The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without

by John Oakes Narrated by Matt Godfrey

Overview

With fasting at an all-time high in popularity, here is an enlightening exploration into the history, science, and philosophy behind the practice-essential to many religions and wellness routines.

Whether for philosophical, political, or health-related reasons, fasting marks a departure from daily routine. Based on extensive historical, scientific, and cultural research and reporting, The Fast illuminates the numerous facets of this act of self-deprivation. John Oakes interviews doctors, spiritual leaders, activists, and others who guide him through this practice-and embarks on fasts of his own-to deliver a book that supplies anyone curious about fasting with profound new understanding, appreciation, and inspiration.

In recent years, fasting has become increasingly popular for a variety of reasons-from weight loss to detoxing, to the faithful who fast in prayer, to seekers pursuing mindfulness, to activists using hunger strikes as protest. Notable fasters include Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Cesar Chavez, and a long list of others who have drawn on its power over the ages and across borders and cultures.

The Fast looks at the complex science behind the jaw-dropping biological changes that occur inside the body when we fast. Metabolic switching can prompt repair and renewal down to the molecular level, providing benefits for those suffering from obesity and diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and more. Longer fasts can both reinvigorate the immune system and protect it against damage. Beyond the physical experience, fasting can be a great collective unifier, and it has been adopted by religions and political movements all over the world for millennia. Fasting is central to holy seasons and days such as Lent (Christianity), Ramadan (Islam), Yom Kippur (Judaism), Uposatha (Buddhism), and Ekadashi (Hinduism). On an individual level, devout ascetics who master self-deprivation to an extreme are believed to be closer to the divine, ascending to enlightenment or even sainthood.

Fasting reminds us of the virtues of holding back, of not consuming all that we can. “Broad in scope and rich in insight” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), this book shows us that fasting is about much more than food: it is about taking control of your life in new and empowering ways and reconsidering your place in the world.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/18/2023

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. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

Thought-provoking . . . Oakes presents an impressive cultural and historical survey of fasting. . . . Broad in scope and rich in insight, this provides plenty to ponder.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In this well-informed, illuminating book, Oakes shows us the value of consuming less in order to know more. . . . A knowledgeable study of fasting, which has a long history and a layered present.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“I couldn’t stop reading this book about not eating. And I often had food in my mouth as I read. Like any important book in my life, this one leaves me changed. And I don’t know what will happen next.”
—Eileen Myles, author of For Now (Why I Write) and Evolution

“John Oakes takes us on an elegant and irresistible journey, all the while engaging us with personal experiences, scientific enlightenment, and the historical context of fasting. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, The Fast will stay with you long after you’ve read every word.”
—Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil in the Grove

“This simple yet far-reaching account of a one-week fast shows how any of us can dissolve the constructed boundary between self and universe, experience the awe of undifferentiated existence, and make ourselves available to the greater dance of life. By all means take this inspiring journey with an instantly trustworthy guide.”
—Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human

“Caloric restriction is one of the scientifically best-established ways to enhance longevity. A fascinating deep dive into the science and history of fasting.”
—Steven M. Lipkin, MD, PhD; director, Adult and Cancer Genetics Clinic; Weill Cornell Medicine

“In this age of ever more, John Oakes dares to seek less in a fascinating, wonderfully researched, and beautifully written examination of the historical, philosophical, medical, and political implications of fasting—as he himself fasts and enjoys and endures the experience of ‘the presence of an absence.’”
—Jeff Jarvis, author of The Gutenberg Parenthesis

“In The Fast, John Oakes, with his vast knowledge base and deep insight, helps us understand how doing without can offer a glimpse of the luminous wisdom within each of us.”
—Cuong Lu, author of The Buddha in Jail and Happiness Is Overrated

“This book offers a careful look at the historical and religious practices of fasting, beautifully punctuated by daily anecdotes of the author’s experiences and emotions while fasting himself. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in better understanding fasting and its historical echoes.”
—Dr. Britt Marie Hermes, former naturopathic doctor and current microbiome scientist

“John Oakes has written an expansive, encyclopedic book that imparts its lessons with unpretentious conviction. The Fast is as much an appraisal of fasting as a guide for enlarging an inner consciousness. In this consumptive era, we would do well to turn to the generous intellect of Oakes—to learn the wonders of doing without, and like other venerable humans across millennia, to seek an enrichment of spirit.”
—Emmanuel Iduma, author of I Am Still With You

Kirkus Reviews

2023-10-21
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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159498786
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,138,109

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