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The Great Starvation Experiment Ancel Keys and the Men Who Starved for Science Todd Tucker |
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A cold scientific investigation collides with living, breathing—and hungry—human beings. Near the end of World War II, thirty-six conscientious objectors volunteered to be systematically starved for renowned scientist Ancel Keys’s study at the University of Minnesota in the basement of Memorial Stadium. Aimed to benefit relief efforts in war-ravaged Europe and Asia, the study sought the best way to rehabilitate starving citizens. Tucker captures a lost moment in American history—a time when staunch idealism and a deep willingness to sacrifice trumped even basic human needs. “Much useful background on conscientious objection, alternative service, and the Peace Churches movement is included. A valuable addition to collections on the war, peace movements, and nutrition.” —Library Journal “Workmanlike account of a scientific study on the effects of starvation on the human body and mind, conducted in Minnesota in 1944 and 1945. Keys’s study was not completed before the war ended, thus limiting its usefulness for relief workers designing nutritional programs to rehabilitate Europe’s starving populations. It remains, however, a seminal work on human starvation. Tucker sheds welcome light on a little-known historical event and on the role of conscientious objectors in WWII.” —Kirkus Reviews “As WWII neared an end, 36 idealistic conscientious objectors, members of the Civilian Public Service, volunteered to be systematically starved. Tucker provides a fascinating and moving history of the experiment, centering on the lives and experiences of the volunteers and the formidable obstacles they overcame. Tucker tells the story with verve and economy, providing provocative discussion on subjects ranging from the ethical problems inherent in the use of human volunteers to the history of cannibalism and the conscientious objector movement. One strength of the book is the tension and drama evident as the subjects struggle with their hunger. Keys, his experiment and his 36 starving men form a compelling combination.” —Publishers Weekly “The Great Starvation Experiment is wide-ranging, weaving progress in the war into the day-to-day suffering of the hungry volunteers. Tucker also touches on everything from the church politics of the conscientious objection to historical aspects of fasting and cannibalism.” —St. Paul Pioneer Press “That yearlong wartime study is the topic of a fascinating new book, The Great Starvation Experiment by Todd Tucker, which tells the story of Keys and his volunteers.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Todd Tucker captures this lost moment in American history—a time when staunch idealism and a deep willingness to sacrifice trumped even basic human needs—in The Great Starvation Experiment.” —Minnesota History Todd Tucker is the author of several books, including Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan (2004). 288 pages | 19 b&w photos | 5 7/8 x 9 | 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue: Starved into Submission 1. High Altitude Studies Acknowledgments |
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$17.95 paper