Garlic Kisses and Tasty Hugs contains eleven memoirs about people who have infused Aaron with a robust earnestness about life as much as his beloved garlic has. There is the tale of a star pupil who discovered Willa Cather and created her own fate, becoming a rich European call-girl. There is a touching story of a Vietnam war nurse who exorcised her demons through painting. There are also remembrances about a little girl afraid of bats, a biker gourmand, a cowboy turned sheepherder with an ailing dog, Chinese restaurant owners, and Aaron's own beloved cat. There is even a two-parter about a disastrous bruschetta cook-off. Because some of these remembrances were decades old, Aaron included a chapter that tells what happened to some of these folks. These tales are tender, funny, and reveal much about Aaron as well as the people he wanted to showcase. They also tell a lot about different varieties of garlic and some of their culinary and medicinal uses.

The last section of the book is full of recipes. They range from Old-Fashion Garlic Sauce and Spaghetti and Meatballs to Baba Ganoush and Garlic and Rosemary Lamb Marinade. Some are very simple to prepare, and some take a little more finesse. Each has an introduction to the person who gave him the recipe and sometimes a recommendation for a specific variety of garlic.

Garlic Kisses and Tasty Hugs is a very enjoyable read. I lingered over this book, savoring each introduction to Aaron's wonderful friends. The tone of Aaron's reminiscences is as comfortable as a pair of well-worn slippers. I came to love this garlic farmer and wished I lived closer to him to help him plant and harvest his bounty. Marcella Ansaldo, who wrote the foreword, called food the "motor" of history. In Aaron's case, garlic has been the motor of his life in his retirement years and has been the thing that has linked him to so many people around the world, not just the eleven found within these covers. Go out and get a copy of Garlic Kisses and Tasty Hugs and a couple of heads of garlic. Both will do your body and soul good.