Rating: 
Summary: An easy read of some deep subjects
Review: A delightful little book that goes a long way to explaining why religions around the world have developed the way they have. He shows how common sense survival rules have become religious rules, how oppressed people develop 'Messiah's" and how those in control used fear and panic to keep control. Of course some Christians might not like what he has to say about their 'Messiah', but when all the facts are looked at, including the development of 'Messiah's' in other cultures, he is very convincing. Even though he doesn't say it, his book shows how cultures around the world live by a simple rule, 'those who have lots - waste lots, those who have little - waste little'. I found this amusing as environmentalists usually look to primitive societies as 'waste not want not' societies. This is a book that should seriously be incorporated into the school curriculum. It's explanation of how our differences developed show how similar we actually all are.
Rating:
Summary: Nature,Nurture and Culture
Review: After reading "Cannibals and Kings", I couldn't wait to read Harris' earlier "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches". I was not disappointed. Both books are exciting and stimulating reading. The clarity and logic propel you forward until you must accept the premises. Harris shows that what seem like strange, even repugnant cultural adaptations are very logical, once you understand the circumstances that gave rise to them. More important, he contends that while things like war do show up in most human societies, they are part of culture rather than of human nature. He points out that war, in valuing the warrior, encourages the whole complex of male supremicist behaviors, including female infanticide. We can find other ways in our modern world to control population and increase production.
Rating:
Summary: Nature,Nurture and Culture
Review: After reading "Cannibals and Kings", I couldn't wait to read Harris' earlier "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches". I was not disappointed. Both books are exciting and stimulating reading. The clarity and logic propel you forward until you must accept the premises. Harris shows that what seem like strange, even repugnant cultural adaptations are very logical, once you understand the circumstances that gave rise to them. More important, he contends that while things like war do show up in most human societies, they are part of culture rather than of human nature. He points out that war, in valuing the warrior, encourages the whole complex of male supremicist behaviors, including female infanticide. We can find other ways in our modern world to control population and increase production.
Rating: 
Summary: A survey of culture
Review: Clear, insightful, and scientifically sound...Plenty of provocative ideas and theories.
Strongly recommended...
Rating: 
Summary: Slaying the Sacred Cows
Review: First published in 1973, Marvin Harris' book suffers slightly from time lag (it closes with a refutation of the now-defunct counterculture movement), but is otherwise wholly engaging and undeniably fascinating. Tackling the "Most Wanted List" of anthropology's mysteries, Harris plunges in by explaining the practical socio-economic origins of the cliched "sacred cows" of India, then keeps on going through the reasons for religious dietary restrictions and on into the relationship between secular pressures, leaders and the many faces of messianism from the Middle East to the Middle Ages. His explanations are meticulously constructed, eminently reasonable and provide fuel for many a debate. Written in an open and accessible style, COWS, PIGS, WARS & WITCHES is aimed toward the academic community, but doesn't read that way at all. Though it references classic anthropological works such as Ruth Benedict's PATTERNS OF CULTURE, the book is careful to seed the rest of the text with explanation, thus keeping the more scholarly aspects of the work from alienating readers from the "outside" and deep-sixing the book's readability. In short, Harris' book is a solid addition to any reader's library, provided his unflinching analysis of some of the more common "sacred cows" doesn't offend.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, fascinating and logical
Review: I first read this book as "light" reading when I was a graduate student in anthropology. Now, as an anthropology instructor, I assign it as a textbook in a course on Religion, Magic and Witchcraft. It proposes logical and fascinating solutions to such puzzles as (1) why Hindus are better off going hungry than slaughtering and eating their cattle,(2) why religions of the Middle East have made pork taboo, while cultures of the South Pacific organize their ritual life around pork feasts, and (3) in what way are New Guinea cargo cults, the 12 disciples of Jesus, the European witch trials, and the popularity of New Age beliefs of today the results of similar cultural pressures. This is the first book I have ever assigned in class that students have asked if they may read all at once, instead of a chapter a week. They can't put it down!
