You may be thinking “Why does my diet need any revolutionizing?” and rightly so. I mean, you’re a carefully selective consumer, right? You buy the most ethical foods you can find, and make sure this food is grown by producers that not only make the most humane decisions, but care less for profit than your health and the welfare of the delicate Earth upon which our livelihoods depend…

Yeah, right. You are more likely the buy-as-you-go, hunger, convenience, and economically minded consumer, bent on getting in and getting out as fast as you can, and worrying about carbs, displaced African communities, and inhumanely treated heifers later. Do the world (both present and future) a favor. Get a food education. Consider yourself enrolled in a self-taught class on intelligent consumerism. All I’m doing is providing the booklist.

Start with Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. This book is an easy read, full of laughs, gasps, and tender moments. It’s the autobiographical story of Novella Carpenter, a farmer who lives in Oakland, California, with her pigs, chickens, and bunnies wandering in and out of car lots and back yards. You’ll read about her misadventures growing turkeys, and how she learned to make salami by getting caught feet-up in a restaurant dumpster. The whole book puts such a positive spin on becoming an active participant of food production that you’ll be motivated to grow an heirloom tomato off of your apartment balcony, or buy an unconventional (edible) pet. If you’ve never considered starting a garden or buying local honey, Farm City may be the motivation you need to try experiencing food in a novel (har har) way.

After getting your hands dirty by repotting your home grown cocktail garnishes, wash up and proceed to the kitchen. The Foodie Handbook: The (Almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy by Pim Techamuanvivit singlehandedly turned me, the spaghetti mistress, into an expert on galettes, a master of the roast chicken, and a fearless wine-pairing diva. Pim’s book is a godsend, full of valuable lessons like how not to fall for out-of-season truffles and how to score a table at a four-star restaurant. More importantly, though, she teaches you how to prepare delicious pie crusts, decadent side dishes, and perfectly tender meats. Her instructions are simple, but never condescending, and her recipes are foolproof. (I should know. I’ve sampled most of them.) If you’ve been living in fear of your galley kitchen, now is the time to set your inner foodie free.

My third recommendation is aimed at a reader who is already mindful of the world of food. It’s full of arguments, statistics, and history… but don’t let that scare you. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto is a book by Michael Pollan, an author already made famous by his brow-raising attack on mindless consumerism The Omnivore’s Dilemma. In his most recent book, he illustrates the downfall of the western diet by showing us our unfortunate tendencies to be nutrient- (not food-) obsessed, and driven by money and convenience, rather than morality and honest work. Though challenging at times, this book is truly rewarding. After reading it you will never look at white flour or value menus the same way again. (And that’s not such a bad thing.)

Dedicate a month to these three books. Each is relatively short, but give yourself enough time to play in a pot of dirt, host a pad Thai party, and have impassioned debates over societal follies (and Chardonnay). After finishing the third volume of my Revolutionary Eating Book List, I’m positive that you’ll feel inspired to make positive changes. Don’t worry about time or money. If a student living on multiple part-time jobs can find the minutes and means to prepare an organic apple tart, so can you. And with a full belly and clear conscience you, like me, will be thankful you hit the books.

If you have any recommendations for additions to this book list, I’d love to hear about them! With your help, I can start a syllabus for Revolutionary Eating 102.

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