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Dinner With A Cannibal receives "editor's pick" for October/2008 from:
CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries
A publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries
A division of the American Library Association
October 2008 Vol. 46 No. 02
SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Anthropology
Travis-Henikoff, Carole A.
Dinner with a cannibal: the complete history of mankind’s oldest taboo.
Santa Monica Press, 2008.
333p bibl index
ISBN 9781595800305
Cannibalism is the "ingestion of others of one’s own species
and is practiced throughout the animal kingdom, from one-celled organisms to
humans." By the time readers have finished digesting this history of cannibalism,
they may not approve of the practice, but they will understand its various causes, such as starvation,
medicinal purposes, and cultural/religious belief systems.
Travis Henikoff, an independent scholar who specializes in
paleoanthropology, spent seven years researching and writing this fascinating
book about the history of cannibalistic practices. Her writing engages readers to the point that
one does not want to put the book down. If the reader has a background in anthropology, this book will be more
valuable, but an educated layperson will find it very enlightening too.
The book is short and concise enough to fulfill research requirements for undergraduates, but it also provides enough
information to entice scholars to research further. It ends with good chapter notes, a lengthy
bibliography, and a precise index. It will become a classic in its field.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Should be purchased by all academic libraries and most public libraries.
—E.M. Burns, Ohio State University
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Dinner with a Cannibal: The Complete History of Mankind’s Oldest Taboo
- Carole A. Travis-Henikoff. Santa Monica, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 9781595800305
"The truth is, we all have cannibals in our closets," writes
Travis-Henikoff in her introduction to this meticulously researched,
compulsively readable history of mankind’s greatest taboo. As she eloquently
illustrates, cannibalism has been around for as long as humans, and it’s quite
possible that its outlaw is a recent development in terms of recorded history.
Many readers are no doubt familiar with the Chilean rugby team immortalized in
Piers Paul Read’s Alive (recounted again here), but not with the fact
that widespread cannibalism has been documented in parts of war-torn Africa as
recently as 2003. Sadistic serial killers and the oft-stereotyped tribesmen of
the Amazon figure prominently, but where Travis-Henikoff truly excels is in her
sociological and anthropological analysis, offering thoughtful insights into the
whys of cannibalism, lucidly explaining how cannibalism can begin in a society,
as well as its historical employment in times of famine, war and even during a
period of political witch hunting in Communist China. A brief but entertaining
digression into folklore examines cannibalism in fairy tales such as the
Brothers Grimm. Throughout, Travis-Henikoff maintains a thoughtful tone, free of
judgment, that frequently challenges readers’ beliefs. The result is an
eminently enjoyable, albeit very dark exploration of a taboo topic that should
give armchair anthropologists, sociologists and historians plenty to chew on.
(Apr.) (See original review here)
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 4/21/2008
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Raffaele, Paul. Among the Cannibals: Adventures on the Trail of Man's Darkest Ritual.
Jun. 2008. c.288p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-06-135788-6. $25.95.
Travis-Henikoff, Carole A. Dinner with a Cannibal: The Complete History of Mankind's Oldest Taboo.
Santa Monica. 2008. 336p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59580-030-5. $24.95. ANTHRO
Those seeking tales of serial killers à la Hannibal Lecter will be
disappointed in these books, as both authors favor in-depth examinations of
cannibalism across a wide variety of cultures. Likewise, both discredit the
conclusions of William Arens's The Man-Eating Myth, instead asserting
that cannibalism has been a very real human practice around the globe.
Travis-Henikoff, a scholar of
paleoanthropology, covers the phenomenon's many raisons d'être, from survival to
politically motivated terror. Her perspective as a gastronomist helps to situate
cannibalism within a wide range of global culinary practices from the Amazon to
the American Southwest to Polynesia. Some sections, e.g., those on
archaeological dating and on the Inquisition, could have been shorter, but the
book's range is impressive.
Raffaele (Smithsonian magazine) focuses on cannibalism in a few
particular regions: New Guinea, the Ganges basin, Tonga, and Uganda. He meets
with cannibals, the locals who condemn them, and descendents of other known
cannibals. His beautiful descriptions of life among these cultures show that
cannibalism is a local belief that, unlike the rapidly changing landscape, is
still going strong in some places. Unlike Travis-Henikoff, Raffaele maintains
that cannibalism not related to survival is an "evil" act, yet his portraits of
cannibals show their essential humanity. Both books are highly recommended for
public libraries; endnotes and a bibliography additionally recommend
Travis-Henikoff. (See original review here)
—LIBRARY JOURNAL 5/15/08 - DAN HARMS, SUNY at Cortland
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"Everything it should be and more
Travis-Henikoff, the daughter of a master chef and paleoanthropologist has written the book she was born to write.
Dinner with a Cannibal is a superior book on every level that is researched well enough to be useful to both
Anthropologists and lovers of the quirky, strange and interesting. As a reader who falls into the latter category,
I recommend this book to absolutely everyone. Travis-Henikoff uses her extensive research to tell a story that moves
as it illuminates, covering topics that give context to cannibalism beyond sitting down to a nice meal of human flesh.
Do not expect a glorification of salacious events, but rather a style of writing that allows the facts and her
conversations to shine in a way that makes you want more after 304 pages. Buy this book and share it with a friend.
(My roomate dibbed it as soon as I brough it home). Better yet, leave it on your coffee table as a conversation starter.
For people who love these types of books I also recommend: Stiff by Mary Roach, Mutants(s) by Armand Marie Leroi (little
heavy on the science if that's your thing), Execution by Geoffrey Abbott, and Infection by Gerald N. Callahan.
But not until you finish this one.
—D. MOULTON "BookmanNYC"
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"Dinner with a Cannibal covers the subject of cannibalism with amazing
thoroughness as it passes through seldom opened doors to disclose the underpinnings of our humanity."
—GARNISS CURTIS, professor emeritus of geology, University of California at Berkeley
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"A careful and scholarly look at cannibalism, filled with humor, history, and fascinating facts;
a totally delectable delight to read."
—RALPH L. HOLLOWAY, professor of anthropology, Columbia University
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"Events over the last century have provided us with many examples
of human activities of such monstrous depravity that they can scarcely be
comprehended. Dinner with a Cannibal brings us face to face with
another aspect of ourselves that many would prefer not to confront. And yet, if
we are to ultimately fashion a real image of ourselves, not as fallen angels
but as risen apes, this book will serve as an essential step in that
direction."
—ALAN MANN, professor of anthropology, Princeton University
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"No one, to my knowledge, has told the complete story of
cannibalism—from the Triassic to the present—until now. Dinner with a Cannibal
is exceptionally well researched and beautifully written. Our notion of exotic
food may never be the same."
—ALAN ALMQUIST, professor emeritus of anthropology, California State University East Bay
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"Travis-Henikoff brings together knowledgeable speculation and
fascinating detail, combining discoveries of others with her own experience,
theories, and explorations. This is an ‘I-couldn’t-put-it-down’ book."
—ANN E. BERTHOFF, professor emerita of English, University of Massachusetts, Boston
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"The research and logic found in Dinner with a Cannibal places
us firmly in front of a mirror in which we can clearly view our primitive
nature and see how it has enabled us to survive monumental challenges during
our evolutionary history. By removing the denial, which segments our thinking,
Travis-Henikoff offers a way to integrate our basic nature with the skills and
talents we have developed during that history. This, in turn, provides us a set
of tools for creating our future."
—DR. ALAN R. KAHN, physician, researcher, inventor, author and teacher
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Copyright© 2007-2008
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