The Omnivore's Dilemma

February 20, 2006


Reviewed by Pamela Kaufman

Pollan (The Botany of Desire
) examines what he calls "our national eating disorder" (the Atkins craze, the precipitous rise in obesity) in this remarkably clearheaded book. It's a fascinating journey up and down the food chain, one that might change the way you read the label on a frozen dinner, dig into a steak or decide whether to buy organic eggs. You'll certainly never look at a Chicken McNugget the same way again.
Pollan approaches his mission not as an activist but as a naturalist: "The way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world." All food, he points out, originates with plants, animals and fungi. "ven the deathless Twinkie is constructed out of... well, precisely what
I don't know offhand, but ultimately some sort of formerly living creature, i.e., a species
. We haven't yet begun to synthesize our foods from petroleum, at least not directly."
Pollan's narrative strategy is simple: he traces four meals back to their ur-species. He starts with a McDonald's lunch, which he and his family gobble up in their car. Surprise: the origin of this meal is a cornfield in Iowa. Corn feeds the steer that turns into the burgers, becomes the oil that cooks the fries and the syrup that sweetens the shakes and the sodas, and makes up 13 of the 38 ingredients (yikes) in the Chicken McNuggets.
Indeed, one of the many eye-openers in the book is the prevalence of corn in the American diet; of the 45,000 items in a supermarket, more than a quarter contain corn. Pollan meditates on the freakishly protean nature of the corn plant and looks at how the food industry has exploited it, to the detriment of everyone from farmers to fat-and-getting-fatter Americans. Besides Stephen King, few other writers have made a corn field seem so sinister.
Later, Pollan prepares a dinner with items from Whole Foods, investigating the flaws in the world of "big organic"; cooks a meal with ingredients from a small, utopian Virginia farm; and assembles a feast from things he's foraged and hunted.
This may sound earnest, but Pollan isn't preachy: he's too thoughtful a writer, and too dogged a researcher, to let ideology take over. He's also funny and adventurous. He bounces around on an old International Harvester tractor, gets down on his belly to examine a pasture from a cow's-eye view, shoots a wild pig and otherwise throws himself into the making of his meals.
I'm not convinced I'd want to go hunting with Pollan, but I'm sure I'd enjoy having dinner with him. Just as long as we could eat at a table, not in a Toyota. (Apr.)

Pamela Kaufman is executive editor at
Food & Wine magazine.

September 7, 2009
This youth-friendly version of Pollan's bestseller, with updated facts, assorted visuals and a new introduction and afterword, is as enlightening as it is accessible. The adaptation uses the same “four meal” format of the original book, as Pollan describes the impact of humans' heavy corn consumption, explores the organic food industry, takes part in the system of farming practiced at Polyface Farm and hunts mushrooms and wild pigs. Much of the appeal lies in Pollan's hands-on methods and sensitive articulations as he assists readers in navigating the complexities of the production and consumption of food. Conscientious readers will grasp the important lessons. Ages 10–up.

October 1, 2009
Gr 7 Up-Based on Pollan's best-selling adult book of the same title, this (slightly) shortened version will appeal to thoughtful, socially responsible teens. The book is divided into four sections: "The Industrial Meal" (exemplified by the fact that only two companies, Cargill and ADM, buy nearly a third of all the corn grown in the U.S.); "The Industrial Organic Meal" (covering most of what's found in stores like Whole Foods); "Local Sustainable" (small farms typically based on grass, not corn); and what he calls the "Do-It-Yourself Meal" (where he hunts a wild pig and gathers wild mushrooms). Pollan has done an amazing amount of research, both of the typical kind (there are 16 pages of footnotes) and the more personal kind. His own research includes slaughtering a chicken himself and eating a fast-food meal in a moving car with his family. He explains complicated issues clearly, offers compelling evidence of the environmental damage done by what he calls the industrial meal, and urges readers not to look away from animal-welfare issues: "We can only decide if we know the truth." An afterword, "Vote with Your Fork," recommends simple actions that will improve the health of our bodies, our society, and our planet."Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2009
Grades 6-10 *Starred Review* Pollans adult edition of The Omnivores Dilemma (2006) was a watershed book. A New York Times bestseller, a James Beard Award winner, and a Booklist Editors Choice selection, its personal, informed, adventurous exploration of the American food chain inspired thousands of readers to learn and care about what they eat. This exemplary young readers edition offers much more than just a simplified, condensed version of the original. Adapted by Richie Chevat, it follows, in Pollans accessible, funny, first-person voice, the same progression as the adult original. Four meals create the framework for Pollans investigation into how food arrives on the table: an industrial dinner (from McDonalds), an industrial organic meal, a dinner made from local sustainable ingredients, and a dinner made mostly from foods that Pollan hunted and gathered. Expertly edited, the book retains the originals provocative anecdotes and questions, while presenting the background information in even more expanded and accessible terms. The open, attractive format includes visuals that are all new here, including diagrams, sidebars, and personal photos of the books characters. Also new is an appended interview with Pollan, as well as a welcome closing chapter, The Omnivores Solution, with tips for conscious eating. Just as powerful as the adult edition but perfectly tuned to a young audience, this title is essential food for thought.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)