I finally got around to reading it. It had been on my radar for some time and so, when at the airport and faced with a dearth of material, it seemed the perfect companion; easy read, seemingly witty and direct. Also, any reminder of why we should eat healthier is always welcome.
Well, it was all that and more. First thing that took me by surprise was the language; direct, crass and funny, as in I-can't-believe-she-said-that funny! Of course, I had expected it given the title of the book and did find myself laughing out loud at points yet a bit perturbed by the aggressiveness of it.
I also felt the book was promoted in a misleading manner. It has a vegan agenda and you become aware of it fairly quickly, say by the 4th chapter. Yet it is not marketed as such. Lulled by reading about the effects of sugar and soda, I suddenly had the dank, brutal insides of a slaughterhouse stuck in my face! It was almost as disturbing as stumbling upon "Faces of Death" in my youth when I thought we were being shown a nature documentary (true story). I agree it is important to know where your food comes from and the virtues of a vegetarian diet but I am really not interested in giving up meat or dairy completely. And I don't want to be pushed towards it by the authors' promise of a hotter body if I did so. Oh yes, there is a promotion of stereotypical body images here. Finally, I felt a number of theories laid out are unsupported, loosely researched or contradictory. The author(s) rely too heavily on a combination of shock tactics and intimidation to make their point.
So, I found it to be overall engaging and informative in bits but would advice that it be read with a grain of salt and the permission to skip over the unsavory parts. At the end of the day, all I need to know is what is on my plate and be thankful for and respectful of the nourishment it provides my body.
No comments:
Post a Comment