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[monkey]

EDEN FRUITARIANISM by MANGO WODZAK (ISBN 978-1-940184-25-8)

it had been many years since i'd last read a 'new to me' book on fruitarianism, so i was eagerly looking forward to reading this one.  i wanted to like it.

yet, from the beginning i found it just a bit too 'edgy' for my liking.  now, i've no doubt that to most people 'edgy' will be lost in translation, and i'm a little reluctant to pin my colours too firmly to the mast here.  nevertheless, i'll try to explain tactfully.  having been lacto-ovo-vegetarian for 27 years now, i was a little dismayed at how easily my efforts at an ethical diet were dismissed as virtually meaningless.  at the time i took this choice i was dependent on pre-prepared food.  being vegan just didn't seem practical to me.  i'm sure that the criticisms leveled at this diet are perfectly valid, however, it was the best that i felt i could do at the time.  indeed, i've never been vegan, per se.  i've always oscillated between being lacto-ovo-vegetarian and an interpretation of fruitarian, previously including nuts and seeds.  if i were to hit this nail more squarely on the head, there is undoubtedly an air of moral superiority to it.  perhaps that's inevitable given that the case for fruitarianism is based almost exclusively on moral arguments.

but it's not just this that i found a little disturbing.  there are aspects of the vision presented of a fruitarian future that just don't ring true to me, and the underlying reason for this seems to be the almost total rejection of science in favour of what seems to me to be a somewhat wishful view of reality, no doubt based on what i would consider to be an over-reliance on faith.

now, having stated all that, i feel it worth pointing out that there are some very good aspects here too.  if what you want is your horizon expanding a little, or possibly even a lot, this could indeed be for you.

but the bottom line for me is that this isn't so much, as the sub-title suggests, a book on explaining fruitarianism as it is a book that takes fruitarianism as its foundation and extrapolates that concept to what i would consider to be beyond the bounds of credibility in certain places.

[monkey]

FRUITARIAN by BARB STONE (ISBN 978-1-539919-01-8)

this book is quite short and fails to provide any explanations of its claims.  indeed, the disclaimer in the front would be sufficient to deter any sceptic from reading further.  there isn't even a single reference.

that said, it's not such a bad little book.  i personally feel that some of the claims made are a little misleading.  within that context, i do think this ought to be read with a much broader understanding of the health implications of diet than is on offer here.

the other aspect that i found a little disconcerting was the notion that fruitarianism isn't a raw food diet.  this seems to indicate a certain naivety.  but, if you'll forgive the very liberal interpretation of what constitutes fruitarianism, the bit that genuinely took my breath away was the inclusion of salt.  now, admittedly this is only the odd pinch here and there but salt has no place in a fruitarian diet.  it's a preservative.  and that kind of clinched it for me.

perhaps the rather overly culinary style, to my way of thinking, featured here will appeal to some.  i can't help but feel it misses the point.  what should be a truly liberatingly simple diet is obscured with blending and dicing and mixing.  it's trying too hard to be conventional.  even ice and vegan cheese get included.  and this, we are to believe, is the modern interpretation of fruitarianism.

there are some interesting bits here but, sadly, it could have been so much better.

[monkey]

FRUIT: THE ULTIMATE DIET by REJEAN DURETTE (ISNB 0-9679515-1-8)

this is my favourite book on fruitarianism.  i've actually read it many time now.  it's also the book that i always recommend to people.  it's basically a down to earth and common sense approach to this diet.  it doesn't try to guilt-trip the reader.  it simply states that all animals have a natural diet, that mankind is no different and, for us, fruit is that natural diet.

this certainly accords with my own beliefs.  mankind, partly through ingenuity and partly through necessity, had deviated substantially from this diet and the consequences aren't difficult to see.  unfortunately, we live in a world where this deviation is the norm and people are, thereby, blind to these consequences.  however, we also live in a world where we can make choices about our diets.

also, this isn't just a book about what you eat.  it's also about how you obtain what you eat.  it advocates breaking away from the consumer driven culture of supermarket dependency back to growing your own food.  i have to say that i greatly admire the author for his self-sufficiency.  this is something that i hope one day to aspire to.

i could continue heaping praise on this book for quite some time.  hopefully, it'll be sufficient for me to say that if you're looking for a good book on fruitarianism, start here.  you won't regret it.

[monkey]

FRUITARIANISM - THE PATH TO PARADISE by ANNE OSBORNE (ISBN 978-0-646-50585-5)

this is a really beautiful book that is bursting with the author's infectious enthusiasm for the fruitarian diet.  i particularly liked the chapters on individual fruits, which give the reader the  the opportunity to discover these for themselves.

this book is also very notable for the author's advice on child rearing with a fruitarian diet.  so far, i haven't come across anything remotely similar.  and the illustrations included just add to what is a really lovely ambiance.

i was lucky enough to get my copy directly from the author.  it has to be said that this book is rare and many people that sell second hand books ask silly money for it.  if you can get a copy at a reasonable price, grab it with both hands and don't let it go.