Animal, Vegetable, Junk, Mark Bittman
Animal, Vegetable, Junk, Mark Bittman
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Animal, Vegetable, Junk
A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal: A Food Science Nutrition History Book

Author: Mark Bittman

Narrator: Mark Bittman

Unabridged: 12 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 02/02/2021


Synopsis

"Epic and engrossing." —The New York Times Book Review

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and pioneering journalist, an expansive look at how history has been shaped by humanity’s appetite for food, farmland, and the money behind it all—and how a better future is within reach.

The story of humankind is usually told as one of technological innovation and economic influence—of arrowheads and atomic bombs, settlers and stock markets. But behind it all, there is an even more fundamental driver: Food.
 
In Animal, Vegetable, Junk, trusted food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments, from slavery and colonialism to famine and genocide—and to our current moment, wherein Big Food exacerbates climate change, plunders our planet, and sickens its people. Even still, Bittman refuses to concede that the battle is lost, pointing to activists, workers, and governments around the world who are choosing well-being over corporate greed and gluttony, and fighting to free society from Big Food’s grip.
 
Sweeping, impassioned, and ultimately full of hope, Animal, Vegetable, Junk reveals not only how food has shaped our past, but also how we can transform it to reclaim our future.

About Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman is the author of more than thirty books, including the How to Cook Everything series and the #1 New York Times bestseller VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good. Over his long career at The New York Times, Bittman wrote for both the food and opinion pages, and was the lead Magazine food writer before launching his own popular web site, The Bittman Project. Bittman has starred in four television series, including Showtime’s Emmy-winning Years of Living Dangerously. He is a longtime TODAY regular and has made hundreds of television, radio, and podcast appearances, including on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Real Time with Bill Maher, and CBS’s The Dish; and on NPR’s All Things Considered, Fresh Air, and Morning Edition. Together with daughter Kate Bittman, he has hosted their own podcast, Food with Mark Bittman since 2021.Bittman has written for countless publications and spoken at dozens of universities and conferences; his 2007 TED talk “What’s wrong with what we eat?” has over five million views. He was a distinguished fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and a fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has received six James Beard Awards, four IACP Awards, and numerous other honors.In addition to his role as editor-in-chief for The Bittman Project, Bittman is currently special advisor on food policy at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where he teaches and hosts a lecture series. He is also the editor in chief of Heated. His most recent books beyond the How to Cook Everything Series are How to Eat; Animal, Vegetable, Junk; and Bittman Bread.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeff

Mostly Junk, Barely Any Meat. This anti-capitalist, anti-European, anti-agriculture screed is little more than a run down of a leftist view of world history (with concentrations in the post-Industrial Revolution world) as it relates to food . It often points to old and out-dated research in support......more

Goodreads review by Chantal

I haven't come across Mark Bittman's work before, but 'Animal, Vegetable Junk' is a marvel of research and argument. The book is chronological, beginning with a summary of the birth of agriculture. I scanned this bit, I'll admit - this period in history has already been well-covered in 'Sapiens' by......more

Goodreads review by Cathi

The book has radicalized me. Not many books do that right? The first 1/3 of the book is a terrific mad dash through the history of agriculture. Wow what a ride. The fundamental change that becoming agrarian did to the human race ...yes obvious but children because (duh) you don’t have to carry......more

**Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Miffin Harcourt for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is published Feb 2nd I have read a few, of Bittman’s other books and I enjoyed them, sadly, this one fell a little short for me. I appreciated some of the history in the fi......more