Likely Stories - Tender is the Flesh

If you are in the mood for a read that will haunt you this spooky season, I recommend the dark, and grotesque book, Tender is the flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. Bazterrica is an Argentinean author, this book was originally published in Spanish in 2017, and won the prestigious Clarín Novel Prize, it was translated into English in 2020.

Tender is the Flesh is set in the near future. A virus has infected animals - and it can easily spread to humans. Therefore, all animals are killed, there are no more pets, no more zoos, no more wildlife, and no animals raised for meat.

A hunger and a taste for meat persists, and cannibalism becomes common, then mainstream. In this dystopian future, people are soon raised for meat and dehumanized, they are referred to as "heads," and slaughtered to produce, "the special meat."

The book follows Marcos, a supplier trapped in the "special meat" industry. He is tormented by the cruelty he witnesses, but cannot leave his position for numerous reasons. We see the slaughterhouse floor through Marcos' eyes, as "heads" are butchered and pieced apart. We visit a breeding center with Marcos, a neighborhood butcher shop, a retreat where wealthy individuals can hunt their own "special meat," and even Marcos' sister's house where his niece and nephew are eating "special kidneys," and wondering aloud what people they know might taste like.

Marcos is faced with an ethical dilemma when he is gifted a high quality female "head" - he can sell her for a nice profit, slaughter her and enjoy the "special meat," or keep her in the barn and decide what to do later. The story takes truly surprising twists and turns and comes to an appropriately gruesome and horrific end.

I did not eat meat for weeks after reading this book. Seeing meat brought to mind passages from "Tender as the Flesh," that made me squirm. This book gets under your skin, is it appalling and incriminating.

Bazterrica clearly wants her readers to examine their beliefs about meat, and the treatment of animals in our industrialized system. She raises questions about ethical consumption, how easily we compromise our core human values, and our powerlessness in the face of socially accepted evils. You could easily read this book as a metaphor for capitalism, or you could simply consume it as a dystopian horror story about cannibalism.

Tender is the Flesh, is a short and fast paced read. I couldn't look away, even when I wanted to. It would be a bold choice for an adventurous bookclub, but its not for everyone. Reader beware, this book might haunt you.

PREVIOUS EPISODES OF LIKELY STORIES

Likely Stories - Hope by Pope Francis

Host - Likely Stories

Likely Stories - The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

Have you ever found yourself inexplicably moved by something incredibly simple and innocuous? A blinking street light in the dead of night. A solitary shopping cart in an empty parking lot. If so, then you might like to know, that sudden shift of emotion is known as a heartspur.

Likely Stories - Bitter Soil by Mahasweta Devi

This is Guilherme Feitosa DeAlmeida, senior lecturer of Musical Theatre at Baylor University. I'm here with this week's edition of Likely Stories. Award winning author Mahasweta Devi is an environmental crusader. Bitter Soil is her narrative manifesto.

Likely Stories - You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy

In my goal to read more nonfiction books, I picked up You’re Not Listening – what you’re missing and why it matters by Kate Murphy. I admit I can’t remember who recommended this book, I probably wasn’t listening… but reading it is a great opportunity to learn how to become a better listener and who doesn’t want that.I’m Lucy Petter. Welcome to today’s Likely Stories.

Likely Stories - I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman

My name is Heather White, I teach Art History classes at Baylor and manage my household, I have two toddlers and a ten year old. Today I am reviewing, “I Who Have Never Known Men,” by Jaqueline Harpman. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry, it’s an older, obscure book with a somewhat wordy title.

Likely Stories - Midnight Cowboy by James Kendrick

If you haven’t seen the movie Midnight Cowboy, don’t read Baylor professor James Kendrick’s new book Midnight Cowboy. It is full of spoilers…full.

Likely Stories - The Favorites by Layne Fargo

You know, investing my soul into a story about fictional competitive ice dancers was not what I had on my 2025 BINGO card, yet there I was, poring over the pages of this book and pouring out my emotions over this debut that is an homage to Wuthering Heights and reads like part fictional account and part Netflix Olympic documentary. Dig in your toepicks to 'The Favorites' by Layne Fargo and get ready for one heck of a spin.

Likely Stories - Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hey there. Lauren here. I’m KWBU’s public relations intern as well as a Baylor student and a bookseller at Fabled. Today I’m going to be talking all about the book, Carrie Sotozis Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Let me tell you, I love me some Taylor Jenkins Reid. I would probably say she’s my favorite author. She writes such fascinating stories with the most interesting characters. One of these interesting characters being Carrie Soto.

Likely Stories - Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

Have you ever been in a daily commute, or in a class, and sat next to the same people day in and day out, and not known one thing about them? Not their names, not their jobs, and certainly not their lives. You give them nicknames in your head attributed to what they wear and what they drink, but you have no idea who they are. Of course, you never speak. The first rule is “don’t talk to strangers.” What would it take to get to know these people, and in turn to let them into your life?

Likely Stories - Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

I’m Joe Riley with KWBU, and this is Likely Stories.Every couple of weeks, I visit the Waco McLennan County Library and browse the New Book shelves. That’s where I saw Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice. Actually, it was the author’s name that first caught my eye – Barbara Bradley Hagerty is currently a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Before that, she spent 19 years reporting on justice issues and religion for NPR. I checked the book out because I’ve always been impressed by her work.