Taking a Spin with Smoked Salmon Dip on Pumpernickel Wheels for a Review of "Spin" by Peter Zheutlin

Happy June 1st and Happy Book Birthday to Spin: A Novel Based on a (Mostly) True Story by Peter Zheutlin! I recently got a chance to review a copy of this fascinating and fun novel about a fearless young woman who goes on a trip across the globe by bicycle that began in 1895. Accompanying my review is a Smoked Salmon Dip on Pumpernickel "Wheels" inspired by my reading. 

Publisher's Blurb:

Ride away on a 'round-the-world adventure of a lifetime—with only a change of clothes and a pearl-handled revolver—in this trascendent novel inspired by the life of Annie Londonderry.

“Bicycling has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.”—Susan B. Anthony

Who was Annie Londonderry? She captured the popular imagination with her daring ‘round the world trip on two wheels. It was, declared The New York World in October of 1895, “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman.”

But beyond the headlines, Londonderry was really Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, a young, Jewish mother of three small children, who climbed onto a 42-pound Columbia bicycle and pedaled away into history.

Reportedly set in motion by a wager between two wealthy Boston merchants, the bet required Annie not only to circle the earth by bicycle in 15 months, but to earn $5,000 en route, as well. This was no mere test of a woman’s physical endurance and mental fortitude; it was a test of a woman’s ability to fend for herself in the world.

Often attired in a man’s riding suit, Annie turned every Victorian notion of female propriety on its head. Not only did she abandon, temporarily, her role of wife and mother (scandalous in the 1890s), she earned her way selling photographs of herself, appearing as an attraction in stores, and by turning herself into a mobile billboard.

Zheutlin, a descendent of Annie, brilliantly probes the inner life and seeming boundless courage of this outlandish, brash, and charismatic woman. In a time when women could not vote and few worked outside the home, Annie was a master of public relations, a consummate self-promoter, and a skillful creator of her own myth. Yet, for more than a century her remarkable story was lost to history. In SPIN, this remarkable heroine and her marvelous, stranger-than-fiction story is vividly brought to life for a new generation.

Pegasus Books (June 1, 2021)

Hardcover: 304 pages

My Review:

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and I especially love books, based on fact where strong women defy convention of the times and do brave and extraordinary things. This describes Spin: A Novel Based on a (Mostly) True Story to a T. The story of Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, aka Annie Londonderry, who set off on her 15-month around-the-world journey as part of a bet between two wealthy Boston merchants who wagered that a woman did not have the endurance, courage, and capacity to do such a thing--cycling across the globe while also earning $5,000 during the trip. Although the $10,000 prize was a factor, Annie's wish to escape the bonds of her arranged marriage and three young children seemed the bigger draw. Annie was a smart and bold woman in an age where women had little opportunity or autonomy and I admired her for that boldness. Harder to admire is how her decisions impacted her family--especially her three young children and her father, her brother and his wife who had to care for them while Annie was on her trip. I didn't like the way she treated her family, friends, and relationships--including a long-term same-sex relationship with Susie, a long-time friend and romantic partner, but I suppose if she had chosen differently, she would not have ended up on the great adventure she did. And, Annie's adventures are fun to read about--especially her travels to different countries and her encounters with legends like Annie Oakley and Susan B. Anthony.

One reoccurring thought I had while reading Spin was "why don't I have any cool relatives who have done truly amazing things on my family tree?" Author Peter Zheutlin is a second-cousin, once removed from Annie's granddaughter Mary, who had boxes full of information in her basement. I liked how he put the information he carefully researched together into compelling fiction and wrote it as if in letters from Annie to Mary telling of her sometimes fantastical bicycle trip. It put me in mind of Big Fish by Daniel Wallace and Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickham, two books with strong storytelling themes. You aren't sure how much of Annie's stories are true, but you want them all to be. It's a shame that Annie Londonderry and her feat are not more widely known throughout America and the world. (See the links below to the author's website about her.) If you like books about history and strong and unconventional women, add Spin to your summer reading list--it's a heck of an entertaining ride. 

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Author Notes:  Peter Zheutlin is a freelance journalist and author whose work has appeared regularly in The Boston Globe and The Christian Science Monitor.  He has also written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, AARP Magazine and numerous other publications in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs and a Million Miles on the Lost Hope Highway and Rescued: What Second-Chance Dogs Teach Us About Living with Purpose, Loving with Abandon, and Finding Joy in the Little Things. Peter lives in Massachusetts with his wife, author Judy Gelman.

Here are links to the author’s website, his Annie Londonderry website, a link to the Spin reading guide, and a link to The Book Club Cookbook's Book Club Buzz about the book.

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There was more food inferred than directly mentioned in Spin. Often the book would just state that dinner or another meal was eaten. There were the global foods of her immigrant neighbors in the Boston tenements she lived in like corned beef and cabbage, pasta sauces, chicken broth and pierogis. A Shabbat dinner of beef brisket, potatoes, and a sad looking cabbage. Annie was given borscht and a loaf of fresh challah bread at one of her stops and there was mention of beefsteak in a shoe and mushrooms in one of the articles about her. She enjoys tea in a hotel with Susan B. Anthony but little is mentioned about what was served. Since I wasn't feeling the borscht and don't bake, I had to go a bit outside the box for my book-inspired dish.

In the end, my bookish dish came about because I was going to go with a more traditional Jewish recipe and make some Matzoh Brei or latkes and then add some smoked salmon I had in my fridge. When my friend mentioned she had made a big batch of her smoked salmon dip to eat on her keto diet, I got a craving for her dip, which I hadn't had in ages, and decided it was the best way to use the piece of black pepper smoked salmon. Served spread on pumpernickel rounds (like bicycle wheels), and with also some Tzatziki flavored Triscut crackers (a new favorite), it's a quick and easy recipe.  

Smoked Salmon Dip

Slightly Adapted from Deb's Friend Barb & the Galloping Gourmet

(Makes About 2 Cups)

1 lb canned or smoked salmon

1/2 tsp liquid smoke (can omit if using smoked salmon)

1 Tbsp horseradish

1 Tbsp lemon juice, or to taste

(I added 1 heaping Tbsp capers, drained)

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp dried parsley flakes

black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, lemon juice and liquid smoke as needed. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 

Enjoy with bagels, pumpernickel rounds, crackers and/or cucumber slices. I garnished with a sprinkle of Everything But the Bagel Seasoning Mix. (You could try Grain of Thrones
Everything Bagel Seasoning* by The Book Club Cookbook.)

Notes/Results: This is such a tasty dip/spread. It's rich and creamy and can be used in a variety of ways. I think the capers are a great addition and you could change out the dried parsley for dill if you prefer. It gives me fond memories of my friend making it for parties and gatherings (and me, hanging out over the dip bowl!). I will happily make it again. 

Thanks to Peter Zheutlin, Pegasus Books, and The Book Club Cookbook for the review copy of Spin. I was not compensated in any way for my review and my thoughts, opinions, and feelings are my own. 

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I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event  being hosted by Marg at The Adventures of An Intrepid Reader. It's a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. Here's a link to this week's post.