The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (2006, Hardcover)

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Important reading for anyone who eats food (this means you and me), January 11, 2007
Reviewer: Elliot Knapp (Walla Walla, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I disagree with Erik Marcus' review that claims this book merely tries to make the "case for eating animal products." This is a distinctly limited understanding of the book from someone who seems to only be interested in understanding the book with the socio-political lens provided by vegetarianism. In reality, The Omnivore's Dilemma is so much more than just a case for eating animal products--as the author puts it on the last page, "imagine for a moment if we once again knew . . . these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost" (p. 411). THIS is the real essence of the book, and it's a series of questions that resonates strongly with me and I think should be important to pretty much anyone who eats food.

Throughout his book, Pollan traces the history of four meals: 1) a fast food meal produced by "conventional" industrial agriculture (most of which is derived from dirt-cheap corn products--so many that it seems almost every processed food comes from corn and the oil it takes to grow it--and factory farmed meat), 2) Industrial organic agriculture (improved farming practices based on the USDA's standards that still operates on a national and sometimes global scale), 3) "Beyond organic" agriculture, which fuses strict organic ideals with an emphasis on eating locally and seasonally (i.e. no bananas in Alaska in January), and 4) Hunting and gathering locally.

The result is a book that is as compelling as it is timely--Pollan's study of industrial agriculture (organic included) raises some important health, environmental, and ethical issues and exposes the dark truths about where conventional food comes from (essentially oil, which makes fertilizer used on corn, which makes up processed food and feeds inhumanely-kept animals [not meant to eat corn] which we eat). The organic section of the book also raises awareness about the pretty alarming and unnatural practice of shipping food all over the world when it can easily be grown locally.

In sum, Pollan's book isn't a direct polemic. Rather, it's more an encouragement to think about those questions (which a lot of people can't answer--"where DID this food come from??") and perhaps decide on your own that perhaps food is something that is worth the extra money and effort it takes to ensure that it it is healthy for you, and humane and sustainable for the animals and environment that produces it. There's so much useful and interesting information in this book I can't begin to scratch the surface in a review--I highly recommend you read it and hope you find it as meaningful and relevant as it's intended to be.

I first bought the audio book. I loved it, because the writing is so graceful and contributed greatly to my understanding of food. Food is so important, because food is medicine. Therefore, this book is important for all who aspire to healthfulness and understanding of truths.

I bought a paper copy for a fellow reader who is a friend. I am then asking him to pass the book on to a fellow reader, and so on.

That's how important I think this book is. I think donating a copy to a library is a good idea too.

I am vegan, and so are my dogs; we thrive in health with great knowledge that it is protein, carbs, fats, minerals, etc. we need, and as Pollan states clearly, WE DO NOT NEED TO EAT MEAT. The author helped me see that it's easy to state an excellent case for many different diets, except eating factory farmed animals. He helped remind me that my focus relative to activism should be on supporting and promoting local organic farms, and NOT on trying to convince people not to eat meat. Pollan influenced me to purchase and read 'Animal Liberation' next. Pollan also influenced me (through Peter Singer) to understand what Animal Rights SHOULD mean - equal consideration of interests. He has me thinking that a person can easily eat meat and be totally for animal rights, so long as the person, like he says, considers the interests of the individual AND the species, balancing the two systems to base one's decisions. Lastly, the author influenced me now more than ever to become active in trying to get people to see that the shear fact that 99.99% of CAFOs refuse to let people see the kill floors and others aspects of this abysmal system. This is proof in itself that the CAFOs have much to hide - hideous pain and suffering of those who have eyes, mouths, thinking and feeling brains, lungs, hearts, a social network, and above all a desire to avoid pain and suffering.