104 reviews for:

The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in an American City

Kim Foster

4.26 AVERAGE

himpersonal's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

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This book surprised me. I would never have guessed where the content went based on the summary. The author and her family are among the most special of people, because I cannot think of anyone I know personally or in the public who could've provided the kind of compassion they have, without any religious agenda, with a fully open heart and full awareness of the root causes having created the situations they were in. Learned A LOT. Challenged myself a lot. Grateful for a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

mkara10's review against another edition

4.0

fast-paced

mlorenzo18's review against another edition

3.5

emotional inspiring medium-paced

jeannakedrowski's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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This was an amazing look into the social problems facing those at the margins of society. I learned a lot about addiction, mental I’ll was, homelessness, foster care, and systems of oppression. We all need to foster a community that supports and includes those who need our help and resources the most.

becca_burgy's review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

loopygrace's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

alexisrt's review against another edition

2.0

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So this was advertised as a book about food and poverty. It sort of is, and it sort of isn't. It's really Kim Foster's memoir of living in downtown Las Vegas and running into poor people and some of their stories. Their stories are interesting, and I wouldn't disagree with a lot of the basic claims about poverty.

The problem was, I wasn't terribly interested in Kim, or all the great food she was cooking, and I think she made poor choices in writing about her adoptive kids and fostering experience. Everything is anecdotal with a few news stories thrown in for context, not deep research--there's a lot of opinions without room to give real evidence. She's the do-gooder type who pats herself on the back a little too much (though she is genuinely well meaning).

Also she writes like this.
In lists.
Of single sentences.
A lot.
And I find it very distracting when she turns to it as a device so frequently.

pamnc's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

creativerunnings's review against another edition

4.0

medium-paced

jilllightner's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Cursing