I recently received my required summer reading for college. The book is “The Omnivore’s Dilemma, A natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan. Included was a laundry list of questions, which means I’m expected to respond to this book in some form. So, I’ll turn a few of my dissertations/rants into “reading journals.” Every chapter or so, I’ll try to work up the motivation to reveal my thoughts and reactions to what I’ve read. At the same time, I may be doing my own research. Albeit, over the Internet. The one thing I may not do is actually answer the questions. I’m a poorly trained New Criticism Literature analyst, but also prone to reacting in non-standard ways. Whatever I write, I hope you find it interesting.
My first reactions…
The Title.
What catches everyone is the title – and the book’s cover. I, and other readers, have made countless judgements about the nature of a book based on its cover and title. For example:
I would read the book on the right, but not the book on the left. Of course, comparing a book to 1984 is unfair; but, it illustrates my point.
The title of Pollan’s book invokes a politically cliché issue for me. First, an Omnivore eats organisms from as many biological kingdoms as they can stomach. Vegetarians might criticize those who choose to be omnivores, asking how omnivores can be so cruel, destructive, exploitive, wasteful, etc. Which leads to a possible dilemma for omnivores – how can the omnivore eat what they want and justify their actions. Thus, the title misleadingly portrays the book as defense of the Vegetarian view point.
Of course, it could also be describing a food crisis facing the modern world. Or man. Thus, it might actually be interesting.
This is why I have a back-up method of judging a book. The old adage, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” only applies to the Front Cover. The back cover is useful. It contains the blurb.
I was immediate grabbed by the phrases:
- “buffed by one food fad after another, America is suffering”
- “The question of what to have for dinner has confronted”
- “politics, perils, and pleasures of eating”
This isn’t some mere “Go Vegan!” or “Biofuels harms the food industry” or “No GE Crops” story. The back cover reveals that this book is (hopefully) an exploration of the culture and society surrounding American food and American diets.
Hopefully it lives up to this promise. I, rather, we will see as I read.
Next time: Battlestar Galactica; Why High Gas Prices are Good, More Corn Men
