Book Reviews

Hungry Planet

by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio
Ten Speed Press, 2007

288 pages, $24.95

A decidedly odd idea for a book, but it works beautifully. The author and photographer found 34 families in 20 countries and photographed them arrayed around a pile of food equal to what they eat in an average week. They then go on to describe the families, their activities, and their attitude toward food; throw in fascinating statistics about their countries and the countries' populations; add a few recipes and essays by various notables including Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma). The photographs are gorgeous (there are many more than just the family portraits), and without being explicit about it Hungry Planet says a great deal about what the world eats, and why. --Tom Turner 

Purchase Hungry Planet here

A portion of the sale will go to benefit Earthjustice