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My Year of Meats
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
Jane Takagi-Little, by trade a documentary filmmaker, by nature a truth seeker, is "racially half, " Japanese and American, and, as she tells us, "neither here nor there..." Jane is sharp-edged, desperate for a job, and determined not to fall in love again. Akiko Ueno, a young Japanese housewife, lives with her husband in a bleak high-rise apartment complex in a suburb of Tokyo. Akiko is so thin her bones hurt, and her husband, an ad agency salaryman who wants her to get pregnant, is insisting that she put some meat on them - literally. Ruth L. Ozeki's novel opens with two women on opposite sides of the globe, whose lives cannot be further apart. But when Jane gets a job, coordinating a television series whose mission is to bring the American heartland, and American meat, into the homes of Japan, she makes some wrenching discoveries - about love, meat, honor, and a hormone called DES. When Jane and Akiko's lives converge, what is revealed taps the deepest concerns of our time - how the past informs the present and how we live and love in this "blessed, ever-shrinking world."
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Melismatic
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Pickpick

What. A. Book.
Blows my mind it was written 25+ years ago bc it‘s every bit as heartbreaking and relevant today. Triggers abound tho. I‘m not technically a full vegetarian (more like flirting with it these days lol) but this makes me want to commit. Beyond just meat tho, the heart of the story is anti capitalist, pro feminist, it‘s just so *much* 🤠 #AuthorAMonth

Soubhiville Wasn‘t this one good? I agree, it‘s still very timely. Also impressive debut! 6mo
Melismatic @Soubhiville very much so! I was shocked to see it was her first novel! 6mo
30 likes2 comments
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Melismatic
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Slotting in my #AuthorAMonth right under the wire 😅

I had originally planned to read two by this author because the titles seemed intriguing - perhaps another time. Like a lot of the authors this year, she is “new” to me.

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vlwelser
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Pickpick

I thought this was great. And it's possible that I might be inclined to eat (even more) vegetables. I actually didn't read the blurb before starting and was under the impression that this was some sort of memoir. Wrong.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Soubhiville I really liked this one. 7mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 7mo
35 likes2 comments
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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

Thanks #AuthorAMonth readers for voting for Ruth Ozeki! This is the first I‘ve read of hers and it will not be my last. I loved it! And it‘s her debut, impressive.

There are a lot of topics addressed but the things I loved were Jane the documentary director‘s undermining of her racist, misogynistic boss and the dark look at the meat industry. I‘m glad I don‘t eat meat!

Lots of content warnings, look them up if needed.

Soubhiville Sietje would like me to put down the book and take her for a walk. Which I did right after taking this photo. 🐕 7mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 7mo
Megabooks I need to read this one!! Great review! 7mo
MemoirsForMe Sietje is the cutest! ❤️ 7mo
Suet624 I‘ve had this on my shelf forever - just can‘t seem to pick it up. 7mo
85 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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honeydew_reader
Pickpick

Ruth Ozeki is one the greatest of all goddamn time !

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morgangrilliot
Pickpick

such a powerful story, absolutely loved!

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Sapphire
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I recently went through my top reads since I started keeping track in 1999. One of my favorite titles from 1999 and still resonates with me was this first book I read from one of my now favorite authors. I can still call up images and emotions from the basic storyline. #adventrecommends

CBee Hi @Sapphire! Just curious if you‘ve had a chance to look at my list for #auldlangspine? Hoping you like it! 2y
Sapphire I have and I love it. I am so excited. I just hit a busy patch at both work and evening social obligations. I have so much to post but I want to do the cover titles. I have free pic stitch but before I commit to a pay collage app I wonder what you all use? I do advent recommends too and haven‘t figured out how to overlay the book cover 2y
Sapphire I spent yesterday afternoon in the car highlighting my list on paper! Hubby is taking it for Christmas shopping. 2y
Sapphire I also had 4 I had already read and loved each one 2y
CBee @Sapphire just noticed that you responded to my comment, oops! So for collages, I use Pic Collage, it‘s great and super user friendly! I‘m happy to help you with that if you need it! 2y
12 likes5 comments
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Hilary427
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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Pickpick

This book was great! So much creepy information about hormones and cattle and slaughterhouses, but the story that‘s told is so easy to get into. I loved both of the female leads. This is a book you should read more than once!

