Lots of fun to read, but I wanted more, more, more... especially more analysis, and more thoughts from the subjects themselves about the foods they eat and how they see their country's eating habits in general. I thought too much attention was paid to fast food (we get the point), and the cigarette information seemed out of place. Some of my favorite parts were when the author talked to the subjects about the eating habits of other subjects in far-off countries.

I was hoping for a little more information and a little less politics. Nonetheless, this book is very good. The excellent photography, and especially the family portraits, are the focus of the book and, by far, the best part. The depth and quality of the text is mediocre, but it does not detract from the depth and quality of the images.

Although I didn't get to finish this book, I gave it four stars for concept. The parts I was able to read and the pictures I looked at were informative and fascinating. The physical format of the book was a problem for me. It is so large and heavy that I would have had to sit at a desk or table to read it; and the glossy paper made necessary by the color photo reproduction made it hard to read. Also, some of the most interesting information was in rather small print in a shaded box, thus even harder to read. I can't even visualize how one would read this on an e-reader; a website seems like the best option. I would recommend it if you have good eyes and strong arms.

I read this coffee table book cover-to-cover, which is kind of strange. But, it's fascinating and one of my favorite books ever. Ev-er. [But it just got docked one star because I had to add a book to my top ten list and this very cool book was bumped from the list.]

A husband/wife, photographer/writer team went to 30 countries and photographed families with all of the food they would eat in a week. And then there are a few photographs of each family doing life and a few pages of text for each.

I love the premise--you learn so much because of the common ground shared with all of these families. Everyone eats. But what we eat says a lot about us and where we live.

I love books about food. I am interested in food politics and I am interested in what people eat and why.

I enjoyed this book, although it's not a "cover to cover" book. I found the font annoying and hard to read continuously. I also thought the author was trying to make a political statement about the western world, and maybe he was, but it was a little too preachy for me. That said, I loved the IDEA of this book, and found the most fascinating part to be the pictures of the weekly food consumption of families in different cultures. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it served its purpose for me in that I became more aware of how much my family and I could do to reduce our own consumption of goods to put aside money to help others who are not as fortunate. This is why I gave it four stars, not the writing necessarily, but the concept and what the pictures did for my resolve to do better at sharing what I have.

Wow!!!! Very, very cool book! I couldn't put it down! And the kids even had fun looking through it as well. Another book that remindes me just how blessed I really am. And reminds me how much junk I eat! This book puts food into perspective. Looking at what people eat all around the world, really makes what I eat look like a TON! Since first picking up this book over 2 years ago in a collage class, I've really thought twice about what I put into my body. Great book! Definately recommended!

Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusio travel to 30 families in 24 countries, where they photograph the families with their weekly diet and discuss culinary habits in each family and in their countries.

I loved Hungry Planet. Smartmama recommended it on her blog a few months ago, and I'd been looking forward to reading it. I've been reading a lot about food lately, and somehow a photograph of a women from Darfur sitting with her five children and a bag of rationed grains juxtaposed with a family from San Antonio and a whole table full of fast food tells the story of how we eat better than all of the books I've read over the last few years.

Ok, here's a fun trick: read " The Tortilla Curtain" and then immediately follow up with "Hungry Planet". Then go into a supermarket and fall down on your knees marvelling at the wondrous selection around you...

"Hungry Planet" is a fascinating look at the variety of foods that people in different cultures consume during the course of a week. It's not a difficult read, but it took me a long time to get through because each story is really powerful, and puts you completely into the shoes of another family far different from your own.

It definitely made me take a hard look at some of our choices, and I've been cooking more, eating out less, and generally being more careful about my purchasing decisions since starting this book!

I already have the authors' earlier book, "Material World", reserved from the library. Just in time for the holidays!

I read this book with my older daughter several years ago, and since we were reading another Menzel book, I thought it was time to revisit the images. They are still as powerful as I had remembered them. The first time, the strongest impressions I had were of the disparities in quantity of food, of course, but this time (because I've been thinking a lot about the issue), what struck me was just how highly processed our Western diet is.

Remember "Material World," that 90’s coffee table book, portraits of families around the world, each with their worldly possessions arranged around them outside their homes? Well “Hungry Planet” is the same authors, similar idea, incredible book - family portraits and a week’s consumption – simply jaw-dropping to see what different cultures swill, smoke and ingest. This book is so moving, so eye-opening and thankfully untouched (from what I read) by dogma and pronouncements. Every human being should read this book. Seriously. Or at least page through it.

If you are interested in what average families in countries around the world eat, then Hungry Planet is for you. Chock full of pictures, personal accounts, and family recipes, Hungry Planet shows the vast differences between first and third world eating habits.

Mrs. Davenport says, "It is humbling to realize how people around the world rely on locally grown and natural foods...so unlike the American mindset that 'food comes from the grocery store.' PS Michael Pollan has an intriguing segment on Fresh Air that deals with America's food policy. You can listen to it here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st... "

I love food and good photos and learning about different cultures, so it's no surprise I found this book so amazing. It's got photographs, essays, and stats of what one week's worth of groceries entails for different families around the world (as well as the different markets/cooking methods/customs of different cities/countries) and it is FASCINATING. It's also heartbreaking at times, when looking at the weekly food of families in largely undernourished countries. It made me think about my own diet a lot, and as a result I'm having some strangely powerful reactions to some of the meats and processed foods I used to find yummy.

A seriously good read. Even just the pictures and captions are worth making a trip to the library for.