Entire Book Not Included

I downloaded this book on the recommendation of a column in Skeptic Magazine. I was favorably impressed until I got to the last chapter. In this chapter Dr. Levinovitz includes a section in which he introduces a "diet" which does all the things he criticized others for doing in the rest of the book. I was confused until I re-read the column that caused me to purchase the book and saw that it referred to annotations in this final chapter that were NOT included in the audio book. I was so confused that I bought the Kindle edition which included the annotations, and found that Dr. Levinovitz is using his last chapter"diet" to illustrate all the fallacies (i.e. lies) he points out in the rest of the book. Without these annotations the listener is left with a confusing and false idea of the entire purpose of the book. It would have been easy to include these annotations (I have listened to many Audible books where footnotes and annotations are read along with the text) as they are mostly very short and would have added much to the enjoyment of the book.

I would like to say that I gave the performance 1 star, not because I didn't like the narrator, he was, in fact, very good, but because the deletion of the annotations was, IMO part of the performance.

16 people found this helpful

where is the data?

im on the last chapter and considering returning the book. I dont get it. The author quotes a couple studies that I will look up but that is it. He states that Wheat Belly is sensational and it is but WBelly arguments are more convincing. Tell me why I should eat gluten? Convinve me why I should eat gluten? Saying another guy lied doesnt say why I should eat it. There are better food choices period. The only arguement thst is presented is that items that are gluten free are more expensive. Tell me nutritionally why I should eat gluten? Too many better choices. Why right this book? Who funded it. Pass on this one.
update
I finished it. The fake diet he creates is good. The book doesnt offer anything new. we know about fat etc. I realize now that its the title of the book thst is misleading. it suggests that gluten and wheat are good and eat up. That isnt the case. I found on youtube various videos of the author. He admirs the title is from the publisher to sell more books. Sounds just like other authors. The video of the author on the Doctors show is good. Pass on this book. Pass on eating seeds of grasses as a main food source. Eat it like a candy or treat. it is. hot bread from the oven is a treat not a food group.

6 people found this helpful

Excellent book but be sure you read the entire thing before you judge

This excellent book helps to smell some of the more prevalent myths about diet.

My only concern/criticism is the fact that, at least according to one review I read, there is supposed to be a second appendix. That appendix is sort of critical to the interpretation of the first appendix. Some people might miss the true meaning/interpretation of the first appendix without the second one. That appendix does not appear in this audiobook.

4 people found this helpful

Tricky Tricky

If you could sum up The Gluten Lie in three words, what would they be?

Clever, Logical, Sarcastic

Any additional comments?

The Gluten Lie ends with a myth that it doesn't spend the time to unpack.

So, is sarcasm or not? It all depends on wether you understood the book or not. If you learned the thesis of the book you probably won't be fooled. If you don't listen carefully to the last two tracks, you may actually fall for it.

The author does not clear this up and is very clever to frame another "mythical" debate in the same structure that he just debunked. It is easier to see if you read the last two chapters in google books.

4 people found this helpful

Excellent book, poor listen

What did you like best about The Gluten Lie? What did you like least?

I loved how the author approaches how we eat today in historical context, and looks at religion and human psychology to understand our current food obsessions.

What did you like best about this story?

Very well written, it covers a lot of science in a comprehensible and engaging manner.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Barry Press?

Horrible narrator, very lilting and exaggerated voice. Poorly edited, you could hear the breaks between recording sessions.

Any additional comments?

Please, please please figure out a way to help listeners access the references and footnotes! I understand that the last chapter included graphs, bubbles, info that supplemented the silly UNpacked diet, I would love to see that. I feel like I was ripped off.

I STRONGLY urge anyone considering this book to buy a print version instead. This was just about the worst book I have listened to on audible. Not that the content was bad, but the formatting was terrible.

3 people found this helpful

Unqualified Author

The author of this book may hold a PhD, but it's in religious studies. The read is long and meandering.

2 people found this helpful

Some new perspectives

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, and have done. It cuts through a lot of the nonsense often in the media about foods, and promotes a return to a simpler way of thinking about what we eat.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I just liked the line "Everyday foods are not going to kill you"!

1 person found this helpful

Spoiler Alert! The last chapter is....

As I was listening to the final chapter I kept waiting for the punch line saying it was just a joke. Instead, it ends with the typical Audible sign off... Apparently the print version makes this clear, In the audio version if feels like a pretty good April fools prank. I guess they could not figure out how to incorporate that into the narration.

Please Rename as The Disguised Lie

My mother taught me to always say something nice first, so I’ll begin by noting that I appreciated the author’s perspective on avoiding a self-righteous perspective about nutrition. That said, this book was about many topics, but only about ten percent gluten. If you are looking for a book that details how others misreport on sugar, salt, and other ingredients, this read is for you! If you’re looking for a book that actually focuses on gluten, keep searching!

Author's excuse for a new food scare?

The author breaks down the hysteria around gluten and other maligned foodstuffs such as salt, with good arguments, but then serves up his own hysteria surrounding plastic and aluminium in the last chapter. Disappointing.