Meat Eater: a Natural History of an American Hunter

An exploration of humanity's oldest pursuit and of its relevance today, Steven Rinella's book chronicles his evolving lifelong relationship with nature and hunting through the lens of 10 dynamic hunts, beginning when he was an aspiring mountain man at age 10 and ending as a 37-year-old father in Brooklyn.

About the Author :
Steven Rinella is the author of "American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon, " which was the winner of the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, and "The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine." He is the host of the television show "MeatEater" on the Sportsman Channel, and was the host of the Travel Channel's "The Wild Within, " which was nominated for a James Beard Award. His writing has appeared in such publications as "Outside, Field and Stream, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vogue, Men's Journal, "and Salon. Born and raised in Michigan, he currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Review :
"Truth be told, I have lived a life plenty comfortable with my disdain toward hunters and hunting. And then along comes Steven Rinella and his revelatory memoir"Meat Eater "to ruin everything. Unless you count the eternal pursuit of the unmetered parking space, I am not a hunter. I am, however, on a constant quest for good writing. "Meat Eater "begins with a promise--'This book has a hell of a lot going for it, simply because it's a hunting story'--and then delivers ceaselessly, like a Domino's guy with O.C.D. This is survival of the most literate. Graphic, sure, but less so than an episode of 'CSI, ' and with more believable emoting...this--genuine passion, humbly conveyed--is when nonfiction slaughters fiction and hangs it over its mantel. The text is relentlessly vivid and clear...the commitment, effort and ardor are unflinching. What Rinella does to prepare a muskrat trap when he's in fifth grade takes five more steps and is infinitely more loving than whatever I did as a fifth grader to break in my baseball glove. With every chapter, you get a history lesson, a hunting lesson, a nature lesson and a cooking lesson, and most of the chapters end with 'tasting notes' on various game. ... Readers will never ask themselves, 'What is he talking about?' The only question they might have is, 'Why isn't this guy the head of the N.R.A.?'... [A]gain and again, his descriptive powers trump gruesomeness.... "Meat Eater "offers an overabundance to savor."--"New York Times Book Review " "As Steven Rinella is quick to point out, the hunting story is the oldest sort of story there is. Humans developed language, it is commonly held, to tell them. When told properly, as they are in "Meat Eater, "such stories are not simple gloats by the successful hunter around the table, proudly chewing on the biggest portion of meat and relishing the respect he has earned from his tribe by bringing back the protein. Rather, they are stories of man's relationships with his fellow hunters, "Chances are, Steven Rinella's life is very different from yours or mine. He does not source his food at the local supermarket. "Meat Eater" is a unique and valuable alternate view of where our food comes from--and what can be involved. It's a look both backward, at the way things used to be, and forward, to a time when every diner truly understands what's on the end of the fork."--Anthony Bourdain "An engaging, sharp-eyed writer whose style fuses those of John McPhee and Hunter S. Thompson."--"Minneapolis Star Tribune" Praise for "American Buffalo" Winner of the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award "The most promising debut by a nature writer in years. Wittily deadpan, lean and muscular in his prose, and splendidly attuned to oddities, Steven Rinella has composed a hymn to a complicated, long-standing human-animal relationship."--"San Francisco Chronicle" "A wildly entertaining journey of self-discovery, as well as an adventurous and educational tribute to a great American animal."--"Men's Journal" "Eloquent, smart and obsessive . . . Rinella is a learned, wry voice in the wilderness."--"Time Out New York" "A fascinating piece of outdoor writing and a gonzo meditation on the history of the mighty beast in our national life. Rinella's passion for his subject, intelligence and moments of craziness bring to mind another wild American spirit: the early, effective Hunter S. Thompson."--"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" "A boldly original and ultimately refreshing book."--Jim Harrison, author of "Legends of the Fall"