Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not a lot of meat
Review: Deadly Feasts is an interesting book describing some of the developments in the study of prion based diseases. The author does a good job for most of the book discussing both the slow progress of understanding the causes of these diseases as well as the dubious practice of feeding livestock the rendered carcasses of other livestock.
I must admit to being a bit disappointed overall however. Rhodes' earlier books on the development of nuclear weapons (_The Making of the Atomic Bomb_ and _Dark Sun_) are masterpieces, full of amazing detail and a balanced perspective that makes understanding even the "bad guys" possible. _Deadly Feasts_ simply pales before these books. Perhaps it's the fact that there simply isn't that much good science available on TSEs. Perhaps it's being too close to the present, so that it's hard to make judgements about the level of understanding and motivations of the scientists involved. In part too, it's the needless hype in the book. _The Hot Zone_ sold scads of books while hyping the terror disease Ebola, but when it comes right down to it, Ebola is nothing compared to AIDS in Africa, a story that's buried while 100 people dying of Ebola is headline news around the world. _Deadly Feasts_ does document some real, very serious problems with food handling, but compared to the danger presented by salmonella the risk from TSEs is tiny. I really feel the "end of the world" hype in _Deadly Feasts_ detracts from the book's credibility.
Eric Remy
Rating: 
Summary: A must read to round out your knowledge
Review: A lot of folks are getting concerned about Mad Cow disease not only because of what happened in Britain, but what could or may already be happening here.
A very interesting book that never lets up. Another front revealed to show that we are really in more trouble than we realize as far as health is concerned.
Not a book to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for everyone who eats meat
Review: A must read for everyone who eats meat. This book is a stunning achivement that will scare everyone who reads it. The most compelling argument for giving up meat consuption that I've ever seen. You will not regret your purchase.
Rating:
Summary: gripping and frightening
Review: A Nobel laureate giving his valedictory, pulls a radiation scarred plastic container from his pocket. It is a sealed sample of one of the prion proteins which cause the deadly spongiform brain diseases. Even radiation intense enough to blacken the plastic does not deactivate the protein. It might be in the food chain. Like "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and "Dark Sun" Richard Rhodes has written another excellent work combining clear writing on highly technical areas and straight forward suspense. It is a fast read, chilling and true
Rating:
Summary: Not just science, good human drama as well!
Review: A page-turner of the highest caliber. Not only is the science described masterfully, it is complete with tales of grisly cannabalism, Machiavellian scheming, and selfless sacrifice. It also takes us into the world of industrial meat processing--places our culture would rather pretend doesn't exist. With this book, you can immerse yourself in the adventures of Carleton Gajdusek as he integrates into (and comes to prefer) a Stone-Age cannibalistic culture in New Guinea. Gajdusek is the legitimate pioneer in the field of prion research and theory, a true scientist who sacrificed much, gave fair credit to his colleagues and collaborators, and was ever skeptical even of his own work. ... The biggest thing I walked away from with this book, was not the question of whether we're all going to die from prion diseases, but rather, "I wonder just how pervasive this kind of unseen political scheming occurs in other walks of life?" ... The book is also chock-full of quite amazing science--new and amazing biological concepts that you are sure to have never heard of. The "prion" problem, if the theories are correct, is stunningly simple (even elegant). This book explains it in very accessible terms (at one time using Vonnegut's "Ice 9" as a really great metaphor), but not in a way that panders or insults. You feel like you understand the theories in their entirety, with all angles explored, but are not lost in incomprehensible jargon. You also gain an appreciation for the hard work, hair-pulling, creativity, "eureka" moments, scientific rigor, and self-doubt that goes into this field and other scientific fields. Readable by science idiots and savants alike. Other reviews of this book note the doomsday nature of it's ending, with dire predictions. Well I disagree. There are no "predictions". Only possible--but not necessarily likely--scenarios. Most importantly, the predictions are not unavoidable. ...
Rating:
Summary: Not just science, good human drama as well!
