"I was originally interested in reading Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession by Julie Powell because I enjoyed Powell’s first book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. But during my several reading attempts, my squeamishness got the best of me. I can’t stand the sight, or really even the thought of blood. And in the first paragraph of Cleaving, Powell is “drenched up to the elbows” in it. As a semi-to-strict vegetarian since birth, I don’t enjoy killing animals or eating meat, and even the red silhouette of a pig drawn on the book’s front cover makes me a little nauseous. Did I really want to read about pigs, and presumably other animals, being butchered? Was I even the right person to review this book?
"After a few months of deliberation, I finally decided that I was the right woman for the job. Like Powell, I am completely new to butchering, so I’d be learning everything through her eyes. Just as the author used butchery to step out of her comfort zone, I would use her memoir to conquer my fear of blood and guts. And best of all, it wouldn’t actually be me doing any of the butchering. No additional animals would be harmed if I just sat down and read the thing. I’m proud to say that after a year, I made my way through Powell’s second memoir just in time for its paperback release. And I didn’t even throw up." (more)
