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The Omnivore's Dilemma

A Natural History of Four Meals

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The Omnivore's Dilemma

By: Michael Pollan
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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About this listen

The best-selling author of The Botany of Desire explores the ecology of eating to unveil why we consume what we consume in the 21st century.

"What should we have for dinner?" To one degree or another, this simple question assails any creature faced with a wide choice of things to eat. Anthropologists call it the omnivore's dilemma. Choosing from among the countless potential foods nature offers, humans have had to learn what is safe, and what isn't, which mushrooms should be avoided, for example, and which berries we can enjoy. Today, as America confronts what can only be described as a national eating disorder, the omnivore's dilemma has returned with an atavistic vengeance.

The cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet has thrown us back on a bewildering landscape where we once again have to worry about which of those tasty-looking morsels might kill us. At the same time we're realizing that our food choices also have profound implications for the health of our environment. The Omnivore's Dilemma is best-selling author Michael Pollan's brilliant and eye-opening exploration of these little-known but vitally important dimensions of eating in America.

We are indeed what we eat, and what we eat remakes the world. A society of voracious and increasingly confused omnivores, we are just beginning to recognize the profound consequences of the simplest everyday food choices, both for ourselves and for the natural world. The Omnivore's Dilemma is a long-overdue book and one that will become known for bringing a completely fresh perspective to a question as ordinary and yet momentous as "What shall we have for dinner?"

©2006 Michael Pollan (P)2006 Penguin Audio
Anthropology Food Science Gastronomy Social Sciences Sustainability Ecosystem

Critic Reviews

Gold Medal in Nonfiction for the California Book Award • Winner of the 2007 Bay Area Book Award for Nonfiction • Winner of the 2007 James Beard Book Award/Writing on Food Category • Finalist for the 2007 Orion Book Award • Finalist for the 2007 NBCC Award

"Thoughtful, engrossing . . . You're not likely to get a better explanation of exactly where your food comes from."The New York Times Book Review

"An eater's manifesto . . . [Pollan's] cause is just, his thinking is clear, and his writing is compelling. Be careful of your dinner!"The Washington Post

"Outstanding . . . a wide-ranging invitation to think through the moral ramifications of our eating habits."The New Yorker

What listeners say about The Omnivore's Dilemma

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Great book!

The wisdom of living well in a world worth living in.
I feel this is a book that should be required reading for everyone. It's beautiful and takes the reader through deep thoughts on food and our views and customs around food. It is truely food for thought. The writer manages to look at ideas and believes from different viewpoints and not proclaim one view 'better' than the other, rather pointing at the costs to nature of each. moved to tears at times...

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great book

Engaging story from start to finish. It is fascinating to learn the process of food from its beginnings to the moment it reaches our plates. I would read it again.

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Informative

A great book but easily 2 or 3 hours too long. Author explores the topic thoroughly but goes off on tangents frequently.

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An excellent book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.. well researched and perfectly narrated.. it has certainly made me reconsider my view of food, especially that of industrial processed origins..

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a stimulating book.

great book. particularly the first section on American agriculture and manufactured food and the second section on sustainable farming. last section interesting, but I found the philosophy a bit slow. I really enjoyed it and will buy his other books.

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Enjoyed Part I and Part II

For me, the book would have been a five if it was limited to Part I and Part II.
In Part III it completely pivots from being informative to being philosophical and extremely slow moving

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