Books

My #Vegan #shelfie!

We all love to snuggle up with a good book at some point - whether on Kindle, Nook or good old fashioned paper.

And there are books that transport you to escapist fantasy - which is lovely, and there are books that really can change your life, for good - which is incredible. That's the power of the written word.

I'll discuss a few here on this page - from those I'm reading currently, to those I've read previously and those I've had recommended to me. They are all related to Veganism in one way or another.

Pick a couple, snuggle down and prepare for something special to happen...

Chantal xx

CURRENTLY READING:

"Meatonomics" Website
The Bizarre Economics of Meat and Dairy

MEATONOMICS (Conari Press, 2013) is the first book to explore the unseen economic forces that drive our animal food system, and the strange ways these forces affect our spending, eating, health, prosperity, and longevity. Among other things, consumers have largely lost the ability to decide for ourselves what – and how much – to eat. Instead, those decisions are made for us by meat and dairy producers who control our buying choices with artificially low prices, misleading messaging, and heavy control over legislation and regulation. Learn what makes this bizarre system tick and how it can be fixed.
I'm finding this book well written, clear and easy to read. I started highlighting some of the incredible facts n stats but the pages are simply littered with them. Although written about the USA you just know that it relates to the UK as well. It's utterly terrifying and be warned... it will make you very angry at how we, as consumers, have been deceived and exploited - along with the billions of other sentient beings raised for 'food'. A powerful read - I recommend it.


"Veganomics" Website
The Surprising Science on What Motivates Vegetarians from the Table to the Bedroom

Flip through a magazine, turn on the TV, or browse around online, and it quickly becomes clear: vegetarian eating is on the rise. But just who are vegetarians? How do they make the transition? And what really drives them to take the meat off their plates? Vegetarians differ from omnivores not just in their eating habits but also in their psychology, personalities, friendship choices, even their sex lives. Extensive studies from around the world show that they vote differently, take different jobs, and have brains that fire differently. This research also provides insight into why people who consider themselves vegetarian may not really be vegetarian at all, and why so many fall off the vegetarian waggon.Veganomics is a fascinating journey through the science on vegetarians and vegetarian eating, shedding new light on how and why people eat the way they do, and what impact their dietary choices can have on the world around us. Be forewarned: after reading this book, you may never look at vegetarians the same way again!
I've only just started this book (seem to be going with similar book names!) but it's an instantly easy read and full of interesting facts... although something hasn't made me compelled to read it from beginning to end in a day... but because it's easy to read its one to dip into on the bus or the train or in your lunch break etc. I'll report back with more thoughts as and when...



"Confronting Animal Exploitation"  Website
Grassroots Essays on Liberation and Veganism

As animal exploitation increases, animal liberation issues are of growing concern, as seen through the rise of veganism, academic disciplines devoted to animal issues, and mainstream critiques of factory farms. Yet as the dialogues, debates and books continue to grow, the voices of “street level” activists–not academics, journalists or vegan chefs–are rarely heard. This volume broadens animal liberation dialogues by offering the arguments, challenges, inspiration and narratives of grassroots activists. The essays show what animal advocacy looks like from a collective of individuals living in and around Minnesota’s Twin Cities; the essayists, however, write of issues, both personal and political, that resound on a global scale. This collection provides a platform for rank and file activists to explain why and how they dedicate their time and what is being done for animals on a local level that can translate to global efforts to end animal exploitation.
I'm about a quarter of the way through this book and again, because of its style, it's one you can dip into whenever you have a spare hour to read one of the self contained essays. It interests me greatly because these are real life perspectives from people involved in the animal rights movement and they give much food for thought of the struggles we face in waking up a world that is sleeping and brainwashed. Definitely worth keeping in your bag. 

ON MY WISH LIST:

"Animal Liberation" Website
The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement

Peter Singer is a name you will come across time and again - a brilliant ethics hero and philosopher of our times.

Immensely influential and powerful, Animal Liberation is also highly unusual. A comprehensive analysis of conditions in factory farms and animal laboratories, it compellingly argues that we should stop eating meat. A work of philosophy, it includes recipes for vegetarian food. In this revised edition, Peter Singer discusses the evolution of the animal rights movement and the extent to which his own views have changed since first publication in 1975. He also graphically updates his account of what is being done to animals in the name of scientific, military and commercial research. [review of second edition - now updated]

This is arguably THE seminal work that drove the animal rights movement and I'm unsure as to why I haven't read this yet, perhaps it's because it will confirm worst nightmares, again. But I shall, none-the-less, because I feel we all should, as a moral imperative.



