Animal Rights Reading: A Top Ten Summer Book List
Animal Rights Reading: A Top Ten Summer Book List
posted by: Kayla Coleman
July 2, 2010
If you want to delve a little deeper into animal issues, these books are a great start. They're enjoyable, informational, and might just inspire the activist in you. They're also in no particular order.
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
One of my all-time favorite books, Charlotte's Web is the first time I, and I suspect many other children, were exposed to outright animal advocacy in literature. The first pages are both touching and harrowing. Young Fern convinces her farmer father to spare the life of a runt pig, declaring, "The pig couldn't help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth would you have killed me?" Fern's innocent wisdom points out something that the adults around her have become desensitized to -- that an animal's life, even a runt pig's, has value.
Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn
There's a reason everyone from Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Matthew Scully, presidential speech writer (and author of his own animal welfare book, Dominion) loves Dawn's brilliant and well-researched look into all the ways humans use animals. Dawn thoroughly covers issues from eating animals to animal testing to animals in show business and manages to do so with a sense of humor. It's not everyday I'd call a book on such heavy topics "fun to read" -- but this one is. This is an animal welfare bible, with illustrations and cartoons throughout.
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism by Melanie Joy
Many people enter the world of animals rights with one thought: "How can I love one animal and eat another?" Psychologist and educator Melanie Joy examines how humans can compartmentalize animals, caring so deeply for some species while completely disregarding the welfare of others.There's no question that humans psychologically condition themselves to separate animals into categorical uses. Just think: if you found out that juicy "steak" you just bit into wasn't cow but golden retriever, would it be as appetizing?
Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth- and Animal-Friendly Living by Ingrid Newkirk
If Thanking the Monkey is the animal rights bible, this is the phonebook. Ingrid Newkirk (yes, that Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA) will tell you how to advocate for animals in every aspect of your life, AND she lists companies to help you. Everything from how to kindly deal with home invaders to how to throw a cruelty-free party. This is a simple guide to animal-friendly living that proves even small acts can make a difference.
Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement by Peter Singer
Some say the modern animal rights movement started right here, and it's a must-read for anyone interested in animal issues and their history. Singer, a philosopher, isn't always gentle with his arguments, but his manifesto, published in 1975, will have you looking at the world with new eyes.
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Safran Foer is traditionally a novelist, so his examination of animal agriculture doesn't read like most. He's new into the world of animal welfare and his good-natured curiosity is charming and relatable. The combination of personal accounts from farmers and ranchers, scientific facts and stats, and the author's innocent investigator role makes Eating Animals readable for everyone, no matter what their stance on [the act of] eating animals may be.
Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good by Jonathan Balcombe
A lot of books on animal issues focus on their mistreatment and suffering. But Balcombe, an animal behavior research consultant, writes about the joy that animals express. He reminds us that animals have a range of emotions and, when given the freedom, express complex personalities. He uses science and anecdotes to prove "that the animal kingdom is rich in pleasure."
Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food by Gene Baur
Baur is the founder of Farm Sanctuary, and this book chronicles his journey from rescuing a downed sheep he found in a stockyard's dump heap to lobbying for animals in Washington and running one of the most well-known and successful animal advocacy groups and sanctuaries today. This book gives a compelling inside look into activism and advocacy, as well as individual portraits of Farm Sanctuary's animals and their amazing, heartwarming journeys from slaughterhouse to animal utopia.
Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat by Howard Lyman
If you're skeptical about the excruciating tales animal rights folks will tell you about today's factory farms, then read this book and get the info first-hand, from none other than a cattle rancher. Lyman started looking into animal agriculture practices because of personal health problems and ended up a compelling animal rights advocate. After talking with the approachable, every-man Lyman, Oprah Winfrey declared that she'd never eat a hamburger again. You might do the same.
Irreconcilable Differences by Nathan J. Winograd
This book is recommended by my fellow blogger Sharon Seltzer, who says: "Winograd is the founder of the No Kill movement that advocates no adoptable pet needs to be euthanized in an animal shelter in the U.S. There are homes for all pets and the fault for not finding homes lies with animal shelter and how they operate. The book addresses the problems in animals shelters and why we continue to euthanize adoptable pets."
Of course there are many other books that could have gone on this list -- please let us know what you think! Have you read any of the above books? What was your experience? What other animal welfare books do you recommend?
Check Out the Many Interesting Reader Comments who have suggested other good books to consider reading:
http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/animal-rights-readi...
posted by: Kayla Coleman
July 2, 2010
If you want to delve a little deeper into animal issues, these books are a great start. They're enjoyable, informational, and might just inspire the activist in you. They're also in no particular order.
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
One of my all-time favorite books, Charlotte's Web is the first time I, and I suspect many other children, were exposed to outright animal advocacy in literature. The first pages are both touching and harrowing. Young Fern convinces her farmer father to spare the life of a runt pig, declaring, "The pig couldn't help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth would you have killed me?" Fern's innocent wisdom points out something that the adults around her have become desensitized to -- that an animal's life, even a runt pig's, has value.
Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn
There's a reason everyone from Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Matthew Scully, presidential speech writer (and author of his own animal welfare book, Dominion) loves Dawn's brilliant and well-researched look into all the ways humans use animals. Dawn thoroughly covers issues from eating animals to animal testing to animals in show business and manages to do so with a sense of humor. It's not everyday I'd call a book on such heavy topics "fun to read" -- but this one is. This is an animal welfare bible, with illustrations and cartoons throughout.
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism by Melanie Joy
Many people enter the world of animals rights with one thought: "How can I love one animal and eat another?" Psychologist and educator Melanie Joy examines how humans can compartmentalize animals, caring so deeply for some species while completely disregarding the welfare of others.There's no question that humans psychologically condition themselves to separate animals into categorical uses. Just think: if you found out that juicy "steak" you just bit into wasn't cow but golden retriever, would it be as appetizing?
Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth- and Animal-Friendly Living by Ingrid Newkirk
If Thanking the Monkey is the animal rights bible, this is the phonebook. Ingrid Newkirk (yes, that Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA) will tell you how to advocate for animals in every aspect of your life, AND she lists companies to help you. Everything from how to kindly deal with home invaders to how to throw a cruelty-free party. This is a simple guide to animal-friendly living that proves even small acts can make a difference.
Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement by Peter Singer
Some say the modern animal rights movement started right here, and it's a must-read for anyone interested in animal issues and their history. Singer, a philosopher, isn't always gentle with his arguments, but his manifesto, published in 1975, will have you looking at the world with new eyes.
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Safran Foer is traditionally a novelist, so his examination of animal agriculture doesn't read like most. He's new into the world of animal welfare and his good-natured curiosity is charming and relatable. The combination of personal accounts from farmers and ranchers, scientific facts and stats, and the author's innocent investigator role makes Eating Animals readable for everyone, no matter what their stance on [the act of] eating animals may be.
Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good by Jonathan Balcombe
A lot of books on animal issues focus on their mistreatment and suffering. But Balcombe, an animal behavior research consultant, writes about the joy that animals express. He reminds us that animals have a range of emotions and, when given the freedom, express complex personalities. He uses science and anecdotes to prove "that the animal kingdom is rich in pleasure."
Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food by Gene Baur
Baur is the founder of Farm Sanctuary, and this book chronicles his journey from rescuing a downed sheep he found in a stockyard's dump heap to lobbying for animals in Washington and running one of the most well-known and successful animal advocacy groups and sanctuaries today. This book gives a compelling inside look into activism and advocacy, as well as individual portraits of Farm Sanctuary's animals and their amazing, heartwarming journeys from slaughterhouse to animal utopia.
Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat by Howard Lyman
If you're skeptical about the excruciating tales animal rights folks will tell you about today's factory farms, then read this book and get the info first-hand, from none other than a cattle rancher. Lyman started looking into animal agriculture practices because of personal health problems and ended up a compelling animal rights advocate. After talking with the approachable, every-man Lyman, Oprah Winfrey declared that she'd never eat a hamburger again. You might do the same.
Irreconcilable Differences by Nathan J. Winograd
This book is recommended by my fellow blogger Sharon Seltzer, who says: "Winograd is the founder of the No Kill movement that advocates no adoptable pet needs to be euthanized in an animal shelter in the U.S. There are homes for all pets and the fault for not finding homes lies with animal shelter and how they operate. The book addresses the problems in animals shelters and why we continue to euthanize adoptable pets."
Of course there are many other books that could have gone on this list -- please let us know what you think! Have you read any of the above books? What was your experience? What other animal welfare books do you recommend?
Check Out the Many Interesting Reader Comments who have suggested other good books to consider reading:
http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/animal-rights-readi...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rod on -
Thanks for the list - I'll be interested to check some of those out. I've only read 'Animal Liberation' from the list, and I thought it was a great book in setting out the arguments clearly, although I remember thinking it was a little poorly-researched on the "free-range" eggs issue (I haven't read it for 15 years or so!).
As I recall, Singer felt that if the hens were well-treated, then there was not a major problem. Leaving aside that commercial operations try to stretch the definition of "free-range" to include fairly intensive systems, for every hen bred there is a male chick which gets chopped up, gassed, or slowly suffocated along with a few hundred others in plastic garbage bags. Hens also get the chop after their laying prime passes - at around 4 years of age on the farm I lived on, though apparently earlier in serious commercial operations (their natural lifespan is around 11). And mass-methods of killing are rarely "humane".
I want to take a look at the Jonathan Safran Foer book on the list - he was interviewed on the 'Lateline' program here not too long ago - the first part is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Cjkd9IMy0 - and not only did he speak very well, he also inspired Lateline to do some investigative work themselves.
