''Eat This Book'' is a book by
Ryan Nerz which explores the world of
competitive eating
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is an activity in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions c ...
. Published by
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...
in 2006, ''Eat This Book'' provides a firsthand look into this sometimes controversial sport. Nerz, who spent a year as an
emcee for the
International Federation of Competitive Eating, has firsthand insight into the competitive eating phenomenon.
Reviews
Because Nerz's book was released in the same month as
Jason Fagone's ''
Horsemen of the Esophagus'', and since both books cover the sport of competitive eating, a number of published reviews covered both books together and drew comparisons between them.
The strongest criticism levelled at ''Eat This Book'' in reviews is that Nerz uses prose that is more sensational than objective. Jay Jennings describes Nerz as "more mythifier than journalist",
and ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' critiqued his book as "basically a book-length
infomercial for the organization and its most famous athletes."
Despite this negative criticism, other reviewers found the direct involvement by Nerz, and first-hand account of his own personal quest to become a competitive participant both absorbing and entertaining.
Jennings commends Nerz for presenting a broader cast of characters who participate in the sport, even though Nerz's book covers a narrower view of the sport than Fagone's ''Horsemen of the Esophagus''.
Nerz was able to provide increased coverage of the competitors as a result of emceeing many contests, and therefore obtaining direct access to many competitors that Fagone did not have. The book's breadth of coverage, both in terms of contests arranged neatly by chapter and in terms of the number of competitors, was also noted positively in other reviews.
The Publishers Weekly review of the book said that “Nerz chronicles his amusing adventures in the perverse, repellent, strangely heroic world of competitive eating…with glee and good humor.” The New York Times Book Review compared the author’s style to that of Grantland Rice, an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. Calling the author “more mythifier than journalist,” the Times Book Review added that the competitive eaters he profiled “are indeed a colorful, varied bunch, even without the pro-wrestling-style personalities the IFOCE encourages.”
Nerz appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on April 18, 2006, to discuss the book
References
{{Competitive eating
Competitive eating
Books about sports
2006 non-fiction books