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angelarudd's review against another edition
5.0
What an eye-opener - This book was an amazing read! My biggest take-away: have a pantry free of UPC/SKU/Bar codes within the year. (looking forward to reading his other works)
themahtin's review against another edition
1.0
I read the Lunatic Farmer book right before this one, and I must say that there's a LOT of the same stuff in this book. Very disappointing, especially since I got this one autographed live and in-person. :(
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
1.0
Salatin has many good ideas, but in this tome he really goes over the top. I believe he is so frustrated with the current state of agribusiness and other corporate entities and the obliviousness of most Americans that he can't contain himself. i started off thinking "cranky", then "crotchety" and finally, life is too short and books too many to finish this. I made it about ¾ of the way through, and just couldn't take any more.
Salatin tells his readers that we all need to be growing our own food, in our yards and on median strips and any where we can find. We need to know where all our food comes from, support only local and sustainable agriculture, refuse to eat fast food, get our children outside more, eliminate estate taxes, ...and this is just part of his agenda. Most of it I agree with, but he started to lose me in the introduction when he discussed home-schooling his children. I generally have no problem with that, but I do with his dismissal of the "institutional educational establishment", of which I was certainly a product, and member. And then about page 273 I just had enough of the politics. I agree with much of what he says, but he's very polemic, too much for me.
Salatin tells his readers that we all need to be growing our own food, in our yards and on median strips and any where we can find. We need to know where all our food comes from, support only local and sustainable agriculture, refuse to eat fast food, get our children outside more, eliminate estate taxes, ...and this is just part of his agenda. Most of it I agree with, but he started to lose me in the introduction when he discussed home-schooling his children. I generally have no problem with that, but I do with his dismissal of the "institutional educational establishment", of which I was certainly a product, and member. And then about page 273 I just had enough of the politics. I agree with much of what he says, but he's very polemic, too much for me.
ghostrachel's review against another edition
5.0
I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words on this one, aside from hoping people will read it. It really elucidates the importance of re-evaluating (read: complete overhaul) of our food system. Not just the usual factory farms are horrible torture dens laden with disease and undesirable chemistry-- there's a lot of stuff about how farming that mimics nature is a net gain for the environment, the animals (well, until they have that really bad day on their way to camp Frigidaire), the farmers, and the food system. Whereas our current way is essentially the opposite of that. As someone who understands all of this already, grows much of my own food and has read all of the Michael Pollan books and about 50 other books on the topics of farming, food and food politics, it takes a lot for a book to really stand out enough to hope that my non-food obsessed friends will read it. This is one of those books.
The one drawback is that he likes to get a little "down-home"y (not to be confused with, he's a down homey) and I would HIGHLY recommend that anytime you see a sentence with the word "ain't" in it, that you just go ahead and skip the rest of that sentence. It will happen about twice a chapter. I think I will purchase a copy to lend out and redact all of those sentences with a sharpie.
The one drawback is that he likes to get a little "down-home"y (not to be confused with, he's a down homey) and I would HIGHLY recommend that anytime you see a sentence with the word "ain't" in it, that you just go ahead and skip the rest of that sentence. It will happen about twice a chapter. I think I will purchase a copy to lend out and redact all of those sentences with a sharpie.
suzannehines's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
2.5
emilyrowellbrown's review against another edition
3.0
Prepare to hear an opinion about everything! As a vegan and a progressive, I certainly differ with Salatin on many points, but I appreciate his message about going back to the basics.
acphilips's review against another edition
5.0
Great sense of humor and writing style. Very informational.
bibliomaniac33's review against another edition
5.0
Folks, this ain't normal has been such an inspiration. Joel Salatin is a voice of reason and clarity in what has become a culture steeped in hysterics and fanatical governmental regulation. As people become more and more obsessed about food and this or that diet, Mr. Salatin points out what we should all truly be concerned about- corporate control and government control of our food system, removing our choices to eat what we want as we want. I would highly recommend everyone read this book, as most people don't have a clue about the USDA or any other government oversight, not to mention the Evil Corp groups like Monsanto. If you have seen Food, Inc., this book would be of particular interest as Mr. Salatin is featured in the documentary and also in Fresh. If you're looking into GMO's, CAFO's, organic, local, boxed, processed or any other food items, this book is worth taking the time to read. You might not agree with everything he says, but his arguments will make you think about food, politics, and what role you plan to play when it comes to controlling what food you are allowed to buy. Are you a victim, or are you willing to step up and vote with your wallet and your voice?