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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

Quirky but also dark and unsettling, I can see this appealing to people who wish Convenience Store Woman had gone deeper into the characters. A Japanese woman and a Japanese-American each interact with a bizarre documentary series promoting American beef in japan, which gets into examining control and how food exposes fault lines in traditional conservative values. Not easy to read but fascinating and I‘m glad I did

Tw for domestic abuse.

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Bertha_Mason

"Pain returned, like a pulse or a heartbeat. Sometimes it feels as if the mind has fingers, and in this lull of sound and light and motion, I let mine probe—gently, tentatively—at the pain‘s source."

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Bertha_Mason

"Skinning a giant carcass is like peeling the pajamas off a dozing twelve-foot child."

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Bertha_Mason

"Gripping my hair hard in his fist, he shook my head like a dirty onion."
Today in odd similes.

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Bertha_Mason
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Bunny Dunn lays down the law. Damn.

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Bertha_Mason
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Bertha_Mason

"Her eyes went starry, and the world went black. She stood there for a moment, like a cartoon character who gets socked in the nose and sent reeling round and round while all the pretty little birds twitter, then her knees buckled and the floor disappeared altogether."

Leftcoastzen I wish more people would read this book , it‘s awesome, seems you are enjoying it. 5y
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Bertha_Mason

"One of the first things I ask a prospective driver is whether or not he likes to talk. Then I ask him what he knows about. Dave said, “Nope” and “Farms.” I hired him on the spot."
Total rideshare-service mood, even though this book is from the nineties.

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Bertha_Mason
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Bertha_Mason

"In Japan, ghosts have no legs. Often they are wronged women who are not even dead yet, whose extremity of suffering forces the spirit from the body to torment their oppressors. Living ghosts. Neither here nor there."

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Bertha_Mason

This book is reminding me a little of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine, one of my all-time favorites.

Leftcoastzen I really enjoyed this book. 5y
Bertha_Mason @Leftcoastzen I'm glad you liked it :) 5y
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Bertha_Mason

"In modern-day Japan, militarism is treated like a sexual deviation—when you see perverts practicing it on the street, you ignore them, look the other way."

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SoniaC
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Pickpick

This was a powerful and entertaining book. I really am glad I read it. So many characters I just loved. It brings up a lot and is not always easy to read due to various subjects but so well executed.

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SoniaC
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Sugar Bear is ready for story time.

tpixie Hi Sugar Bear ! ♥️ 🐶 6y
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Centique
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#fiercefeb #9to5
I wanted to pick a book I‘ve loved about a woman doing her #9to5 so this fits. Jane is a documentarian making a food show for Japan sponsored by a US meat exporter. So she‘s going around filming women cooking meat and factories/farms and starts digging behind the propaganda. Meanwhile Akiko‘s mean husband is making her watch the show and cook the recipes.
A great novel but it may gross you out.

Centique Published in 98 when many weren‘t awake to these issues - but it‘s more than an “issues” novel. I researched at the time and most of these problems weren‘t going on in the meat industry here (NZ) but always worth knowing a bit more about what you‘re eating 👍👍 7y
emilyhaldi Very interesting I haven't heard about this book before 🐂 7y
Centique @emilyhaldi I think Ozeki got more publicity around her third book (tagged) which I haven‘t read yet. Really good writer and I must read more from her! 7y
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batsy Good pick! I'm embarrassed to say that I've been meaning to read this since the early 2000s... 7y
Centique @batsy don‘t worry, I‘m the same with SO MANY books 😳😄 7y
Cinfhen Is this similar to 7y
Centique @Cinfhen I haven‘t read that one but not from what I‘ve heard. This isnt about vegetarianism or family break down - the consequences aren‘t so dire here. Two women striving for purpose/independence, needing to become rulebreakers. 7y
Cinfhen Sounds promising ~ thanks for the recommendation 7y
55 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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xicanti
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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I'm not officially doing Litsy A to Z this year, either, but I figured I'd keep a list just for fun. Here's where I'm at as of January 31st.

