Outside Reading Set #3: Book Review

1/9/11

“Where's The Beef? One Man's Search For 'Steak'”

David Sax

Book Review

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129600724

In his review of Mark Schatzker’s book Steak: One Man's Quest for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef, David Sax takes a primarily formalistic approach. In particular, Sax commends Schatzker’s style: “Much has been written about red meat in books like Betty Fussell's Raising Steaks, Beef by Andrew Rimas and even parts of The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. But Steak stands apart because of Schatzker's fun, accessible style and his willingness to slay the sacred cows of what supposedly makes great steak.” Sax also pays attention to diction, especially appreciative of Schatzker’s vivid descriptions. He often refers directly to Schtazker’s text, citing examples such as: “Grass-fed beef, all the rage with environmental and health advocates, may be more environmentally sound, but as the author finds out, it sometimes tastes like "an old, atrophied, abscessed organ left in the trunk of a car sitting in a Miami parking lot for two weeks in July.”

To show his approval of Schtazker’s fluid style, Sax incorporates his own smooth, parallel sentences: “We are taken from feedlots in Texas, where the wind carries dust storms of dried feces, to French cave paintings of prehistoric cattle. We smell the dewy grasses of the Scottish highlands, chase rare breeds in Italy and enjoy charcoal-grilled rib tips on the Argentine pampas.” In this example, he also makes sure to employ the power of three to drive his point home. Another aspect of Schtazker’s style that Sax echoes is diction: Sax often deliberately includes alliteration in his own writing to emphasize the importance of the diction that he values in Schtazker’s writing. To emphasize the unique nature of Schtazker’s novel, Sax makes direct allusions to other, similar pieces of work. Comparing the former to the latter, it is clear in Sax’s opinion that Schtazker’s novel stands out. Sax’s biggest praise of Schatzker’s novel is its original style and interpretation of a somewhat banal topic. This reminds me of the classic plays we’ve read, such as Oedipus Rex and Hamlet. People watch these plays not for the well-known stories they are derived from, but for the fresh interpretation they provide.

Sax’s careful, direct quotations of the Schtazker’s novel are the greatest strengths of this book review. Not only does Sax make clear, logical claims, he also makes sure to back up those claims with evidence straight from the source. In this way, readers “buy” his argument much more easily. In terms of literary analysis though, Sax could have discussed more elements. To begin with, he focuses primarily on one critical approach: formalism, which in and of itself is a little limiting. Furthermore, he only addresses style and diction. To create a more engaging book review, Sax should try to analyze the book from different angles.