M OO, a satirical novel set in a midwestern university, has a large cast of animal and human characters. "Earl Butz," a hog being raised secretly in solitary confinement to determine how large he can become, epitomizes how scientists have cruelly domesticated animals to the point that their ties to the natural world have been completely obliterated. Earl Butz's only memory of the natural world concerns a day spent gamboling as a piglet in a field. When accidentally freed from his subterranean pen, Earl Butz can scarcely run and has no instincts for escape. Unaccustomed to exercise, the hog drops dead from his exertions.

Student characters include Bob Carlson, Earl Butz's devoted, muscular caretaker; Mary Jackson, an AfricanAmerican from Chicago who has trouble identifying with whites and encounters subtle racism; Gary Olson, a would-be novelist who spends his time eavesdropping on conversations for story ideas; Diane, an ambitious...