ETA: aw, poop. I missed a "ma" in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's name, and I didn't bring my whiteout pen. Everyone, just assume I'll correct it as soon as I can.

VanChocStrawberry What pens are you using? 7y
xicanti @VanChocStrawberry a set of Staedtler triplus rollers. The colours are great, but some of them don't write well unless I hold them at exactly the right angle, so I'm glad I thrifted them instead of paying full price. 7y
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xicanti
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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Here's Ruth Ozeki on "issue novels."

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xicanti
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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Pickpick

TW for rape, domestic abuse, eating disorders, and cattle industry practices.

This one snuck up on me. I was absorbed from early on, but it wasn't until right near the end that I realized how much Jane, Akiko, and Jane's crew meant to me. I had to shunt everything else aside until I'd finished their story, which asks questions about race, authenticity, sexuality, and how we construct our personal narratives. It's fabulous, but brutal, stuff.

Megabooks Great review! 7y
xicanti @Booksandcooks thank you! 7y
emtobiasz I'll have to keep an eye out for this one. I loved A Tale for the Time Being, but that one also got unexpectedly serious and dark suddenly after a light-seeming beginning. (edited) 7y
xicanti @emtobiasz fair warning: this one gets pretty dark too. 7y
39 likes1 stack add4 comments
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xicanti
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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The tagged book draws heavily on the Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, which I've often heard of but always glossed over because I thought it was an ancient sex manual.

Turns out it's decidedly not (though there may be the odd sexy bit). Huh.

SandyW I've always made that same assumption. What's in a name, right. 7y
xicanti @SandyW exactly. I always connected it with pillow talk and figured it was Japan's answer to the Kama Sutra. 7y
ju.ca.no I read it many years ago, I don‘t think there was that many sex scenes! It‘s pretty much a diary🤔 7y
xicanti @ju.ca.no yeah, that's the impression I've got so far. When Ozeki quotes the parts about Shōnagon's lovers, they're more situational or emotional than explicit. 7y
35 likes4 comments
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xicanti
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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My physical TBR for the next six weeks. THE SUN SWORD is definitely coming home with me, but all the others need to earn their return journey in my heavy-ass suitcase. I'm not at all picky about what I love but I'm SUPER picky about what I keep, so most of 'em are destined for Little Free Libraries or the used bookstore.

Bradleygirl Robin McKinley 😍 7y
xicanti @Bradleygirl I've been hoarding that one for aaaages! Now I HAVE to read it. 7y
theresidentromantic The Winter King is everything ❤❤❤❤ 7y
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xicanti @theresidentromantic my mother also loved it, and presses it on me as soon as she'd finished. 7y
theresidentromantic I have the audiobook and I adored it. I got my hands on the sequel, but for some reason I can't quite get into it, yet. The Winter King is definitely her best though. Happy reading! 7y
DrJAdMerricksson Cute background kitty! What is the boba Fett thingie? 7y
xicanti @DrJAdMerricksson it's my portable speaker. 7y
47 likes7 comments
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Leftcoastzen
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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#womenofcolor #readingwomenmonth I consider it a blessing there are so many great women writers past and present.Still you always wonder who's not getting published who should be.

elkeOriginal Oo - is your Zora Neale Hurston stories a hardcover? NICE. 7y
Leftcoastzen @elkeo Yep ,I treasure it! 7y
batsy "who's not getting published and who should be" Yes! I'm always thinking about great writers we'll never hear from... 7y
10 likes3 comments
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Jessicav
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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I probably won't eat this entire thing myself... #litsypartyofone

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Dolly
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Bailedbailed

Life is too short...I couldn't get into this, the narration was flat and I lacked the patience to continue.

