Leah Lax
These are just a few of the moments of terror, resilience, and grace that fill the pages of Leah Lax’s new book, Not From Here: The Song of America, a collection of first-person accounts by Houston immigrants describing their journey from unendurable circumstances to the United States.
In 2006, Lax was commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera to create a libretto for The Refuge, an opera based on local immigrant experiences. After the opera’s premiere in 2007, and throughout the tumultuous years of the Trump presidency, Lax was compelled to compile the interviews into a book and investigate her repressed family history.
At 16, Lax, then a closeted lesbian, left her childhood home where she’d been abused to join an evangelical Hasidic group, ultimately winding up in one such community in the Fondren area of Houston. She obeyed the sect’s strict interpretation of Jewish law, accepted an arranged marriage at 18, and bore seven children in a 10-year timespan. Lax was 45 when she divorced her husband and began living openly as a secular person and a lesbian (she and her partner have been together for 19 years). But for a long time, Lax felt like a stranger in her own country.
Lax’s initial attempts to gain the trust of people whose survival often depended on not sharing their personal histories were awkward. “It was a delicate approach that I didn’t understand at first,” says Lax, who asked each subject to begin with, “I was born…,” so they could describe a time and place where they felt settled before things changed. As they relaxed, the interviewees were relieved to tell their stories in a safe space. “It was the men who tended to cry.”
At the time of the interviews, Lax had “rigorously rejected” the fundamentalist teachings of Hasidism, but soon discovered religion was a deep part of the ethnic identity of her subjects; each person possessed a kind of faith she had never seen. “It was very open-eyed,” says Lax. “They weren’t in denial.” For Lax, listening is key to her work, and as she listened to people from so many different backgrounds and with many different religious faiths, she began to feel “less like a minority” and more like an American.
Lax also came to realize the determination and creative thinking required to brave the migration to and thrive in a foreign land is the very root of America’s identity, qualities that any Houstonian reading Not From Here will recognize within themselves.
Brazos Bookstore will host Leah Lax in-store on Thursday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Lobster Bene at PostScript
Brunch at The Annie (photo by Kirsten Gilliam)
Hop into the holiday with Easter brunch from 11am-3pm and savor a fresh take on Texas-influenced cuisine with seasonal specials. Be sure to snap a photo with the Easter Bunny!
Bloom & Bee brunch spread
Easter Brunch at this flower-flocked Post Oak Hotel stunner starts with a luxurious choice of fancy deviled eggs, white asparagus soup, or burrata and stone fruit salad. Mains range from smoked salmon Benedict croissant to herb braised lamb shoulder, plus a dessert buffet of French pastries and cakes. Brunch runs 11am-4pm, and afterwards, families can participate in an Easter egg hunt led by a floppy-eared guest.
Brunch at Brennan's
The iconic Creole house has three dates for Easter dining this year, starting March 29 with Brunch with the Bunny featuring photos with the Easter Bunny. March 30 is the Very Hoppy Brunch, also family-friendly with live bunnies on the terrace from nearby Boling Bunny Farms! Sunday brunch March 31 is the most leisurely with seatings throughout the day. Reservations are required for all events.
This smart, cozy spot features a three-course wine country-style brunch ($45 per person), along with brunch cocktails and specials on mimosas, bellinis, Domaine Chandon rosé and Veuve Cliquot by the glass. Highlights include crab cake Benedict, smoked salmon deviled egg toast, New Zealand lamb chops and desserts.
Texas cheese station
The Four Seasons Houston’s annual extravagant Easter Brunch in Toro Toro will feature classics with a Latin twist from 11am-4pm ($165 per adult; $65 per child, 12 and under). Come hungry for the sushi station with seafood on ice; the carving station with cedar-plank salmon, prime rib and more; a breakfast station, and grand desserts. Reservations are required and can be made on the website.
Tea at The Lancaster
This year, the Lancaster Hotel Downtown will offer Easter brunch and afternoon tea. Conveniently, Easter brunch runs from 11am-4pm. Seatings for Easter Afternoon Tea service are noon or 2:30pm. Classics like fresh-baked scones with Devonshire cream, jam and lemon curd; various tea sandwiches; and a patisserie presentation with festive Easter touches will be paired with fine teas.
Seasonal fare at Le Jardinier
Who wouldn’t want to hang with “the gardener” (Le Jardinier in English) on Easter Sunday? This MFAH gem serves its three-course menu from 11am-4pm. Anticipate lovely choices including Murray’s burrata with strawberry rhubarb; spiced roasted lamb; and Ora king salmon. Save room for the award-winning desserts!
Chicken and waffles at Local Table (photo by Jenn Duncan)
It’s easy to find a Local Table, as they are all over the Houston area with a casual family-friendly menu of egg dishes, chicken and waffles, and savory sidekicks. We hear the Easter Bunny will be hopping around from table to table this year.
Celebrate Easter Sunday in the heart of Rice Village at Aaron Bludorn’s modern American seafood concept. An a la carte brunch with Easter specials — including plenty of delectable seafood — will be served from 11:30am-2pm.
Cookies at NoPo (photo by Kirsten Gilliam)
Hunting for Easter treats? Perfect for filling Easter baskets or beautifying tablescapes, pre-order festive Easter cooking March 25-30. Set of 3 Easter cookies, $4; 1 dozen cookies, $13. Closed March 31.
Surrounded by bougainvillea and greenery, this restaurant with a Greenhouse room is a picturesque (yet laidback) spot for brunch. Chef Travis McShane’s focaccia French toast with blueberries and mascarpone; ricotta pancakes with maple syrup; and pizza-dough doughnuts will appease carb lovers. Savory dishes include the signature chicken salsa verde, pizzas, gnocchi and a frittata. Brunch runs 10am-3:00pm.
Brunch at Postino (photo by Becca Wright)
This come-as-you-are casual spot boasts an eye-opening brunch menu, perfect for dining al fresco on the restaurant’s large, shaded patio. Served on weekends, the menu offers myriad shareable dishes. Think Umbria egg toast, cast-iron sticky bread, and seeded avocado toast. Sip mimosas, bellinis and a huge selection of wine and bubbles!
For PostScript’s first Easter brunch, chef Caswell will whip up a menu of savory delights including Lobster Bene with chili hollandaise, and Frenched Texas Toast soaked in rum custard. Classic brunch libations will be flowing, including espresso martinis, Bloody Marys and mimosas.
Cinnamon rolls at State of Grace
This River Oaks mainstay showcases Gulf Coast cooking with Latin, Asian and even German touches. For this year’s holiday brunch from 10am-3pm, which includes a visit from the Easter Bunny, expect comfort food like chicken-fried chicken, cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and crawfish Benedict.
Chef Hugo Ortega and his team will serve a spectacular Sunday brunch buffet from 10am-3pm this Easter. Expect the usual coastal Mexican favorites as well as a carving station, new seasonal items, and Easter desserts. $55 per adult; $15 per child.