HOW THE OTHER HALF EATS The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America

York Whitaker delivers this sociological study of American families' eating habits. As narrator, she adopts a straightforward informational style. In addition to telling her own story, author Fielding-Singh interviewed 75 families and embedded herself with four. Her research methodology struck a balance between objective analysis and the subjective experience of getting to know the families. Her work disputes the easy answers that blame "food deserts" and price sensitivity for the poor food choices of some low-income Americans. Her findings are more nuanced. Big food corporations, with their massive ad budgets aimed at kids, are roundly maligned, but government, she says, also needs to do more for the poor. Most importantly, no matter their economic status, mothers are in charge; whatever changes are instituted need to embrace this reality. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2022]