Summary: My Year Of Meats

Most scandals in industries are never brought to life. People are paid very well to keep things hushed up and out of the public eye. If we knew what really went down in most big companies, the loss of business would be deleterious to the profit margin, and that is the last thing CEOs want. However, once in a blue moon some brave soul steps in and sees the problem, and they know they have to tell the world what is going on. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki demonstrates how the use of hormones in the meat industry affects the women and men who both consume the products as well as come into contact with them through other means. Our main character Jane is the most constant example in the book of how hormones affect a woman. As a fetus, Jane’s mother likely took the hormone diethylstilbestrol or DES. Jane discusses this possibility with her mother, noting that because her mother was considered “fragile” the hormone was likely administered in an attempt to keep the baby healthy and strong (Ozeki p. 156). While taking the drug did coincide with the pregnancy being carried to term, it created multitudes of complications for Jane later in life. She married in Japan and attempted to get pregnant for many years to no avail, finding out in the process that not only did she have a misshapen uterus, but also a collection of malignant cancer cells in her cervix. Though …show more content…
It shows you, through a network of extraordinary characters, just how harmful the effects of hormones are on the humans who come into contact with them, no matter the form they take on. From Jane’s infertility, to Purcell Dawes’ physical changes, and finally Rosie Dunn’s early onset of puberty, Ozeki clearly demonstrates the harm the meat industry has done on people. Though she didn’t make that same documentary as Jane, she authored an incredible book with just as powerful of an