Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

I imagine composing a historical analysis of perpetual events spanning thousands of years would be challenging simply for the wealth of nonessential qualifying chaff one would have to include to communicate the full story: international politics, realities of the times, natural events, etc. Kurlansky, thankfully, does a nice job budgeting his focus on that which is most important to the tale, while keeping the high-level historical meter running quietly in the background to orient the reader.

My only disappointment in reading "Cod," was Kurlansky's writing style which simply didn't jibe with the manner in which my brain comprehends words. Added to this were my high expectations for the book; I really wanted to love it. After the first chapter, however, I got that awkward feeling in my stomach like when I'd proofread my highly-respected friends' papers in college and learn they were utter dolts at putting words together. Kurlansky's writing isn't technically flawed like my friends' of yore, mind you -- his vocabulary is rich and his concepts are sound. I just wish it read with a little more elegance.