100 Best-ish Nonfiction Titles: Food and Health

Welcome back to our continuing series on the 100 "best-ish" nonfiction titles around, undertaken in response to Time magazine's 100 Best Nonfiction Titles (no qualifying "ish" for them, damnit, they really did list the best!). Taking their categories in turn, rightfully today we should look at Food and Health books.

But first a word about those categories. The Time list is broken down into various nonfiction subject and type categories, and I can't say I agree with most of them. I say, either list the 100 top books and skip the categorization, or pick things a little less randomly. Food and Health aren't the worst categories, but later on we'll be tackling "Nonfiction Novels" and "Social History" (as opposed to History). In the meantime there, are no Travel, True Crime, or Nature Writing categories. What's up with that? Weird, Time editors, weird.

But I digress. Food and Health, okay, here we go. Here's Time's titles:

FOOD

How to Cook a Wolf, by M.F.K. Fisher
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child
The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

HEALTH

And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, by Dr. Benjamin Spock
The Joy of Sex, by Dr. Alex Comfort
The Kinsey Reports, by Alfred Kinsey
Our Bodies, Ourselves, by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective

Now, I'm going to quibble with a lot of these on the basis that they are not so much books you read as books you refer to: particularly the Art of French Cooking (which I own and which is incredible, but which is not really a book you read or even particularly use. It's largely a book you have around because you love Julia Child, and because someday you intend to use it, really), the Dr. Spock book, and Our Bodies etc. And really? The Kinsey Reports? Time magazine thinks we're actually going to pick up The Kinsey Reports? I can't even get myself to watch the movie Kinsey, although I do sort of want to see it. Ironically, I'm just never in the mood.

Anyway. Here's what I would suggest for three food titles (keeping in mind I already listed the Bourdain in memoirs):

The Tummy Trilogy, by Calvin Trillin. If you've never read Trillin, you're in for a treat. He writes about food and travel (and his wife, Alice) with such a lovely and light descriptive touch. Yummy.

Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs (Most) Americans Won't Do, by Gabriel Thompson. By rights, this title should go in an Investigative/Journalism/Current Affairs section, but the Time list didn't include that category either. (Weak, Time editors, weak.) I'm including it in Food because there should be at least one title about our currently fucked-up system of food production and consumption, and this is the one that sticks in my head. (Of course anything by Wendell Berry would be good too.) This is the title that turned me off supermarket chicken breasts for good, simply because Thompson's description of the horrific working conditions inside chicken plants made me so sad (not only for the chickens, but mostly for the workers handling the chickens).

I think the M.F.K. Fisher is a good choice, but why that title? Why not the better known The Art of Eating?

So: what food titles would you suggest? Don't hold back; it's not a category I know really well, so I'm sure I'm missing tons of titles.

And now this post is too long--tune in for Health sometime later this week. Geez, this list stuff takes work. I'll bet those Time editors were worn out by the time they cooked up their list.

Comments

[Katharine]

I listened to A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and loved her description of food and family. It was sort of a sappy memoir, but the food writing was wonderful. She has a foodie/writing blog Orangette that is fun to look at once in awhile. I am not a chef at all but sometimes reading a book that makes a simple dish sound so lovely, like pasta with fresh tomatoes or something, it makes me want to try cooking one day.

[Unruly Reader]

The only foodie book I've ever loved is Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin. (Of course, I love *everything* by Laurie Colwin, but the fact that she wrote a food book I could love... quite something.)

[Citizen Reader]

Katharine,
I tried to read that one but couldn't get through it--perhaps listening to it would be better! And I'm going to check out Orangette--thanks for the reminder!

Unruly,
I remember liking that one too (and liking Laurie Colwin, very much), but it has been SO LONG. I've got to re-read it. She wrote "Goodbye without Leaving," too, didn't she? I have good but vague memories of that one as well. It's hell to get old and forgetful!

[Sarah]

Would you say that AND THE BAND PLAYED ON paved the way for titles like THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS?

[Care]

I enjoyed Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires.

[Unruly Reader]

Citizen -- Yeah, "Goodbye Without Leaving" -- such good stuff! She's one of my comfort authors. (Actually, vaguely grateful I haven't had cause to re-read her stuff lately, because it likely would indicate hard times.)

[Citizen Reader]

Sarah,
That's an interesting question, and I think it could be answered many ways. My initial reaction, however, would be to say no--I would think there has always been a market for good, personal investigative works on health issues, it's just that these really good types of titles don't come along just every day. I think Anne Fadiman's "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" is another example of such a book...

Care,
Thanks for listing Reichl--she's not one of my personal faves but I know she's very, very popular. At least one of her books probably belongs on this list.

Unruly,
I'm very glad too that you're not currently needing your comfort books! :) Me, I get a hangnail, I need a comfort book. So maybe I'll re-read some Colwin this weekend!