Like many teenagers, Foer spent much of his young adult years oscillating between omnivore and vegetarian, confused about his position. But on the brink of fatherhood, responsible for the dietary choices of another being, his casual questioning took on urgency. Carefully researched and written in the same compelling humor and style of Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Eating Animals is a mix of philosophy, literature, science, memoir, and Foer's own detective work, exploring the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits.