In trying to figure things out, here’s what I’ve read so far. It’s been equal parts horrifying, inspiring, nauseating, and fascinating:
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
- In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
- Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin
- Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin
- The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend (I’m halfway through this one)
And here’s what’s at the top of the pile:
- The Ethics of What We Eat by Peter Singer and Jim Mason
- Bringing It to the Table: On Farming and Food by Wendell Berry
- Meat: A Love Story by Susan Bourette
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Michael Pollan
- Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food by Gene Baur
- Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully
I haven’t read in this kind of depth about any topic since grad school. I’m eager to round out my syllabus, so please feel free to recommend additional reading!
Hello! I just found out about your blog via Readymade, and I wanted to write a quick note to tell you that You Rock! I’m doing the vegan thing for the same reasons that you’re pursuing the ethical eating concept. I love that you’re taking this approach and sharing what you learn, because obviously veganism doesn’t have wide appeal. I will definitely be pointing friends and family members to your site.
Thanks for listing the books that you’re reading. I’ve read four or five of them, but need to follow up on some of the others. And the main one that I would add to your list is Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz. When I was considering reading it I thought, “Yeah, obviously slaughterhouses aren’t nice. What else do I need to know?” The answer was A LOT, and it was staggering. I haven’t read Eating Animals yet, so he might touch on some of what Eisnitz describes — but part of what makes it such an amazing (and disturbing) read is her description of the process she went through to document it all. It was like, every time I’d made a conclusion about who the “bad guy” was in the system, she added another layer of dysfunction and corruption.
One other book I read and enjoyed was Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat by Howard Lyman. It was plenty eye-opening, but unfortunately it’s a little bit dated so I don’t feel completely comfortable quoting from it. Some of what he describes about what cattle are fed is from before the laws changed around ’97, and I haven’t been able to ascertain the degree to which things have changed since then. For that reason, I wouldn’t press it upon you as zealously as I would the Eisnitz book (which I think is an Absolute Must-Read).
Thanks for listening to me babble on. Thumbs up to your blog! :)