Recommended Books

In Defense of Food -- Michael Pollan

Pollan provides another shocking yet essential treatise on the industrialized Western diet and its detrimental effects on our bodies and culture. Here he lays siege to the food industry and scientists' attempts to reduce food and the cultural practices of eating into bite-size concepts known as nutrients, and contemplates the follies of doing so. As an increasing number of Americans are overfed and undernourished, Pollan makes a strong argument for serious reconsideration of our eating habits and casts a suspicious eye on the food industry and its more pernicious and misleading practices. Listeners will undoubtedly find themselves reconsidering their own eating habits. Scott Brick, who narrated Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, carries forward the same tone and consistency, thus creating a narrative continuity between the two books. Brick renders the text with an expert's skill, delivering well-timed pauses and accurate emphasis. He executes Pollan's asides and sarcasm with an uncanny ability that makes listening infinitely better than reading. So compelling is his tone, listeners may have trouble discerning whether Brick's conviction or talent drives his powerful performance.

Seeds of Deception -- Jeffrey Smith

Recent news headlines have focused on the disagreement between the U.S. and Europe over genetically modified foods: the U.S. exports them, but the European Union doesn't want to import them, believing their safety remains unproven. Are genetically modified foods safe? Longtime anti-GM foods campaigner Smith presents the "opposing" case. He offers cases where GM produced results that were at best unexpected (increased starch content in potatoes), at worst grotesque (pigs without genitals). He describes how one corporation reportedly tried to bribe Canadian government scientists into approving genetically engineered bovine growth hormones they deemed unsafe; how some scientists have reported their careers were threatened as a result of their refusal to approve certain GM products in the U.S.; and how "conflicts of interest, sloppy science, and industry influence" can distort the approval process. The cases Smith presents are scary and timely, but he explores only one side of the story. Readers looking for a balance consideration of genetically modified foods will want to look elsewhere.

The Locavore Way -- Amy Cotler

Millions of Americans are rediscovering the pleasures of locally grown food. By eating food grown close to home, they can boost their health, reduce their carbon footprint, support a robust local economy, and enhance their sense of community . . . all while savoring scrumptious, satisfying meals. It's no wonder that the number of farmers' markets has more than doubled in the last 15 years, and the number of people getting produce straight from the farm has increased almost twentyfold in the same period! But novice locavores can find themselves stumped by basic questions. What's the best way to shop at a farmers' market? Is it possible to eat locally all year long? And just what does one do with braising greens, anyway? Enter The Locavore Way by Amy Cotler. This friendly guide to eating locally gives readers all the information they need to buy, cook, and eat close to home. Cotler covers all the basics - why eat locally, where to find local foods, how to eat locally on a budget, what questions to ask at the farmers' market, and even how to grow one's own food. She offers savvy shopping tips, simple guides to preparing whatever is in season, ideas for bringing out the best flavors in farm-fresh foods, and strategies to make the harvest last. Cotler demystifies local foods for the newcomer and demonstrates how eating within one's own "foodshed" is as simple as it is satisfying. The Locavore Way is at once a practical, how-to guide and a celebration of all that is fresh and flavorful. With this handy resource tucked into their canvas market tote, readers will have the information they need to find, select, store, prepare, and preserve the bounty . . . all year long!

Organic Manifesto -- Maria Rodale

Granddaughter to Rodale's founder, and its current CEO, the author offers a passionate, evenhanded, nonacademic argument for the overall wisdom-economical and ecological-for farming organic. Deeply aware of the public confusion and suspicion surrounding organic farming as a hippie cause, Rodale first persuades readers that years of chemical and pesticide use have poisoned our environment-not hard to do, considering elevated cancer levels, increases in asthma, and fertility disorders, among other afflictions attributed to environmental factors. Rodale places blame for U.S. reliance on chemical-saturated farming, especially employing the use of genetically modified seeds, mostly on powerful chemical companies' manipulative advertising doublespeak, but also on government protection of conventional farmers. In her strongest section delineating a year in the life of a chemical farmer, Rodale shares clarifying findings from her own focus group that these farmers become dependent on chemical companies for their products and can't see another way, even when costs keep going up, soil is depleted, and yields decrease. In the end, Rodale does a vigorous job of debunking myths plaguing both sides.

The Food Revolution -- John Robbins

Robbins, author of the classic Diet for a New America, believes that plant-based nutrition and particularly vegan diets (free of meat, milk, and eggs) lead to long life and good health. Citing statistics, research studies, and selected quotes that extol the benefits of such diets, he also argues that animal products are responsible for such diseases as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Robbins deplores the inadequate sanitation and inspection in meat-processing plants and argues that many of the illnesses and stomach ailments that people complain about result from animal agriculture and the pathogens it introduces into our bodies. He also raises concerns about the dangers of fad diets that advocate high carbohydrates, high protein, or high fat. Robbins's zealous advocacy of plant-based nutrition and his refusal to consider the need for animal products in human nutrition throws his book off balance. Nevertheless, those who want to know more about vegan diets will gain many insights from his provocative book. Recommended for large nutrition collections with a diversity of viewpoints. -- From the Library Journal