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steeperthandeep's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
midwesternreads's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.0
finished it.
That’s all I got.
This book honestly just read like someone who is sticking his nose up at poor people who have no choice in what they eat half the time.
That’s all I got.
This book honestly just read like someone who is sticking his nose up at poor people who have no choice in what they eat half the time.
cmbohn's review against another edition
3.0
Themes: food, culture, agriculture and farming, evolution, sociology, poverty, family, human nature
This one sure didn't impress me at first - see message 76 - but it was ultimately worth reading. Manning ranged far and wide in his condemnation of agriculture. From mankind's origin as hunter-gatherers, to the widespread problem of poverty and malnutrition, to modern agribusiness and how it is ruining the ecology of the earth as a whole, he gave me a lot to think about. I really knew almost nothing about the history of farm policy in the United States, so I found that part informative and even startling. Overall, it was a rather depressing look at how our planet is doomed. I did resolve to try harder to eat locally grown and produced food. 3 stars.
This one sure didn't impress me at first - see message 76 - but it was ultimately worth reading. Manning ranged far and wide in his condemnation of agriculture. From mankind's origin as hunter-gatherers, to the widespread problem of poverty and malnutrition, to modern agribusiness and how it is ruining the ecology of the earth as a whole, he gave me a lot to think about. I really knew almost nothing about the history of farm policy in the United States, so I found that part informative and even startling. Overall, it was a rather depressing look at how our planet is doomed. I did resolve to try harder to eat locally grown and produced food. 3 stars.
sandyd's review
3.0
A kind of weird history of agriculture - I learned some interesting things, but Manning's use of the anthropological literature is really bad. He cherry picks a few items to support his ideas (that agriculture has made humanity worse and worse off through the years, mainly), and ignores a lot of evidence to the contrary, like relatively egalitarian tribal societies that practiced intensive farming.
If you want to read a lot about the evils of ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) and industrial agriculture, though, this is the book for you.
Manning's not a bad writer, but the book is definitely all over the place when it comes to ideas about food, hunting and gathering, and modern farming. I think a series of more focused articles or essays might have been a better bet for Manning.
If you want to read a lot about the evils of ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) and industrial agriculture, though, this is the book for you.
Manning's not a bad writer, but the book is definitely all over the place when it comes to ideas about food, hunting and gathering, and modern farming. I think a series of more focused articles or essays might have been a better bet for Manning.
aimee70807's review
4.0
I was stunned when I picked up this book. I'd been reading about the history of agricultural societies for a while, and reading between the lines that agriculture has changed our society for the worse. Against the Grain took all of my ideas and solidified them.
I had two disappointments with the book. First, there's a big section in the middle about the evils of modern agriculture --- I found that really boring since I've read a lot about that before, but it was essential to the book if you haven't pondered those questions before. More importantly, though, I felt like the ending was extraordinarily weak. The book will make you believe that agriculture as we practice it is bad, but his solutions are not well thought out --- mainstream organic food, in my opinion, is only a small step better than the traditional agriculture it mimics.
On the other hand, the book is very short and easy to read --- a relief after plodding through the equally enlightening but far too long Guns, Germs, and Steel.
I had two disappointments with the book. First, there's a big section in the middle about the evils of modern agriculture --- I found that really boring since I've read a lot about that before, but it was essential to the book if you haven't pondered those questions before. More importantly, though, I felt like the ending was extraordinarily weak. The book will make you believe that agriculture as we practice it is bad, but his solutions are not well thought out --- mainstream organic food, in my opinion, is only a small step better than the traditional agriculture it mimics.
On the other hand, the book is very short and easy to read --- a relief after plodding through the equally enlightening but far too long Guns, Germs, and Steel.
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