"Whole" Website
Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

Dr. Campbell’s new book picks up where The China Study left off. Whole chronicles scientific reductionism and reveals the “wholistic” workings of nutrition, starting at the cellular level and working its way up to the entire organism.
Because our current health system and practices are unsustainable, the public has more power of influence than ever before. Change is finally within our reach. We now know that most heart attacks and strokes, cancers and unnecessary deaths are preventable through nutrition, and we can choose wisely what we put into our mouths every day. Whole is an extraordinary tool that shows us how to free our bodies, our minds, and our planet from the economic disparity and biological logic that is making us sicker and poorer than ever before. It is a journey into cutting-edge nutrition, led by one of the masters of the science.
I have this book waiting for my little vegan paws to open it... it should be an interesting read. Widely praised by the plant-based / Vegan communities it has of course been rubbished by the big pharma, agri-biz and food manufacturer consortiums - shock. But I've no doubt having read The China Study, critically analysed some independent unbiased research that this, as ever will be an incredible book. I know the different that a whole-foods Vegan diet has made to my life and health.

BACK ON THE SHELF:

"The China Study" Website
The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted

Americans spend far more, per capita, on health care than any other society in the world and yet two-thirds of Americans are overweight. As trendy diets and weight-loss frenzy sweep the nation, more than 15 million Americans have diabetes and our children are increasingly falling prey to a form of diabetes that used to be seen only in adults. If we’re obsessed with being thin more so than ever before, why are Americans stricken with chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, as much as we were 30 years ago?
It all comes down to three things: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
In The China Study, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Recognised as the most comprehensive nutritional study ever conducted on the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease, The China Study cuts through the haze of misinformation and examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by government entities, lobbies, and opportunistic scientists.
The China Study, a national bestseller co-authored by Dr. Campbell and his son, Thomas M. Campbell, MD, has sold more than 1 million copies since it was first published in 2005. It is the foundation upon which a nationwide plant-based diet movement is based. The China Study presents a clear and concise message of hope as it dispels a multitude of health myths and misinformation.
The science is clear. If you want to be healthy, change your diet.
If you've read my very personal post on my journey to veganism you'll know that this was one of those books that truly did change my life. I read it as the result of my best friend Sally being diagnosed with cancer. It's a little heavy going in places but there are some paragraphs that just blow your mind and really make you gasp. Please be aware that The Vegan Society does not endorse the findings in this book - reasons being that some of the backup research was done using mice. Whilst I'm against vivisection and aware that other species cannot be a reliable genetic marker for humans it's my opinion that the vast collation of cohort studies to be found in this book (much of it not reliant on animal testing in any way) are comprehensive enough for its findings to be highly compelling. It's a seminal work of our era and a must-read.



"The World Peace Diet" Website
Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony

Food is our most intimate and telling connection both with the living natural order and with our living cultural heritage. By eating the plants and animals of our earth, we literally incorporate them. It is also through this act of eating that we partake of our culture's values and paradigms at the most primal levels. It is becoming increasingly obvious, however, that the choices we make about our food are leading to environmental degradation, enormous human health problems, and unimaginable cruelty toward our fellow creatures. Incorporating systems theory, teachings from mythology and religions, and the human sciences, The World Peace Diet presents the outlines of a more empowering understanding of our world, based on a comprehension of the far-reaching implications of our food choices and the worldview those choices reflect and mandate. The author offers a set of universal principles for all people of conscience, from any religious tradition, that they can follow to reconnect with what we are eating, what was required to get it on our plate, and what happens after it leaves our plates.
The World Peace Diet suggests how we as a species might move our consciousness forward so that we can be more free, more intelligent, more loving, and happier in the choices we make.
Many many people recommended this book to me when I first embarked upon my new Vegan life. However, I'm afraid this is not the book for me. I only made it part of the way through. Whilst I believe in the physical presence of energy within a human and the human spirit of endeavour and connectedness through a higher consciousness - I struggle with the concept of spirituality bordering on religion. This book is very heavy on spirituality sentiment and I find the writing a little patronising in places, therefore it didn't appeal to me. Its messages are of ultimate peace though, so if you can handle that style of prose you may enjoy. [additional note: I find it quite distasteful how Dr Tutle promos his book/s throughout his talks now.]

PONDERING PURCHASING:

"Planet Carnivore"
Why Cheap Meat Costs the Earth and How to Pay the Bill
find out more...

"Vegan"
The New Ethics of Eating
find out more...

"Why we Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows"
An Introduction to Carnism
find out more...

"Today's Freaks"
An A - Z of the Lives and Deaths of Farm Animals
pdf online...


"Meat is for Pussies" 
A How to Guide for People who want to get fit, kick ass and take names 
find out more...

"Skinny Bitch"
find out more...

"The Empathy Spectrum"
find out more...

"Ethics and Animals"
An Introduction
find out more...

"How Animals Grieve"

find out more...

"Gifts of the Crow"
find out more...

"A Fighting Chance"
Prevent and Overcome Breast Cancer with a Vegan Diet
find out more...

"Kindred Beings"
find out more...



Books that my Twitter followers have recommended...

I just bought: 'Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat' by Philip Lymbery via @AmazonUK http://t.co/hcC6JN0Bj8
— Debbie 'Calf' Harris (@debbiedaywalker) January 22, 2014