Cannibal

by Daniel Korn, Mark Radice, Charlie Hawes

Cannabalism is one of the last great taboos and it is now beginning to emerge as far more widespread than was previously thought. This book examines evidence ranging from protein analysis to studies of human bones that suggests that people-eating is a pervasive human signature, running through our species since the dawn of time. Divided chronologically and thematically - from serial killers to nutritional and medicinal cannibalism in modern-day China, "Cannibal" is a comprehensive look at cannibalism throughout the world.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime

270 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2001

Reviews

[Maria]

Massevis av gode oppskrifter 😋

[Katie]

This book is better written and more thoughtful than the cover (and title) might make you believe. It appears to be well researched too, with a solid bibliography.
The opening chapters talk about cannibalism as part of societies and cultures, and they are a bit dry but informative - some interesting discussions about the different types of cannibalism from an anthropology standpoint, the evidence we have, and the people who dispute the whole idea.
The book covers various other types of cannibalism, such as religious, as a last resort, and the killers who ate their victims. It's not for the faint-hearted, but it's pretty well put together and has more nuance than expected.

[Oliver]

Really interesting book on the history of cannibalism, from the iron age to modern day. The only part I found slightly bizarre was the final chapter where the authors compare cannibalism to the Holocaust, despite no previous reference to this. I think had they written a few more chapters, this could have made more sense, but the conclusion felt rushed.
Overall, really interesting though. It's crazy what you'll find browsing your local library.

[Craig Herbertson]

I studied aspects of cannibalism in anthropology and come from the school of thought that 'cannibal' is generally a derogatory term for enemies over the other side of the hill. Unfortunately Korn's book exploded this fond vision. The reports of Russian cannibalism are extremely shattering to the psyche. According to Korn there is less myth about cannibals and more harsh reality - his basic contention is that, if you are hungry enough, welcome to the worst of taboos.

The book is well researched and I would give it an unqualified thumbs up if it did not report Sawney Bean, the Scottish cannibal, as reality rather than virtually unsupported legend. Bean was probably apocryphal and this misappropriation of legend casts a shadow over the other research.

I would seriously recommend that you do not read this book unless you are an extremely grim sort - it certainly depressed the hell out of me even though I generally regard myself as immune to horror.

[Sarai]

Book covers many aspects of cannibalism, some I was already aware of, others I was not of which piqued my interest to look into further, especially the siege of Leningrad.

Reminds us it is a 'dog eat dog' world, a tale of survival, everyone has the potential to cannabilize, either culturally and it being the norm, when pushed to our survival limits or by debatable 'natural instinct'.

A very interesting book, I loved the fact it bought to my attention cannibalistic cases that I was not previously aware of that I would now like to look into further.

I would definitely recommend!

[Jane]

I read this a few years ago... this was certainly an interesting book but it felt slow in alot of instances, it did however provide an intriging insight into cannibalism.

[Christopher Johansen]

Not as interesting as I thought it would have been

[Chelsea]

I'm terribly disappointed in this book. Not only were there incorrect facts, but it seemed childishly written despite the intense subject matter. When I'm reading what is supposed to be a nonfiction book, I don't think your opinion should be interjected--stick to the facts, but check those facts. 1 star.