Julie J. Lesnik

Lesnik has written a clear and readable synthesis of the different lines of data available to look at insects as part of the diet of 1/3 of modern humans and of many living primates, and to investigate the role of insects in the diet of the ancient hominin past. While a bit repetitive in spots, the book takes the reader by the hand and walks through material that likely isn't too familiar to most readers; an advanced education is not necessary to get a lot out of this brief book. The author is careful to define terms, put things into a context of time and place, and refer to as much citable material as possible, allowing a reader to follow up easily into any specific aspect of the synthesis. "Meat" leaves bones and tools for archaeologists to report, but bugs don't so they have been a major, under-reported part of human diet. Lesnik posits that is changing, and hints at new directions for inquiry (Chapter 8 is the big payoff, on how to form and test new hypotheses). This is especially important for future anthropology since, when consumed by modern humans and primates, they are gathered by women and children, thus supplying most of the protein demand for the consumers. Early hominins may have been more dependent upon female insect foraging for high-quality caloric intake than ever anticipated.… (altro)