Chris and I just read The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved by Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green, 2006) as CG sent this for me to review. Becuase I typically read books that I believe/am interested in, this book was an excellent choice for the localvore foodie in me. I actually took notes while reading it, so that ought to tell you something – I wanted to make sure I accurately captured it so I could review it here for you.
Katz covered so many topics like the ones we write about here at GardenPunks, including local food, GMO food, the emergence of underground food groups, “organic” food, growing your own, seed saving, food & health, alien/invasive plants, meat and processing, humanure, compost… He managed to touch upon everything we find near and dear within the same book, without making it feel jumbled or jumpy. Each section fed logically into the next, so there was no start-stop for the reader. Even the humanure chapter, while short, had its place.
I especially liked the fact that Katz footnoted just about everything – it’s rare that an author takes such great effort to document every fact and statistic. Katz does a great job of telling stories with otherwise boring (but alarming) statistics, weaving them into his stories and giving them life.
I appreciated the section at the end of each chapter which offers readers more information about the topics covered in print (books, magazines, newsletters), film, and on the web. There are also recipes at the end of each chapter that relate to the chapter’s topic(s). Chris actually checked out Katz’ own website (http://www.wildfermentation.com/) and is making sour kraut as I write this (along with ginger ale).
The most informative part of this book for me was the discussion about genetically modified food. I’ve recently read the Vanity Fair article on Monsanto, and this book just furthered my distain for the company. It’s terrifying what they are doing in our country, and if we allow them to continue on their conquest, seed saving may well soon become illegal. Have you ever heard a company that takes their own customers to court? What in the hell is wrong with our country! (See, it’s gotten me all worked up. That must mean it’s important).
Like The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin, 2007), I feel like Katz was so passionate about this book – every detail was covered, he opened up to readers as a likable person, and the book was not at all preachy. Katz obviously spent a great deal of time writing this book, and it shows. It’s not a fly-by-night quickly written book, and the information isn’t simply a recycling of other books. This was a lot of new information for us, and helped us strengthen our resolve on the path we’ve chosen in our life. (Like science experiments in my own kitchen pantry!)
Some of the more interesting (and humorous) notes I scribbled while reading The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved are:
- Bakes sales outlawed because food, while perfectly good, wasn’t “properly inspected”
- Monsanto alone is trying to make it impossible for you to GYO food. (Great, now I’m on their radar because of this writing….)
- I am absolutely disgusted. (In reference to above statement)
- GM/cloned pork and beef are already in our food supply? Eww. Thanks Uncle Sam
- People are having culinary “speakeasies” to obtain fresh, local, yet not inspected food
- Reminds me of Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal – by Joel Salatin (I’m seeing his name everywhere now!)
- Alien/invasive plants – “Plants without corporate sponsorship”
- Food not bombs
- The farther away we move from tap water – leaves our water supplies vulnerable (quality, infrastructure development, and private/corporate owned water systems that were previously municipal). We must fight for our water!
Grade: Solid A
