The Omnivore's Dilemma

A Natural History of Four Meals

By: Michael Pollan

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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

Everyone should read or listen to this book.

Everyone who eats, that is. We are in desperate need to reconnect with the world around us, and this book surely helps, in a fascinating, well-written way.

great read!

I loved this book. great information and the author is an entertaining story teller. it awakens a sense of urgency to get back to nature when it comes to nutrition and agriculture

Love this book, Hate the reader

Would you listen to The Omnivore's Dilemma again? Why?

Probably not, I would rather read it than hear this reader.

How could the performance have been better?

With a different reader this book would sound as brilliant as it is, that is the only place it falls short.

great book

this is a great book that details this is the omnivores dilemma from survival to mass marketing.

Scott Brick dose an excellent job, as always,

I've learn to use this app as I read books, it helps me understand the storyline and language used. I'm not a strong reader

A superb look into food culture

I've read a couple of Pollan's writings before and enjoyed them so I finally got around to this one. It was enlightening, scary, interesting, and all around very well written. I expected no less from Pollan but the range of information was eye-opening. Personally, I got a lot out of his information and look at food very differently now.

Another Fantastic Work of Pollan!

Fantastic book offering a diverse range of perspectives on the ethics of eating. If you eat food, this book is worth reading!

Scott & Michael are a perfect match!

Michael doesn’t repeat himself in any book, how does he do that!? Amazing story and a great interpretation too.

This title is very rich in information and presents some questions, free of positioning, for us to reflect on. He is the fairest journalist I read.

Great book, solid narration

Great book! Despite the other reviews, I thought the narrator was good and not at all annoying to listen to.

Eye opening

An amazing look in where our food comes from. Sourcing your food is a true dilemma.