Finishing a Good Book
I just finished The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. It was quite a good book that opened up a whole new realm of thinking about what we eat, how we eat it, and what the implications are.
Throughout the reading of a book, I am always conscious of how far through it I am. I know generally (often exactly) when I pass important milestones, such as 1/10, 1/5, 1/4, etc. Although to some this might seem to detract from the experience, the analytical portion of my mind needs constant stimulation to keep me from actually being distracted. It by no means keeps me from being completely lost in a book. With a non-fiction book, this is usually limited to extremely engaging passages (intellectually, morally, emotionally). With a piece of fiction, I often find myself at the end without any memory of the process of reading it. Instead, I have vivid images of particular scenes, and an abstract artistic image of the book as a whole. Often this image takes a two- or three-dimensional shape inspired by geometry and biology.
When I finish the main text of a book, I take a few minutes to pause in appreciation and to try to let it sink in. Then, if there are acknowledgments or appendices, I read them insofar as they look interesting. Then I rush off to record the book on my web site. You probably already know this, but my list of books read can be found here: http://www.azureabstraction.com/me/books/
And now, a short review. The Omnivore's Dilemma is divided into three sections, based on three different food-chains (in a broad sense) by which the meal comes to the consumer. The first section, "Industrial", talks about the industrial monoculture by which most of what we eat is corn. The second section, "Pastoral", treats the organic farm food chain, the cultural impetus behind it, and the means by which the Industrial mentality has to some extent perverted the "organic" label. The third section's strength is its strong narrative. It follows the creation of a meal by rules including the following: each ingredient must be hunted or gathered or grown by the creator; it should include plant, animal, fungi and mineral; the dishes must be seasonal. Pollan hunts wild pig, gathers mushrooms, harvests fava beans from his garden, and cultures yeast in his quest.
The first section brings the book to a weak start, to tell the truth. The rhetoric is repetitive and the statistics far too general (and uncited). The second section is the strongest, with a much stronger structure and with enthusiastic prophets defending their lifestyles. The third section is also strong, but it has a few awkward transitions in place and time. On the whole, the book is well worth a read. Just be warned: It's 411 pages of non-fiction. Engaging non-fiction, to be sure, but not everyone's cup of tea. If you get bored with the first one, skip to the second and see if it's more to your liking.
A sidenote: This book pointed me to Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation, which I intend to look up soon. (Aaron Brown should get credit for first bringing the book to my attention.) It's basically one of the core texts of the animal rights movement. I also want to investigate Wendell Berry, who has been firmly on my radar for a long time, but whom I haven't yet read thoroughly. Does anyone have suggestions for where to start? (I've read an essay of his entitled "Pray Without Ceasing", and a very good one entitled "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear".)
Now it's time for a cup of tea accompanied by chocolate and/or shortbread, during which I will be finishing High Windows, a collection of poetry by Philip Larkin.