top reads of july

omnivore's dilemma
michael pollan

may this book mark the beginning of the end of high fructose corn syrup. i note that one of the great american writers of the last 20 years, barbara kingsolver, has decided to return to the great rural tradition of america and grow her and her family's own food. my congratulations to her. may we all be as enlightened.

related reading here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/opinion/06mcwilliams.html

oil on the brain
lisa margonelli

i was particularly taken by the revisit to the facts of the late 70s and how well the average american, with help from the government, cut oil consumption by up to 30%. wow, what's happened to us? anyway, this is a very thoughtful, interesting account of how oil has invaded the veins of modern life to such a degree that it's now poisoning us.