An Edible History of Humanity by Estefanie Contreras Quezada

            Thinking back to how food was first cultivated and how eating habits have evolved throughout centuries can be astonishing for some people because it’s great being able to make connections with our ancestors. An Edible History of Humanity, written by Tom Standage is an outstanding non-fiction book that discuses how food has influenced civilization. Standage not only discuses the history of food but also asserts that food is not only a necessity needed by mankind but it also plays a huge role on how the world works. If you are the type of person that enjoys learning about history, this book is perfect for you. Normally history is thought of as boring and dreadful; however Standage does a fantastic job making those opinions seem hazy. He makes learning about how food was first seen and how it’s evolved throughout the years seem like it’s the best thing anyone could do.

            Tom Standage is an outstanding author that specializes in books about history. He uses a very formal tone, only depends on facts and evidence, and is very clear in position. He begins his book discussing the history of hunter gatherers and how it compares to early farming. Then he talks about the different ways food was obtained and what made it easier access. He also discusses how food later began to make an impact on society by separating social classes. Standage also mentions some great events in history that dealt with food. Throughout the book Standage creates a timeline from the beginning to how it impacts modern day. I believed he did a marvelous job in making his purpose clear. As a whole I believed it was a great book because it’s very informative; however I doubt many teenagers would agree, the reason for that is because it’s a plain book, no action. Its only intention is to teach the history of food and how it has made an impact on civilization. I recommend this book to people who are familiar with the author or are interested in books about history. If I were to rate this book on a scale from 1-10 I’d give it a 7. In all it was a great book written by an outstanding author, very powerful in information.