LuLeeBelle I felt the same way about All Over Creation. I feel like they're meant to be read in the year they were published, if that makes sense? They're sort of passe now? 8y
Dolly Oh no, books with expiration dates? Probably not the best idea🙃@LuLeeBelle 8y
45 likes2 comments
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leslieisreading
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A Tale for the Time Being is probably my favorite book from the last few years, but I haven't tried any of Ozeki's other books yet. These two could both fall in the category of #foodiefiction and they should probably get bumped up on my reading list. #readjanuary

Laalaleighh I absolutely adored a tale for the time being! It made me want to learn all about Ruth Ozeki and how she became the author that wrote that book! 8y
Bibliogeekery I really love all her books! 😍 8y
26 likes1 stack add2 comments
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wonderland
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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Pickpick

Wow what a book! It's terrifying and addictive in an unhealthy way, like picking at a scab. It's very powerful but so realistically hopeless and sad at time that it won't let you sleep at night until you've finished it. Now, I mostly read fantasy and YA, so this is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I highly recommend.

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Spiderfelt
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Pickpick

Creative, imaginative, surprising and engaging; there were so many reasons to love this #audiobook. After seeing a theatrical production of A Tale For The Time Being, I wanted to read more of Ozeki's work. This was her first published work, and every bit as stirring as I had hoped. My brain was tickled and my mind provoked.

I-read-and-eat What is this delicious looking food I'm seeing? 😀 8y
Spiderfelt My meat-free lunch: roasted delicata squash and sweet potatoes, lentils, pickled beets, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds and crumbled blue cheese 8y
itsbrb Thanks for the suggestion! Literally just finished Shrill on audio and was looking for my next pick! 8y
Spiderfelt I hope you enjoy it @itsbrb. My library said 'great for fans of The Ominvore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food'. Not really, the same, but definitely recommended for fans of Ruth Ozeki. 8y
itsbrb @spiderfelt have a paperback of both of those just haven't made it to them yet. I go through audiobooks so quickly, though!! 8y
22 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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ApoptyGina69
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This is Ozeki's debut novel! It won the Kiriyama Pacific Rim book prize in 1998. The prize ran from 1996-2008. I highly recommend all her work to date. #awardwinner #booktober

Bibliogeekery Loved this book! 8y
LeahBergen Nice cookbook shelves!! 8y
MrBook Why did it stop running? 8y
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ApoptyGina69 @MrBook the website didn't specify, just the usual thanks for all the support and participation. There is a nice archive list of winners, runners-up, and nominees. More for our #TBR piles. 8y
ApoptyGina69 @LeahBergen thanks! Lots of well-used gems in there complete with grease splatters and dog-chewed corners. 8y
MrBook Ah gee. Well, there is that TBR up-side 😊. 8y
37 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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shawnmooney
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SASKATCHEWAN BOOK HAUL - BOOK #1
Been wanting to read Ozeki forever.

Lindy This is SUCH a good book. ❤️ 8y
Bibliogeekery I love this book! 8y
Dolly Sounds like my kind of book, intriguing 8y
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Ange44 I loved this book! Ozeki is great. 8y
Gulfsidemusing Thought the audio was excellent! 8y
KVanRead Haven't read this but ❤️ 8y
39 likes7 stack adds6 comments
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jennirl
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almost 20 years later, and Ruth Ozeki is still ON POINT

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aentee
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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Pickpick

Very compelling and interesting look into both the US meat industry & the definition of an "American family" through a Japanese lens. Well researched, uncomfortable, darkly humorous. I think I'll be staying away from red meat for a while now though ?

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CillainWonderland
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
Mehso-so

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the writing or the style of the book. I just...didn't enjoy it the way I did "a tale for the time being." I'm going to be reading her only other book I haven't read "All Over Creation" in the next couple of weeks, so maybe that one will be more my thing?

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CillainWonderland
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki

"The truth lies in layers, each of them thin and barely opaque, like skin, resisting the tug to be told."

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CillainWonderland
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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CillainWonderland
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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"Traveling across America, they were astonished at how deeply violence is embedded in our culture, how it has become the culture..."

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abbaxjane
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Pickpick

If you don't cry and maybe throw up, did you read it?

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katcanwrite
My Year of Meats | Ruth L. Ozeki
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Pickpick

Tackles some very tough topics. I couldn't put it down.

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