Reading Report

Over the course of this month I have been reading Hungry Planet: What the World Eats written by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio. It is a picture study of what people eat in the course of a week. But, before we delve into this book, below are three other books that I completed this week:

Lark Rise to Candleford: A Trilogy, Book 2 written by Flora Thompson

A Beautiful Mind written by Sylvia Nasar (Audio CD)

The Boxcar Children (No. 1) written by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Aloud to the kids)

Hungry Planet has moved me deeply and has really caused me to consider what we eat and how much we spend each week.  The book pictures 30 families from 24 different countries with a week’s worth of groceries. The range of cost is staggering. A refugee family of 6 in Chad spends $1.23 (USD equivalent); and yet, a family of 4 in Germany spends $500.07 (USD equivalent). This contrast is mind boggling to me. Hungry Planet also details statistics such as availability of safe drinking water, obesity rates, life expectancy, health care options, and literacy rates.  

This book caused me re-evaluate the meaning of excess. But, it also made me painfully aware of how blessed I am to live a country where food is plentiful, there is clean drinking water, and health care is readily accessible.

On Monday, I invited you to join the You Can Make That! Facebook Group to share how many people you feed and how much you spend each week. If you have not already done do, please join in the discussion. Are you closer to $1.23 or $500.07?

To learn more about this weekly Reading Report, click here.