A Seat at the Table

Name: A Seat at the Table
Price: 53.32 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781682196380

The Making of Busboys and Poets

Andy Shallal, Angela Davis

$58.95 $53.32

Hardback

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English

OR Books
10 December 2025

Memoirs; Social discrimination; Entrepreneurship

A Seat at the Tableis the story of the founding of Busboys and Poets,a Washington, D.C.basedrestaurant that has become a celebrated hub for political activism. Named in honor of Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy while writing poetry, the restaurant is the creation of Andy Shallal, an Iraqi Americanrestaurateur, artist, and activist.

In this fast-paced, personal, and often humorous story, we follow Andy from his teenage years on, helping out in his family's pizza business, changing his name, abandoning a career in medicine, working in some of the city's best restaurants, and eventually opening a restaurant of his own.

A rave review by legendaryWashington Postfood critic Phyllis Richman puts the new place on the map. Long lines form outside.

Andy witnesses the power of food to bring people together. He creates a meeting space and a bookshop upstairs. The idea of a restaurant as a social and political hub begins to take shape.

In these pages we encounter the galaxy of progressive authors and activists who have frequented Andy's restaurants, everyone from Marion Barry and Jesse Jackson to Ralph Nader, Howard Zinn, Jerry Brown, Alice Walker, and Angela Davis.

Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics,A Seat at the Tabletakes us on a ""How I Built This"" journey that ends with the opening of the first Busboys and Poets, now just one of eight D.C. locations bearing the same name. Along the way, we get to savor the delicious cuisine and unique ethos for which Busboys and Poets has become famous.

By: Andy Shallal
Foreword by: Angela Davis
Imprint: OR Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 139mm,
ISBN: 9781682196380
ISBN 10: 1682196380
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 10 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Andy Shallalis an Iraqi born artist, activist and entrepreneur, best known as the founder and CEO of the Washington, D.C. area restaurant, bookstore, and performance venue Busboys and Poets.

Reviews for A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

“Magnificent. It brought tears many times.” —Alice Walker “A fast-moving memoir . . . Read on and relish.” —Ralph Nader “A page turner from soup to nuts.” —Medea Benjamin “Shallal’s is a singular story, told here with the focus on big ideas and love of community that have propelled him over the years.” —Publishers Weekly “A short review cannot do justice to the wealth of stories contained in this highly entertaining book nor to the spirit of the man who wrote it.” —Dissident Voice “Original, exceptional, informative, and a fun read from cover to cover.” —Midwest Book Review