Go Big Read!
Here's another opportunity for a giant book club: UW-Madison is inviting students, faculty and the community to participate in a community reading of "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.
Talks about sustainable farming, natural foods and the like seem to be all the rage right now. I agree it's an important topic, but I'm a little afraid if I read something like this, I'll feel guilty about everything I eat. Regardless, I'm going to make an effort to read it because I really am interested.
Pollan will visit the Madison campus to discuss the book on Thursday, Sept. 24. Professors are even incorporating the book into their lesson plans.
For more information on Go Big Read and Pollan's lecture, visit http://www.gobigread.wisc.edu. Meanwhile, here's some info from UW-Madison:
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin selected "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto," by Michael Pollan, from a short list compiled by a review committee from nearly 400 nominated titles as the book for Go Big Read's inaugural year.
"'In Defense of Food' had strong support from campus constituents," Martin says. "It raises issues of importance to people from a wide range of disciplines; it will engage people on and off the campus; and it will promote lively discussion. These are the purposes of the book project."
Pollan's book examines modern American food culture, nutrition and health. These subject areas create fertile ground for discussion and thought that go beyond the obvious food-related topics. To help generate those deeper explorations, "In Defense of Food" will be used for classroom instruction and integrated into nearly 50 courses, including anthropology, psychology, insect control and French.
In addition to the curricular inclusion, tie-in events related to the culture and politics of food, sustainable agriculture, public health and environmental journalism are planned throughout the year. The program has a book-discussion kit and has trained 65 facilitators to spur discussion of the book in groups on campus and in the community.
These include discussion sessions facilitated by faculty members, garden tours, open-house events at agricultural research facilities and lectures. Readers may also participate in a virtual book group at the Go Big Read blog.
Pollan will also visit campus at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, for a discussion of the book in a free lecture at the Kohl Center. His visit is sponsored by the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities, with partnerships from several campus and community groups.
Sep 2, 2009 at 1:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
The book is not only boring...but trash. It gives a very slanted view of farming and food. For those who are going to read the book, they should also google "The Omnivore's Delusion" to provide some balance.
Sep 2, 2009 at 4:18 a.m.
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