The animal-rightsy type book I look at most often is 'The Extended Circle: An Anthology of Humane Thought' by Jon Wynne-Tyson - I just feel heartened reading from the range of people who are quoted. When I was younger I read more gruesome fare like 'The Dreaded Comparison' by Marjorie Spiegel and 'Slaughter of the Innocent' by Hans Ruesch - thinking to find books that might influence people with their graphic nature. But I later changed my mind on how best to influence people!
For those interested in laughable pulp-fiction - though with some bits I thought were genuinely good for the genre, and with an animal-rights theme, I also recommend 'The Ethical Assassin' by David Liss. -
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Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on -
Rod, thanks so much for the link on the interview with Jonathan Foer. And your book suggestions as well. I need to read something more uplifting ('The Extended Circle:) than the horror stories about abused animals and the news in general. It's begun to take it's toll on my mental health of late... Always appreciate what you offer to us on T/A - Thanks for your input!
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Permalink Reply by Rod on
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Hi Sydni, I think you raise another interesting issue - that of mental health! I think those of us afflicted with a well-developed sense of empathy (and a greater need for a logically consistent morality) are bound to suffer more stress than most. It would be interesting to hear from others in this group if they feel alienated from society to any degree, and more upset by the injustices or stupidities they see than most, and if it causes them stress or depression, and how they deal with it.
For me, I can get pleasantly distracted from the world by my own personal projects, and I also try to get inspired at some point each day by people who strike me as brilliant intellectually or artistically (e.g. in music, literature, movies/tv, art) - preferably from the present, though naturally the past offers greater numbers (it's just a downer that I'll never meet them - unless our societies finally accept the moral imperative to start CLONING the great people from the past!).
While it's probably a good thing to avoid irritating or depressing news stories or opinion pieces, my personality is such that I find that difficult to do, so when I'm struck by those issues I try to focus on thinking of how a situation could be changed for the better, and how those changes could be achieved. I also find it heartening to look at what has been achieved - here in Oz and in other countries over the past hundred years or so. Take care! -
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Permalink Reply by GOPI KANTA GHOSH on
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Thanks
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Permalink Reply by Rod on
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Well, I haven't yet gotten to any of the books on the above list that I wanted to - mainly because I got stuck oscillating between 'Anna Karenina' (I've never read Tolstoy before - WHY do we care about Vronsky and Anna? And where's the artistry, or the keen observations? I'm only on about p120, and I just cannot see the point of continuing through the 800 pages), so I get bored and switch to 'The Flight of the Intellectuals' (Paul Berman) - some important points, but a little too verbose and dry, and too much time spent on Tariq Ramadan, so then I switch to 'Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World' (Jeffrey Herf) - vitally important, but too depressing for long sessions.
So then I switched to re-read an old favourite - Richard Dawkins' 'A Devil's Chaplain' - and the third essay 'Gaps in the Mind'. Okay, it's only one essay, but it's great. He writes of "The speciesist assumption" people often fall into when talking about animals.
Dawkins writes of the brouhaha which would ensue if there were to be a living specimen found of one of the intermediate species between us and our common ancestor with the chimp - and the debate over how it should be treated etc.
"The boundaries with which we segregate our world would all be shot to pieces. Racism would blur with speciesism in obdurate and vicious confusion."
"... But why, a moral philospher might ask, should this matter to us? Isn't it only the discontinuous mind that wants to erect barriers anyway? ... Surely we should, in any case, not base our treatment of animals on whether or not we can interbreed with them. If we want to justify double standards - if society agrees that people should be treated better than, say, cows (cows may be cooked and eaten, people may not) - there must be better reasons than cousinship. ... So, the moral philospher asks, why emphasize the human/chimp continuity?
"... But the melancholy fact is that, at present, society's moral attitudes rest almost entirely on the discontinuous, speciesist imperative."
"... Ethical principles that are based on accidental caprice should not be respected as if cast in stone."
You get the idea of the essay. I loved it. And the rest of the book is fantastic - not that I agree with everything in the essays, but I love the way the guy writes so clearly and inquisitively, and with such a regard for finding the truth regardless of personal cost. So it's not a book about animal rights, but if you find that essay online you might find it worth a read. -
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Permalink Reply by Rod on
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Hey Stephen, thanks for that list of essays - what a great range to choose from! I've looked over your website some more - wow. There's so MUCH stuff you've collected there - and you do an amazing job dealing with the dog-meat issue. That's got to be so hard to focus on. (For anyone wanting an insight into the issue in Korea, the website is http://animalrightskorea.org/ )
I've just about given up on Tolstoy's Karenina at about the 240 page mark, so to get a better opinion of him I turned instead to Tolstoy's entry in 'The Extended Circle' -
"If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals"
And
"A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral."
That really is a good book to flick through! -
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Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on
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Stephen, that was an excellent book review and of course now I want to read this book immediately. I wish I had more time to respond, but I had to just quickly let you know how much I appreciated what you wrote.
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