This isn’t the kind of book I’d usually read. In fact, the reason I read it at all is because of successful packaging. The title caught my eye as I went past the spine on the library shelf, and that made me pick it up. The rear blurb sealed the deal. Intrigued by the seemingly disparate notion of McDonald’s giving out a bull and cow Beanie Baby toy with the purchase of a happy meal, author Peter Lovenheim sets out to chronicle the life of a cow, as he says, “from conception to consumption”. Through the book, he examines America’s disconnect between the food they eat and the processes it takes to grow, raise, and produce that food. The book starts on a dairy farm, as the author and reader, both agricultural naives, learn about the birthing process. Then we backtrack to a fascinating chapter on artificial insemination (seriously, it’s page-turning and hilarious), and then watch Lovenheim’s calves as they go to be raised on a beef farm. There are also trips made back to the dairy farm to see how those cows are tended to. Lovenheim uses a plain, conversational style that really hammers home the situations and anecdotes, and the reader is brought along with him on his journey of discovery. As the book goes on, he gets more and more unsure of whether or not he will go through with his original plan: as he gets more and more attached to his calves, can he really bring them to the slaughterhouse? At the end, even though the reader may not agree with the author’s decision, the book is successful on its mission to reduce the disconnect the average consumer has with regard to the food he or she eats, and also gives the reader a great deal of insight on the inner workings of the beef and dairy industry. An interesting book that has the power to change the way you look at your hamburger.