Rating:
Summary: An Insightful and Entertaining Analysis of Cultures
Review: I've read this book twice already, and on the third time, I'm still getting new perspectives from Harris' masterful analysis of puzzling cultural phenomena like religious dietary restrictions (why are cows sacred and pigs aren't?), cargo cults (why are some countries rich and others poor?), and witch hunts (what did religion have to do with it?). All the quick explanations for these phenomena we were given in school were, at best, oversimplified and incomplete. The reviewer who wrote that the book debunks mythology could also have been referring to the mythology believed by historians, scientists, and adademics. Harris occasionally turns the microscope on our own culture and the assumptions we hold and the explanations we accept for things we don't understand. He takes on the sacred cows of anthropology and history, including Sacred Cows, and presents a new paradigm for understanding each subject.
Rating:
Summary: DID MONTY PYTHON READ THIS???
Review: This book, like many of Harris's, is anthropological popcorn: It is delicious stuff that you can quickly devour. This collection of essays is very important and interesting. It includes his very influential expanation of the sacred cow in India, as well as analysis of European witchraft, cargo cults, and more. The most amazing thing in the book is his argument that Jesus was one of many messianic revolutionaries running around Israel during the Roman occupation. Read this section, and then watch "The Life of Brian." Monty Python got it right on the nose. The parallels are amazing, rival bands of revolutionaries all seeking a messianic figure...really great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: The riddles of human mind...
Review: Upon the fifth reading, this book still yields an interesting, reflective state in me. Understanding human needs and drives is really at the heart of understanding the human creature. The book is structured such that one doesn't need to read it cover-to-cover in order to glean a great deal from it. However, the chapters are related to one another, so page-by-page reading is something I'd recommend. It is excellently written, fascninating and timeless. I wish more books were written so.
Rating:
Summary: AP World Analysis
Review: When I first read the back of the book, Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture by Marvin Harris I became very intrigued. It described the book as a source of answers to some of the world's culturally most intriguing and perplexing questions. Most of which are taboos, including why Hindus worship cows, and why "witches" flew to sabbats on broomsticks. There are many anthropological books on the market these days, but this is one of the only ones that even moderately tries to explain these instances. I believe that Harris' intention in writing this book was to not just give his opinion on these strange taboos were established, but to make the statement that the most extreme taboos do have a logical background. I also believe Harris tried to establish that one taboo may lead to another. For instance, he believes that in order to explain one taboo, he may have to explain two or three others, in order to prove the logic behind the one. Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture is one of the only books that tries to explain why men behave the way they do. Harris covers multiple taboos including the belief of why some cultures refuse to eat pork, and even stretch the limits by concluding why people believe in the religions they do. All of these cultural taboos, and more are introduced and thoroughly explained in this great book. Basically the whole idea of this book describes cultural taboos. For instance, every culture, whether it is in India or Africa or anywhere in the world, they all experience strange ideas or the unthinkable occurs (taboo). No culture would be considered normal if these did not occur. Harris starts by explaining what the taboo is and where it is from. Then he explains why certain people believe in these, and then clarifies the logic behind it. The great thing about this novel is that each of the taboos Harris mentions are from different areas and is more like a book you would read in world history. In this novel, Harris covers over ten different taboos, all of which are very interesting. To write a book with so much information, one must spend months, maybe even years becoming familiar with the cultures that are described in such a book. One man cannot study or even write about every culture in the world, so Harris used many other references. The majority of these references used were from other sociologists and anthropologists' studies, and books produced by them. Also, Harris used much of his own work from previous expeditions and journals he had written several years ago. Harris does know what he is talking about but there is still so much to cover in the study of cultures, that one person alone could not possibly study it all through his or her lifetime. The reference and acknowledgement pages are filled to the brim with contributions from over one hundred and ten established sources. There is beyond the shadow of a doubt that in my mind Harris could not have written this book without the help from these references. He is an incredibly reputable writer, but the information is just too tough to handle alone. This book is like no other book I have ever had the privilege to read. The vivid descriptions and amazing studies of these culture enlighten the open-minded reader that men really do think alike, no matter where you are from. The book was written very well, but some parts became extremely confusing. This novel was written and explained very well, but the descriptions of specific taboos sometimes were discussed at the same time and became somewhat confusing, throughout the book. Also, there were parts of the book that were really slow. You have to really be interested with the study of humans; otherwise this novel may seem boring. Harris persuaded me in the fact that people do behave very much alike no matter what your background may be. He also seemed to put across the point that the craziest taboos known to man most of the time have a sturdy and logical backbone. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in anthropology, sociology, and/or the study of cultures. However, I do advise readers to check it out but be cautious. Harris tends to overlap his theories and facts on specific taboos in different chapters.
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