Book Review: Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World

Genre: Nonfiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I know what you’re thinking…, “Why would anyone want to read a book about cod?” Honestly, I can’t argue with you because I know the topic of this book is strange, but it was also very fascinating. I wrote a paper on cod during my undergraduate degree, and discovered that it is a much more interesting and detailed topic than one might think.

Not only does this book delve into the problem of the overfishing of Atlantic cod, it discusses an extensive history of how different people around the world have relied on the species. Many aspects of the book were surprising, and taking the publication year into account (1999), it was particularly compelling to see how the situation has changed since then.

Overall, I’m not going to say that this is a book everyone would enjoy, but if you like nonfiction, then it might be a great fit for you! Not to mention that there are many cod recipes included! Also, if you’re wanting to try it, but feel a little hesitant, the audiobook was fantastic!