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

Eye Opening

While it was a little too poetic at times, Pollan does a great job of discussing the issues with the food industry from a rather unbiased perspective. Most materials tend to be very left (or occasionally right) and Pollan does a great job of talking about the morality vs. economics instead of negating economics as many liberal sources can often do.

The only comment I have is that some of Pollan's critiques about grass fed animals may not be financially accurate. While I do not think animals should be fed anything but their natural diet, having smaller farms with only grass fed cattle and chicken would make meat a "rich man's" commodity. A lot of these changes for the good of the ecology will hurt the pocket of the lower class and lower middle class which is unfortunate.

Fascinating things you should know

You’ve heard you should avoid high fructose corn syrup? But why? Isn’t all good the same? Michael Polkan launches an investigation that reads like a mystery!

Wonderfully written and very insightful!

I just loved every moment of this book. It is read well in this audio version, and Michael Pollan is a descriptive, intelligent writer. He incorporates little jokes and makes his own vices and mistakes a delightful part of the story here.

I appreciate what Pollan did to make this about the practical aspects of what and how we eat now, as much as the moral and historical ones.

A MUST-read for anyone curious about how our food system became how it is today, and the questions we should be asking ourselves when we choose what to eat and "vote with our dollars" by purchasing different foods.

excellent listening

some people have complained about the narrator... speed it up and he sounds great, highly enjoyable voice.

I enjoyed the content so much that I purchased the version of the book geared towards young adults, hoping to teach kids about more conscious eating vs unconscious shoveling of food type products into their mouths. it's still a work in progress.

Omnivore's REPEAT

Would be a very interesting story if there were not as much repeated - probably could get it from 15 hours to about 8, and then it would be a very engaging story.

I wish this book found its way to me sooner.

My son brought it home from school. I finished it before his class as I could not put it down. I will tell my sons teacher as soon as possible.

Loved it!

I was enlightened on so many levels. I have a greater appreciation for the food I eat & can make more informed decisions because of what I learned from this book. Michael Pollan was able to take a topic heavy with information & also make it easy & enjoyable to digest.

Brilliant Work - Eye Opening

Where does The Omnivore's Dilemma rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Great Reading

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

None

Any additional comments?

For anyone interested in health, nutrition, food economics, or even the history of the human animal this is a must read.

Another Great Book by Michael Pollan

Being an Omnivore truly is a dilemma and in this book Michael goes into detail as to why that is. From industrialized corn to wild mushrooms. He makes you question where it came from and why we eat it. He presents the moral and sometime immoral ways in which we produce or kill for it. Truly a great read. Highly recommend.

Great book regardless of your views

Whether you agree with Pollan or not, the book is great. Informative, humorous, moving, and just interesting. Worth the time to listen. Twice.