Meathooked
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Products | Books |
Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession with Meat is a publication authored by Polish-Canadian journalist Marta Zaraska, released in February 2016 by Basic Books. The book delves into the historical patterns of meat consumption and examines its impact on human health.
Critical reception
A reviewer from the Green Bay Press-Gazette highlighted that although Zaraska follows a vegetarian lifestyle, she offers an impartial perspective in this captivating study, making it informative for both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Writer Mark Kurlansky described the work as "a pretty good book about meat," commending Zaraska for addressing both the beneficial and detrimental aspects of meat's history instead of promoting vegetarianism exclusively. Anthropologist and primatologist Richard Wrangham praised the book as "a well-researched plea for nutritional sanity and ecological common-sense," appreciating its advocacy for decreasing dependence on meat consumption.
On the other hand, Chris Nuttall-Smith from The Globe and Mail criticized the book for its use of questionable health statistics, characterizing it as a partisan argument rather than an unbiased analysis. Diane Leach of PopMatters referred to it as "a vegetarian manifesto masquerading as scientific journalism." Both critics disputed Zaraska's assertion that Americans consume "275 pounds (of meat) a year," pointing instead to USDA data indicating figures closer to 125 pounds per year, with a downward trend in recent times.