Raw Dog

Bookseller recommendation

“This book is a freaking wild ride, which I recommend you get on. Yes, there is hot dog information between the unfiltered commentary from the author, who reminds me of a young Anthony Bourdain, while they wander along the road searching for this iconic food. ”

— CoriAnn • The Green Dragon Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Funny, informative, and fantastic, this has to be the most American book ever written. It has: a road trip with a relationship on line, plus pets; hot dogs; baseball; the COVID-19 pandemic; the trials and tribulations of small businesses; corporations pretending to be the small guy; the Great Depression; local communities who love their local food joints; anthropomorphized food items used for marketing purposes (we hope); prejudices against ketchup; and humor. Raw Dog is kind of like if Fast Food Nation were summarized by a stand-up comedian. And Jamie narrating the book herself is just perfect! ”

— Jennifer • Tattered Cover

Bookseller recommendation

“I would like Jamie Loftus to narrate my LIFE please and thanks. Sardonic, brilliant, anarchy on a bun!”

— Tory • Sower Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This is your smart, funny, acerbic, friend talking at you a mile a minute about their latest hyperfixation which, in this case, is hot dogs. This is a cross country travelogue steeped in meat-sweat and post-pandemic uncertainty with detours through such territory as gas station pickles and the politics of competitive eating. This is an appropriately angry critique of America via as patriotic a symbol as they come: The All American Hot Dog. You can keep loving hot dogs just let Loftus complicate that love for you. You can thank me later. ”

— Jenna • Phoenix Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I know you've never actively wanted to know the history of the hot dog, but you should. Using the comfort food as a lens, Jamie Loftus examines all sorts of niche elements of societies and neighborhoods around the US and makes it eye opening, informative, and simply hilarious.”

— Holly • Kew & Willow Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Have you ever wondered how hotdogs are made? Or how the meatpacking industry was one of the largest breeding grounds for COVID-19? How about hotdogs as a tool of capitalism? You will learn about all of this and more in Raw Dog, delivered with Jamie Loftus’ signature humor. I laughed so hard I cried multiple times! I would recommend this book to people who love travel/culinary writing and/or fans of Samantha Irby ”

— Brittany • Ruby's Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Okay, listen...whether or not you *like* hot dogs, you have to read this book. Jamie Loftus is crass, hysterical, and doesn't shy away from her sharp-witted, leftist point of view. The hot dog is simply a gateway to talk about the world at large--everything from food culture, to the meat packing industry, to socioeconomic history, to Loftus's sexual desires. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cringe, it might even make you horny. And all while that is happening, you're learning more about hot dogs than you ever thought possible.”

— Frances • Country Bookshelf

Bookseller recommendation

“Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus, (host of The Lolita Podcast and Ghost Church), covers all the basics you'd expect from a writer embarking on a road trip to taste test all the hottest pork tubes in America - a crumbling relationship due to a distaste for mustard, xenophobia and sexism in the competitive hot-dog eating circuit, and the horrible conditions for both humans and animals in the meat industry. With a deft touch for comedic lines in between all the facts that made me thankful to be a vegetarian, this audiobook will arrive just in time for your next summer beach party by the grill! ”

— Sarah • Third Place Books