Tracing the ancestry of the communal meal from France to the preoccupied and often guilt-ridden dinner tables of the modern United States, Adam Gopnik's The Table Comes First seeks to start a new conversation about the way we eat in the 21^st century and reconnect us with the simple pleasures of sharing food with others. A contributor to The New Yorker for more than two decades, Gopnik is a three-time recipient of the National Magazine Award. His previous books include Paris to the Moon and Angels and Ages.