Author(s): Carole A. Travis-Henikoff

"The truth is, we all have cannibals in our closets," writes Travis-Henikoff in her introduction
to this meticulously researched, compulsively readable history of mankind's greatest taboo. As she
eloquently illustrates, cannibalism has been around for as long as humans, and it's quite possible
that its outlaw is a recent development in terms of recorded history. Many readers are no doubt
familiar with the Chilean rugby team immortalized in Piers Paul Read's Alive (recounted again here),
but not with the fact that widespread cannibalism has been documented in parts of war-torn Africa
as recently as 2003. Sadistic serial killers and the oft-stereotyped tribesmen of the Amazon figure
prominently, but where Travis-Henikoff truly excels is in her sociological and anthropological
analysis, offering thoughtful insights into the whys of cannibalism, lucidly explaining how cannibalism
can begin in a society, as well as its historical employment in times of famine, war and even during
a period of political witch hunting in Communist China. A brief but entertaining digression into
folklore examines cannibalism in fairy tales such as the Brothers Grimm. Throughout, Travis-Henikoff
maintains a thoughtful tone, free of judgment, that frequently challenging readers' beliefs. The result
is an eminently enjoyable, albeit very dark exploration of a taboo topic that should give armchair
anthropologists, sociologists and historians plenty to chew on.

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