Review of Eating Bull

[Amber Seigler]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Eating Bull" by Carrie Rubin.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Jeremy Harjo Barton is just your average fifteen-year-old boy trying to navigate life between his absent mother, his mother’s sketchy boyfriend, a dead father, an agoraphobic grandfather, his lack of friends, and the bullies at school. The thing that makes Jeremy different, may in fact be the thing that kills him or gets him killed.

Due to his weight as an obese teen, Jeremy is thrust into the spotlight after a social injustice warrior, Sue, his nurse, comes up with a plan to sue the food industry for its contribution to the health crisis, starting in their hometown. Not only do they start gathering the attention of everyone they know, but they also gather the attention of a serial killer named “Darwin” who is targeting obese individuals.

Though “Darwin’s” mission started long before the spotlight on Jeremy, the press surrounding Jeremy and the litigation amplified the voice in “Darwin’s” head and the perfect plan was put in motion to reach its conclusion at the perfect time.

The way the writer, Carrie Rubin, mixes social injustices with a dash of thriller is superb. She not only focuses on one side of the obesity issues but throws complex issues in the mix such as families, social structures, environments, and many others sprinkled throughout. Just when you think you have chosen a side in the debate happening, you read a different perspective that makes you think maybe there’s more to the issues at hand besides “eating your feelings”.

The only issue I had once completing the book, is a storyline with Sue that could have been left out. It does not add or subtract from the building of her character in the book. The reference to her past rape only adds fillers to the pages and I think with all the other social issues in the book, this one could have been left out since it’s seemingly glossed over. It is necessary for some stories but not this one in my opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Eating Bull by Carrie Rubin and give it a 4 out of 5. My biggest takeaway from this book, though the thriller part is what drove me to it, is that as a society, we are responsible for the growing obesity problem as well as the mental health crisis we face each day. Yes, we all choose how we deal with stress in our own way and what we put in our mouths, but could you change everything about yourself and still deal with the pressures of society after you walk out your front door?

Anyone who loves crime/thriller books will love this page-turner, but it also calls to audience members who like to read about social injustices. This book would be great in libraries for mature teens to read due to the nature of bullying and seeing life through a different lens. There are some trigger warnings in this book that include profanity, self-harm, abuse, and though not in detail, sexual violence.

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Eating Bull
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