For anyone with an interest in the development of who we are, this will be a very interesting book. It should be pretty well self evident that humanity, us humans, we’re always who we are today. So how did we come to be so re engineered it to our present form. We weren’t always this big. At one time our jars were larger. We had larger teeth, molars, to help us grind up what we were trying to eat. But over the millennia, all of this has changed. And The author suggest that all of this is the result of cookies and that the cooking is the result of fire. And there you have it. We are who we are because we eat what we eat which we cook because we cook because we have fire. This is interesting little book, and eye-opener perhaps with an extensive Collection of notes as well as a good bibliography tucked in nicely in the back of the book. Not for everyone; but a joy for those with an interest.

Although its a relatively short book, its packed full of information and explicated so clearly that one cannot misunderstand it. Makes it clear that it was cooking that was perhaps the most important influencing factor in the evolution of humans and of civilization. Lengthy explanatory notes section, and a long bibliography. Even one uninterested in the topic can be made interested in it with this book.

An interesting look at the premise that it was cooking that drove the change in Human evolution from our primate cousins. The book is well written and well researched. Well worth reading if you are interested.

Excellent book.

Based on archeological and anthropological research.

Develops one of the steps in the process of advancing a species of primate that eventually became human.

- Leaving the jungle environment where the primary food source was plant based by expanding out into the vast savannah grasslands.

- Switching to a diet that was very high in animal based foods (thereby providing for a major development in brain growth which allowed for higher thought processes AND providing much more energy than plant food equivalent which allowed more freedom of time for creativity).

- And developing the cooking of food (primarily animal based foods) which made the food more tasty, digestible, and bioavailabile thereby enhancing the advantages mentioned above.

A prefound new insight into evolution of humans and the precurser species. And it helps explain the inequlity in the division of labor between the two genders.

I have been recommending this book widely and look forward to discussing it with someone.

An excellent book.
Thought provoking and well written.