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charliemaigne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Don't read this book if you're in recovery from disordered eating. The author manages to bring up obesity and issues with food in places that seemingly had nothing to do with diet.
Otherwise, read on. It's an interesting book, though it definitely has a pessimistic view of everything from farming practices to medicine to our future. I disagree with the author on a very basic level, and I think some of his reading of certain scientific studies is suspect. I suppose I hope readers read this with a skeptical mind and don't let his worldview replace yours.
Otherwise, read on. It's an interesting book, though it definitely has a pessimistic view of everything from farming practices to medicine to our future. I disagree with the author on a very basic level, and I think some of his reading of certain scientific studies is suspect. I suppose I hope readers read this with a skeptical mind and don't let his worldview replace yours.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Fatphobia
Moderate: Genocide
keishac13's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, and War
gladiolus17's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
readingrenae's review against another edition
Completely unwarranted fatphobia, about an hour and a half in. If it was opinions of anti-fatness between true and factual information, I would have sucked it up and finished the book. However, between claims that obesity was sweeping the world as a plague, he made the broad statement that high-calorie foods do not serve any nutritional purpose, leaving out that the calorie is just a measurement of consumable energy and our health is also dependent on what vitamins, proteins, and fats can be found in our food, regardless of calorie count. Could not stomach the remaining 13 hours, having lost trust in the author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
cjwicker's review against another edition
challenging
informative
4.5
I don't generally enjoy history as a subject to read about, but this book integrates history with science, politics, and the larger implications as a whole. I feel like this would be a good book to read in conjunction with Daniel Quinn's book Ishmael. I had a little trouble getting through a few of the chapters in the middle, but I think that was just a personal preference.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Fatphobia
burnt_milk's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Overall a really interesting read with a lot to say about our place in the world and especially what we deem "progress". However there was such a rudimentary view of gender even for 2014 - no acknowledgement of intersex people, and while there is some talk about gender roles and differentiating gender from sex, the author avoids talking about trans people, and clumsily uses "he or she" for every example.
I've read in other reviews that there are also a few factual inaccuracies in the text.
I've read in other reviews that there are also a few factual inaccuracies in the text.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Racism, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Fatphobia and Transphobia