates Greece’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. 

It’s a chance to explore Greek culture, traditions, and the contributions of Greek Americans in various fields, including the arts, sciences, politics, and athletics. 

If you would like to learn more on Greek history and culture and of course, delve into the cuisine renowned for  its healthy, fresh, and flavorful plates, here are some books available with your Livingston Library card.

Alexander at the End of the World : The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Meredith Kousser

This biography of Alexander the Great’s final years focuses on his seven-year journey through the unknown eastern borderlands of the Persian empire to reach Afghanistan and fulfill his quest to rule the world.

Athens : City of Wisdom by Bruce Clark

Athens, a city steeped in historical constancy, has been given a proper exploration. Veteran Economist journalist Clark shows Athens, a city that gave us the framework of democracy, to be paradoxically harsh and exquisite, a communally designed city that continues to reinvent itself. Leisurely paced and not missing a detail, Clark looks at Athens’ historical impact and examines the ways in which religion, creativity, politics, thought leaders, philosophers, and rulers came together to create a place of influence.

The Art of Running : Learning to Run Like a Greek by Andrea Marcolongo

Why do we run? To what end, all the effort and pain? Wherefore this love of muscle, speed, and sweat? The Greeks were the first to ask these questions, the first to suspend war, work, politics, to enjoy public celebrations of athletic prowess. They invented sport and they were also the first to understand how physical activity connected to our mental well-being. After a lifetime spent with her head and heart in the books trying to think like a Greek, at a professional and personal crossroads, Marcolongo set out to learn how to run like a Greek. In doing so, she deepened her understanding of the ancient civilization she has spent decades studying and discovered more about herself than she could ever have dreamed.

Greek Myths : A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins

Male figures—Zeus, Apollo, Hercules—stand center stage in ancient Greek myths, but by retelling those myths through female narrators (Athena, Philomena, Penelope), Higgins invests the tales with surprising new meanings. The fabulous ancient tales in this collection unfold as images that skilled female artisans weave into the tapestries they are crafting on their looms. Readers will marvel at how, for instance, the purple threads Athena sews into the fabric of her narrative panels blossom as flowers filling a spring meadow moments before Persephone fatefully wanders away from her companions. Readers will tremble when Arachne—proud she can spin mere wool into heavenly clouds—defies the goddess who has taught her this wizardry. Similarly, when Circe adorns her weaving with pictures of her niece, Medea, readers feel the perilous powers in the herbal spells that she brews. 

The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism by Yanni Kotsonis

Kotsonis tells the story of the 1821 revolution and war for Greek independence, arguing that Greece’s evolution was far from inevitable. The author paints a vivid picture of how a religiously, ethnically, and linguistically mixed milieu turned violent and chaotic, and how the Enlightenment and the imperial machinations of Greece’s neighbors and other European power created a movement within Greece to join “Christian Europe.” Over the course of the revolution, all Orthodox Christians became Greek, and all Muslims became Turks (the many languages and dialects used by both populations notwithstanding). The author brings the revolution to life through the colorful stories of figures now regarded as heroes of the revolution, from the mercenary and pirate “Little Theodore” Kolokotronis to the former Venetian aristocrat Giovanni Cap d’Istria.

Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris

Norris delivers another wise and funny paean to the art of self-expression, this time filtered through her greatest passion: all things Greek.  This is a charming account of Norris’s lifelong love affair with words and her solo adventures in the land of olive trees and ouzo. Along the way, Norris explains how the alphabet originated in Greece, makes the case for Athena as a feminist icon, goes searching for the fabled Baths of Aphrodite, and reveals the surprising ways Greek helped form English. 

Greekish : Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots by Georgina Hayden

Inspired by her Greek-Cypriot roots and Greek travels, Georigina has collected recipes that are easy, bursting with flavour and sure to be cooked on repeat. With fewer ingredients and less stress, the recipes include familiar Mediterranean classics, as well as plenty of Greek-influenced dishes with Georigina’s twists.

