Rating: 
Summary: A humorous look at our own paralysis
Review: To minimize Ruth Ozeki's insighfully humane story by aligning it merely to 'political issues' is to miss a more provocative narrative threading her delightfully sassy novel. After all, before "meat" was "political", it was (and is) and issue of individual choice. I see her use of "meat" not merely as a focus on the industry itself, but as an example of one in millions of ways which our culture generally tricks itself into accepting the unacceptable. Thus, our individual choice contributes directly to what Ruth Ozeki refers to as a cultural "psychic numbing, that characterizes the end of the millennium".Her characters develop in recognizable ways, depicting the complex tactics we cultivate to "celebrate ignorance". One example is our brutal subscription to the killing industry. In our current climate of extreme degeneracy and demands for personal freedoms, Ozeki suggest that we indeed choose ignorance, "especially when information overwhelms and knowledge has become synonymous with impotence". Her commentary on the media via the characterization of a painfully real Jane Takaki-Little, the documentary-film-maker, warns us that we are "fed a media diet of really bad news..." perpetuating "a state of repressed panic. We are paralyzed by bad knowledge, from which the only escape is playing dumb. Ignorance becomes empowering because it enables people to live. Stupidity becomes proactive, a political statement. A collective norm." This laudably yields to a reach far more encompassing than mere meat industy, wife-abuse, cultural or sexist issues. And herein lies her story's achievement as a forgiving peek into our own paralysis and the complex forms it assumes when faced with our own faltering, neglected conscience.
Rating:
Summary: Better to sink your teeth into this book...
Review: Ozeki has incredible talent. I found the book funny, yet poignant. Her ability to develop several stories and make the reader care about all of them was amazing. I wanted to meet Jane by the end of the story. I complement Ozeki for tackling two tough subjects. (Has Oprah seen this book?!)Abuse & America's addiction to meat. She led me down the path with humor and then packs in the drama (not recommended for any pregnant readers). I found myself horrified but not able to put down the book. As one who has at times defended the small cattle producer, naievely, I plan to change my tune. Thanks for entertainment and education.
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Summary: The failings of the USDA to honor it's charter interwoven with a wonderful STORY!
Review: I loved both Jane and Akiko, both different yet the same. In this book Jane, of Japanese and American heritage, comes full circle from obtaining her true dream of becoming a true documentary film producer to opening her heart up to receive the love that is rightfully due to her. The crisp writing style touches on so many truism you find yourself nodding and laughing as you read. One of the more disturbing aspects which of course is intentional are the facts related to the meat industry. Cleverly woven into the plot it still comes across a bit heavy handed. I like many Americans just don't want to know because I feel my options are so limited. I don't want to know that animals are not killed humanely, that the sanitary conditions are non existent and that all sorts of unsafe drugs are pumped into these animals for the almighty dollar. No I don't want to know but I need to know. I encourage others to read this multi level book as you will cheer the characters on and find as you get deeper into it that even the bad guys have a point of view.
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Summary: Political correctness can be entertaining.
Review: This book is fantastic. It covers relevant political issues like spousal abuse, cancer causing drugs in the medical and beef industries, sexism and racism without being heavy handed or losing its seriousness. The main character is an intelligent woman with a conscience trying to make a living in this world, but not willing to give up what makes her-her: her mixed race, her politics, her womanhood. For anyone who was/is politically involved/concerned and wonders where everyone else has gone, this book was like water to a man in the desert. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: First Novels - Both good and poor
Review: The only word to describe the ending is "trite." Ms. Ozeki leads us through an interesting series of events in the life of a free lance doucumentarian. Jane's "Year of Meats" bounces off a lot of "PC" issues from "good men" to environmental concerns. What shows here is her potential. She created good charachters and had a sound plot line. For those of us who like first novels it was a good read. I will be looking forward to her next work and truly hope it is in process as I write this. Yes, it could have been better. I'm sure her next work will be.
Rating:
Summary: pc, but palatable
Review: I generally shun anything pc, but luckily when I picked this up from the new book section at the library, I had no idea that it was--I'm just interested in fiction set in or about Japan. It gets a little far fetched at the end, as do all the coincidences that tie the whole thing up just a little too neatly, but it's worth reading because Jane is such a great character. Ilove her over the top polite communications with her boss where she is really saying explaining exactly how she is going to screw him. Wish I didn't like to eat hamburgers so much after reading this.
Rating:
Summary: My American Slaughterhouse
Review: After reading this book, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I am a person who is only able to read in short spurts, and this book was easy to put down and then pick right up again. I'm just not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Towards the end I found it hard to put down, yet at the same time, hard to read because of the sickening accounts of the beef industry. It was not only the beef that disturbed me, but also the storyline about the little girl. I would not recommend this book to someone looking for a feel-good book, or to someone who thinks that it will be about the television industry, but if you're looking for a troublesome story about meat packing, unplanned pregnancy, and domestic violence, then you're in luck.
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Summary: An entertaining and intelligent look at women, men, and meat
Review: What a wonderful first book! I took it with me on a business trip and ended up staying uo all night reading it. Jane Tagaki-Little is a heroine for the 90's. She's full of life and courage and has a mean wit -- skewering the meat industry, men's perceptions of women, Japan's vision of America and America's vision of Japan--in equal parts. But more than anything else, it's a great read. I couldn't stop chuckling and when I finally finished it, I wanted to start all over and read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: so politically correct it's painful
Review: As a sort of shorthand for "this is cool" on the book jacket of "my year of meats" you'll find an endorsement from none other than John Sayles. Unfortunately, the rest of the book uses long hand--long, long, long hand--to spell out the drama between young, hip, politically correct mixed-race Jane against the ruthless, evil, mindless system. jane reports herself in excruciatingly detail (I found myself skimming or skipping these parts altogether), and the rest of her characters are mindlessly dogmatic, drones for the beef-ex corporate machine. They're wife abusing, porn-loving. They have halitosis and are overweight. Among the few million americans, Jane can't seem to find an housewife and family that are acceptable to both her sensitive mores AND those of her cloddish employers. Instead she finds Louisiana creoles who eat chittlins (not beef!) and are poor and have good family values. She finds lesbian, biracial couple who are vegetarian. She finds a! ! family who, along with the entire population of their laid-off Indiana town, miracle-cured their comatose daughter. The daughter is now an "angel" and town's quarry business has been replaced by a rehab center. The daughter's coming out party features...lamb. Not evil beef! I get it, ruth, I get it! Without rubbing my face in it, I get. Maybe John Sayles will do a better job with the movie version.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: Now that I've finished My Year of Meats, I really miss Jane Tagaki-Little! She's one of the coolest, strongest, most likable characters that I've come across in a long time. On retrospect, I agree with the Kirkus Review (quoted above) that, with the issues of wife-beating, child molestation, gender wars, meat, and DES, the author might have a little too much on her plate (excuse the pun!), but while I was reading the novel, I did not feel overwhelmed at all by such a wide array of issues. It goes without saying that My Year of Meats is a political novel, but it is never political in a didactic way--it is never abstract. It is always an artistic expression of the very "real" experiences of one woman.
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