Review: A page-turner of the highest caliber. Not only is the science described masterfully, it is complete with tales of grisly cannabalism, Machiavellian scheming, and selfless sacrifice. It also takes us into the world of industrial meat processing--places our culture would rather pretend doesn't exist. With this book, you can immerse yourself in the adventures of Carleton Gajdusek as he integrates into (and comes to prefer) a Stone-Age cannibalistic culture in New Guinea. Gajdusek is the legitimate pioneer in the field of prion research and theory, a true scientist who sacrificed much, gave fair credit to his colleagues and collaborators, and was ever skeptical even of his own work. ... The biggest thing I walked away from with this book, was not the question of whether we're all going to die from prion diseases, but rather, "I wonder just how pervasive this kind of unseen political scheming occurs in other walks of life?" ... The book is also chock-full of quite amazing science--new and amazing biological concepts that you are sure to have never heard of. The "prion" problem, if the theories are correct, is stunningly simple (even elegant). This book explains it in very accessible terms (at one time using Vonnegut's "Ice 9" as a really great metaphor), but not in a way that panders or insults. You feel like you understand the theories in their entirety, with all angles explored, but are not lost in incomprehensible jargon. You also gain an appreciation for the hard work, hair-pulling, creativity, "eureka" moments, scientific rigor, and self-doubt that goes into this field and other scientific fields. Readable by science idiots and savants alike. Other reviews of this book note the doomsday nature of it's ending, with dire predictions. Well I disagree. There are no "predictions". Only possible--but not necessarily likely--scenarios. Most importantly, the predictions are not unavoidable. ...
Rating:
Summary: Hypochondriacs--Read at own risk!
Review: All med students learn about Jakob-Crutzfeld disease. Some learn about mad cow disease. A few interested in medical history learn about Kuru. Very few people realize that the three diseases/disorders are related, and guess what? For a change of pace, we get them from what we eat...specifically meat. I have to admit that the problems Britain was having with their cattle had me worried more as a mother, than getting it myself. Just because the young seemed to be getting the disease more then the elderly. That tracked down to the fact they were either working directly with infected cattle or frequenting McDonalds. Since my family does neither, I am not so worried as to become a vegetarian, though this book gives room for that thought! Mr. Rhodes wrote a Pulitzer Prize winner on the Atomic bomb which I read. I didn't even realize it was the same author. This book while very well written for viral science, is not on par with his other book. I enjoyed this book very much though, and anyone who is fascinated by the small things that are 'out' to get us and the history of medical mysteries, would thoroughly enjoy this book. Rhodes makes it clear that he admires the people who research and spend time with those in New Guinea, and who out of the goodness of their hearts spent years educating an isolated people whose demise from this disease probably would have had very little impact on the world at large. Yet these men place an importance on each culture, and tried to respect cultural boundaries and avoid polluting their societies with ours while teaching them how to avoid this problem Kuru. I enjoyed that story of cultural respect more than anything. I am sure we will be hearing more about this particular killer as time goes on, because the answer to its riddle hasn't been found yet, and we still don't know what the final outcome of the disaster in Britain is going to be. I hope a few ranchers will bother to read this and avoid feeding their cattle and sheep offal and other parts of dead animals. That alone could prevent the US from undergoing what Britain has had to endure...and we eat a lot more meat then they do! And yes, because of this book, I am feeding my family less meat all the time... Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh
Rating: 
Summary: Science or fiction - you can never stop wondering
Review: Although at face value this story appears to have considerable merit it cannot be taken too seriously. By the authors own account there is simply not enough knowledge in this area to know what action to take. Will you risk your children not getting their toy at MacDonalds over this? I wish I had that kind of power.
Rating: 
Summary: pure fiction from a vegetarian point of view!!
Review: Although well written, the author has slanted his results to fit his "tale" of horror and doom! If we are to believe this book, then people will be dying of CJD at an alarming rate. He states that breathing bone meal can be fatal. Logic tells you that people working in that industry are breathing bone meal on a daily basis. They should be dying at a tremendous rate according to Rhodes. I haven't read or seen on the news any such outbreak. Maybe I do not care for authors that try to scare people to "death." Do not believe everything you read!!
Rating:
Summary: Deadly Feasts by Richard Rhodes
Review: An extemely well-written, readable (for the layman), and well-documented review of the pertinent research into the disease of spongiform encephalopathy. Its truly fascinating content is made more so by direct quotes from the key researchers, excerpts from their journals, and their openness in sharing their hypotheses, doubts, dilemmas, failures, contradictions, and the strong influences of politics. It raises legitimate concerns over the role of government in suppression of evidence, the lack of restrictive laws when corporate economics take precedence over the nation's health, and the lack of research funding to uncover the cause that initiates this deadly sequence of events, already widespread throughout the United States. Having lost six members of my family to this disease (yes, it is genetic) starting before 1950, and having followed much of the research to date, I value the thoroughness of the author's work. It gives a whole new meaning to the adage..."You are what you eat."
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