The Greeks : A Global History by Roderick Beaton
As historian Beaton shows, the Greeks produced a series of civilizations that were both deeply interconnected and characterized by constant reinvention, fighting different enemies, trading with different partners, worshipping different gods, and even calling themselves by different names. While they continuously inhabited the same southeastern corner of Europe, Greeks again and again ranged widely across the globe. Bronze Age Mycenaeans were warriors and traders who built fortresses at home and far-reaching trade routes abroad. Alexander the Great, a pupil of Aristotle, spread classical art and learning across Eurasia through his conquests. Greeks living under Roman rule produced their own distinct version of Roman civilization, and pious Byzantines for nearly a thousand years sought to export Christianity worldwide. Today Greece’s debt makes its future in the E.U. uncertain, while its diaspora flourishes on five continents.

The Ikaria Way: 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by my Homeland, the Greek Island of Longevity by Diane Kochilas

Ikaria is an island in Greece where people live to a ripe old age, sometimes living well past 100. Kochilas, host of the television series My Greek Table , is a daughter of Ikaria. This is her latest cookbook and is filled with easy, contemporary recipes rooted in her background and steeped in the ancient Greek traditions of plant-based cuisine.

My Greek Family Table : Fresh, Regional Recipes by Maria Benardis

Benardis describes her summers of cooking at her grandmother’s elbow on the Greek island of Psara, and places an emphasis on eating for health and well-being. The foods of ancient Greece are as relevant and delicious as ever, showcased in recipes such as: Barley and Pomegranate SaladChicken with Herbed Feta CrustLamb with Avgolemono (egg and lemon sauce) Hippocrates Spiced Wine.

Opa! : The Healthy Greek Cookbook : Modern Mediterranean Recipes for Living the Good Life by Theo Stephan

Featuring everyday ingredients, simple recipes, and a tantalizing introduction to Greece’s naturally nutritious cuisine, this cookbook makes eating rich and being healthy a Mediterranean breeze.

Orexi! : Feasting at the Modern Greek Table by Theo A. Michaels

Kali orexi is the Greek equivalent of bon appétit and this enticing book will certainly whet your appetite! Organized in chapters entitled Meze, Sea, Land, Sun and Fire, Theo’s recipes evoke a sense of connection to nature, seasonality, abundance, and sociable eating.. Meze features mouth-watering small plates for sharing. The sea is woven into Greek culture and seafood is a staple, as is meat—rabbit, goat, chicken, and lamb are mainstays with pork enjoyed at celebrations.

Sea Salt and Honey : Our Greek Way of Life Through 100 Sun-Drenched Recipes by Olivia Tsakiris

An enchanting celebration of Greek provincial life-its charming culture and sublime food-captured in 100 delectable recipes and captivating stories from the Greek-American Tsakiris family, accompanied by more than 100 visually stunning full-color photographs by James Beard award-winning photographer Romas Foord.

What the Greeks Did for Us by Antony Spawforth

Our contemporary world is inescapably Greek. Whether in a word like “pandemic,” a Freudian state of mind like the “Oedipus complex,” or a replica of the Parthenon in a Chinese theme park, ancient Greek culture shapes the contours of our lives. Ever since the first Roman imitators, we have been continually falling under the Greeks’ spell. But how did ancient Greece spread its influence so far and wide? And how has this influence changed us?

Yiayia : Time-Perfected Recipes from Greece’s Grandmothers by Anastasia Miari

This book showcases regional Greek cookery and features sharing and feasting dishes, mainly vegetarian, from the kitchens of grandmothers across Greece.

Zaytinya : Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon by Jose Andres

Since Chef José Andrés opened the doors to his restaurant Zaytinya twenty years ago, food lovers have savored his creative adaptations of the classic dishes of Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. Zaytinya’s menu has always showcased the region’s extraordinary food traditions while innovating in José’s signature style: delicious, surprising, and made for sharing

–Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian