The Fast

November 15, 2023
A knowledgeable study of fasting, which has a long history and a layered present. Too often, our society appears to be about consumption to the point of excess, even while we know that splurging and bingeing do not offer lasting fulfilment. There is another way, suggests Oakes, publisher of the Evergreen Review, in this interesting book. Fasting, the decision to temporarily abstain from eating or radically reduce one's intake of food, can bring a new appreciation of life, as long as it's done sensibly. In fact, notes the author, it can be an undertaking that "opens the way to growth." Oakes punctuates his examination of the cultural history and social meaning of fasting with reminiscences of his first weeklong fast (although he allowed himself tea, coffee, and vegetable broth), providing a personal element to the narrative. All the major religions include some aspect of fasting. The Christian Bible is peppered with examples, and in Judaism, fasting is connected with mourning. Some religious fanatics have starved themselves to death in the search for divine insight, but Oakes sees them as merely deluded. He also looks at people who have gone on hunger strikes for political reasons, and he notes that their record of success is decidedly mixed. Fasting does not work as a dieting technique, but it is useful for detoxing, refreshing, and rebalancing the body. A key element is its private, voluntary nature, which entails a break from the daily routine that can lead to a sense of contemplation and renewal. Oakes sets all this out in lucid, poetic terms, and while the book might not be for everyone, it will appeal to those who are ready to question the value of overconsumption and indulgence. In this well-informed, illuminating book, Oakes shows us the value of consuming less in order to know more.

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Starred review from December 18, 2023
This thought-provoking debut from OR Books cofounder Oakes weaves meditations on fasting into an account of his successful attempt to go a week without food. He reports undertaking the fast as a kind of “personal exorcism,” realizing by the end that “I eat out of habit” and “routine can be the enemy of rationality and control.” Explaining how the body responds to fasting, he notes that the stomach generates the hormone ghrelin to stimulate hunger, but gives up after three days without food, at which point the body draws on “excess glucose stored in the muscles and liver” to create energy. Oakes presents an impressive cultural and historical survey of fasting, touching on its role as a form of nonviolent resistance to British rule in India and Ireland; its ritual use in the Abrahamic religions, Buddhism, and Hinduism; and its use as a dubious cure-all, originating in a 1558 self-help book by Venetian nobleman Luigi Cornaro. Oakes’s nuanced take on fasting also considers its dangers; he suggests that while temporarily abstaining can provide an antidote to capitalism’s imperative to consume, the compulsion to permanently eradicate bodily desires can lapse into anorexia, which he describes as a biological disorder “related to but distinct from” fasting. Broad in scope and rich in insight, this provides plenty to ponder. Photos. Agent: Paul Bresnick, Bresnick Weil Literary.