1 Jun
Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham is a book devoted to proving the point that cooking, of all things, is what sets humans and animals apart. This non-fiction work uses a plethora of examples from both historic and modern studies to explain how the use of fire in meal preparations has caused adaptations in the physical structure of a human’s digestive system. This is due to the fact that cooked food, while it may loose some of its nutrients during the cooking process, also gains efficiency, which allows it to be digested with ease, and leaves the consumer with more energy than does raw food.
VS 
Mr. Wrangham chose to write this book in part through dry scientific facts, but interspersed between the data are examples of the points being made. These include stories from modern day Raw-Foodists, as well as previous studies. One such study is that of Alexis St. Martin, who survived a gun shot wound, but whose stomach was forever visible, as the hole never filled. While there are a number of theories concerning what caused the dramatic split between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom, one that prevails is the discovery of fire. Mr. Wrangham takes this idea one step further into the how the uses of fire altered humanity in manner that is clear and interesting.
