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Of Cattle and Men
Of Cattle and Men | Ana Paula Maia
2 posts | 3 read | 2 to read
**Animals go mad and men die (accidentally and not) at a slaughterhouse in an impoverished, isolated corner of Brazil. ** In a landscape worthy of Cormac McCarthy, the river runs septic with blood. Edgar Wilson makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of a cow, then stuns it with a mallet. He does this over and over again, as the stun operator at Senhor Milos slaughterhouse: reliable, responsible, quietly dispatching cows and following orders, wherever that may take him. Its important to calm the cows, especially now that they seem so unsettled: they have begun to run in panic into walls and over cliffs. Bronco Gil, the foreman, thinks its a jaguar or a wild boar. Edgar Wilson has other suspicions. But what is certain is that there is something in this desolate corner of Brazil driving men, and animals, to murder and madness.
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Gleefulreader
Of Cattle and Men | Ana Paula Maia
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This slim book had a slightly menacing quality from the first page. Set on a slaughterhouse in Brazil, it primarily follows Edgar, the man responsible for “stunning” the cattle who takes his job seriously, blessing each cow that passes by him. It examines the violence and madness that such a job entails - and the (for many) unacknowledged reality of how the meat gets to your table and the sacrifice of those who make it happen.

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TheKidUpstairs
Of Cattle and Men | Ana Paula Maia
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Holy shirt, what did I just read? A short, fast read; the writing is sharp and impactful, the story bold and unrelentingly brutal. Purposefully horrifying, I can't say it was a book I liked or would easily recommend, but it has shaken me and will stay with me for a long time.

"In those places where blood mixes with soil and water, it's difficult to make any sort of distinction between man and animal."

batsy I was just reading about this the other day when looking up stuff for Camp Litsy. Added to the list! 8mo
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