Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

RAW DOG : THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT HOT DOGS by Jamie Loftus

10 reviews

mattyvreads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.75

What a strange and fascinating book. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Loftus’s writing is hilarious, irreverent, and that perfect mix of very intelligent yet sophomoric that really does it for me. There is no doubt that she has done her research.

The book is full of hot dog stories, facts, wives’ tales, and scandals. There is astute social commentary and histories about the different individual stands, communities, and organizations which contextualize her opinions on those different businesses. Plus, some conspiracy theory lite™️ (read: technically conspiracy theories that are unproblematic and probably true).

CW: disordered eating —

I struggled a little bit with how she mentions and frames the struggle with her eating disorder on this hot dog road trip. I have complicated feelings. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder for almost my whole life, I am grateful she spoke about this openly and honestly, and acknowledge that is a very vulnerable thing to discuss publicly. Having said that, she just mentions it a couple times in passing like “this was a day that I felt disgusting and worthless in my body” (I’m paraphrasing), but those feelings seem completely unresolved. Even in a day to day snapshot, where we might see a light at the end of the tunnel (even briefly). BUT! I also understand where she is coming from. As the book went on, I could guess a motivation for leaving those few, scattered mentions. It is ever-present and it is unresolved. There is no happy resolution on most eating disorders. It’s ongoing. Maybe it’s just because of my own historically disordered eating that I saw it through a lens of how I would have discussed the issue? Not my book!

All in all, the book was incredibly witty and refreshingly modern. She is a terrific writer. My favorite quote: “10 years ago, we would call this a Woody Allen day. But now we know better and call it a Nora Ephron day.” Chef’s kiss.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Eating disorder, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Vomit

mikkitooloud's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

I picked this book up because I have a soft spot for Jamie Loftus, but just three or four sentences into the introduction I was fully onboard with the premise. This book is about more than just hotdogs; it's about justice, love, and the human condition.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Vomit

Ms. Loftus does an excellent job of forewarning you before she begins the discussion on industrial animal farming. It's hard to read, but can be skipped if it would be too much.

andonovan's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

Like a Connecticut hot dog, which to some is a perfect blend of beef, pork, and sheep intestine,  Raw Dog is a perfect blend of well researched information, touching personal narrative, and genuinely funny and good commentary. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer and Vomit

Minor: Eating disorder

raebelanger's review against another edition

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Misogyny

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

I picked up this book because it came highly recommended to me by 2 friends, but I knew absolutely nothing about it until I started reading. Part-travelogue and part-history and contemporary realities of hotdogs, this book was as fascinating as it was absolutely hilarious. I sped through this one in 3 days, and the delivery on audio was excellent, although I wish I had a physical copy to go back and reflect on interesting hotdog facts 🌭 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Excrement, Police brutality, and Grief

dorothy_shack's review against another edition

dark funny informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Eating disorder

dominika_benmichael's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective fast-paced

3.0

A surprisingly meditative look at the state of the world in summer '21

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

marieee_greeen's review against another edition

funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic

junefish's review against another edition

funny reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Eating disorder

caseythereader's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

Thanks to Forge for the free copy of this book.

- A few days after finishing RAW DOG, I'm still not sure what to make of it. I do know that I was riveted, deeply invested in Loftus' physical and emotional journey of eating hot dogs across the country.
- Loftus is able to place the history of the hot dog into the larger context of the country, connecting them to everything from the Great Depression to modern gentrification.
- It made me desperately want a hot dog, but also gave me vicarious meat sweats. While I think it was a bit overlong in the end, if you can stomach all the meat talk and want a read outside your usual lane, RAW DOG is worth checking out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic