Hunger : An Unnatural History

Analyzes The Psychological And Physical Consequences Of Food Deprivation And Semi-starvation, Discussing Topics Ranging From Hunger Strikes And Religious Fasts To Cannibalism And Anorexia Nervosa. The Hunger Artists -- Eighteen Hours -- Thirty-six Hours -- Seven Days -- Thirty Days -- The Hunger Strike -- The Hunger Disease Studies -- The Minnesota Experiment -- The Anthropology Of Hunger -- Anorexia Nervosa -- Hungry Children -- The Protocols Of Famine -- An End To Hunger -- The Top Of The Mountain. Sharman Apt Russell. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 231-260). Every day, we wake up hungry. Every day, we break our fast. Hunger explores the range of this primal experience. Sharman Apt Russell, the highly acclaimed author of Anatomy of a Rose and An Obsession with Butterflies , here takes us on a tour of hunger, from eighteen hours without food to thirty-six hours to seven days and beyond. What Russell finds-both in our bodies and in cultures around the world-is extraordinary. It is a biological process that transcends nature to shape the very of fabric of societies. In a fascinating survey of centuries of thought on hunger's unique power, she discovers an ability to adapt to it that is nothing short of miraculous. From the fasting saints of the early Christian church to activists like Mahatma Gandhi, generations have used hunger to make spiritual and political statements. Russell highlights these remarkable cases where hunger can inspire and even heal, but she also addresses the devastating impact of starvation on cultures around the world today. Written with consummate skill, a compassionate heart, and stocked with facts, figures, and fascinating lore, Hunger is an inspiring window on history and the human spirit. This book explores the range of this primal experience, a biological process that transcends nature to shape the fabric of societies. In a survey of centuries of thought on hunger's unique power, she discovers an ability to adapt to it that is nothing short of miraculous. From the fasting saints of the early Christian church to activists like Mahatma Gandhi, generations have used hunger to make spiritual and political statements. Russell highlights these cases where hunger can inspire and even heal, but she also addresses the devastating impact of starvation on cultures around the world today.--From publisher description Hunger is both a natural and an unnatural human condition. Sharman Apt Russell explores the range of this primal experience. HUNGER IS A COUNTRY WE ENTER EVERY DAY, like a commuter across a friendly border.