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A review by stormslegacy
Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin
3.0
Joel Salatin is someone very vocal in food politics, and quoted in many books. As the owner of Polyface Farm in Virginia, the sustainable example quoted by most food politics folks, he has a lot of wisdom to share. I do not agree with him on many issues, but there's a lot of his overall philosophy I can get behind. He believes in a sustainable system where animals can express themselves as nature intended.
That's pretty much where I stop following though. He is a creationist who firmly believes all government is harmful, despite the fact that without laws it is unlikely his business would survive a true free-market because it's such a small scale. There are a lot of statements in the book that are ignorant, and can easily be disproved. Some are just blatant. Many statements have a sort of truthiness to them, but then fall apart when examined. His solutions would not work for most people.
If you are just getting started in food politics I would NOT recommend this book to you. I would read Micheal Pollan, Marion Nestle, Catherine Friend or myriad other authors first. That said, if you have read other books and want to hear more, it is an excellent peek into the rural mind-set that is very common among the farmers that supply food to the farmer's markets. It also provides you with a rounder vision of how food connects people and the different philosophies that can coexist together.
That's pretty much where I stop following though. He is a creationist who firmly believes all government is harmful, despite the fact that without laws it is unlikely his business would survive a true free-market because it's such a small scale. There are a lot of statements in the book that are ignorant, and can easily be disproved. Some are just blatant. Many statements have a sort of truthiness to them, but then fall apart when examined. His solutions would not work for most people.
If you are just getting started in food politics I would NOT recommend this book to you. I would read Micheal Pollan, Marion Nestle, Catherine Friend or myriad other authors first. That said, if you have read other books and want to hear more, it is an excellent peek into the rural mind-set that is very common among the farmers that supply food to the farmer's markets. It also provides you with a rounder vision of how food connects people and the different philosophies that can coexist together.