I read Linzey's book, "Animal Gospel," in which he laid a good theological basis for humane care of animals and the practice of vegetarianism. However, he did not adequately address certain issues which were pressing to me. These included God giving Noah permission to eat meat, God providing a garment of skin for Adam and Eve, the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, Jesus eating meat and Paul's arguments against vegetarianism. Richard Young does and excellent job addressing all of these and other issues. He approaches each issue and question with straight forward honesty. Frequently, I felt as if he brought up an issue with which there was not good vegetarian response. However, he would address how it is normally read, frequently in complete agreement with the traditional reading of the passage, but then very gently present a fresh perspective.

Some Christian vegetarian groups use dubious historical documents to "prove" that Jesus and/or his disciples were vegetarian. Young does nothing of the kind, in fact, he debunks those attempts. He is very honest and straightforward in presenting his case.

I would strongly recommend this book for the Christian who is struggling with animal rights and vegetarianism from a Biblical perspective. If a Christian is not struggling with these issues, perhaps they should and this book would be a good place to start.

Dr. Young is much more than a relevant contemporary Christian, he is also an exceptional theologian, scholar/teacher of the Greek New Testament, and lives very much what he teaches. He was my Greek professor nearly 20 years ago and I must say his literary work has taken on a distilled wisdom. Best wishes to all who read his work.

M. Williams

One of the most important things about this book is that it does NOT, I repeat NOT, try to reinvent Jesus as a vegetarian. There have been some attempts to try to "prove" Jesus was vegetarian, but the author finds the evidence for such reinventions to not be compelling. The author basically concludes that some consumption of meat is biblically acceptable, so long as the animal has been treated with care and compassion during its life. On the other hand, the author also concludes that vegetarian is preferred, and factory farming would have to be contemptable in God's eyes. By the way, I'm personally an agnostic, and one of the reasons why I have turned away from Christianity is that the Christian church, in general, does not see the obvious truth to the immorality of factory farming. This book is must reading.

Joan Dunayer compellingly argues that the cruel treatment of nonhuman animals (in vivisection, entertainment, sport, rearing/slaughter for food consumption, etc.) is often masked by the euphemisms we employ. We are all familiar with our tendency to call the flesh of dead cow "beef," but Dunayer digs deeper and calls for an end to other common practices that undermine the individuality and unique personality of each and every nonhuman animal that exists. "Wildlife management" groups facilitate hunting. "Animal welfare committees" often oversee research in which countless nonhumans are blinded, subjected to burns, and killed. Zoos market themselves as "wildlife conservationists," imprisoning sentient beings in cages and tanks, depriving them of natural stimuli, and driving them to repetitive and self-destructive behaviors.

Dunayer dispels the myth that language separates humans from nonhumans. Two of her many examples include Alex the African gray parrot who can count, identify objects, and convey fear and sorrow (all using human English), and Washoe the chimpanzee who learned American Sign Language then spontaneously taught it to her son.

The author draws analogies between the current treatment of nonhumans and past abuses of human slaves and women. (At one time both human slaves and women were not considered "persons," much like nonhumans today.) Words like emancipation and abolitionist are resurrected and applied to a cause just as worthy of our concern and immediate action.

The book incorporates a handy thesaurus of words that can be used as alternatives to speciesist terms (e.g. use "flesh" or "muscle" instead of "meat," use "captor" or "keeper" instead of "caretaker") as well as style guidelines for countering speciesism (e.g. use the term animals to include all creatures, human and nonhuman, with a nervous system; avoid expressions that elevate humans above other animals, such as human kindness, the rational species, the sanctity of human life).

This book is a very important building block in making the world a better place for everyone.

We use words not only to inform -- but to deceive and retain our biases. This important book shows how we use words to cover-up and desensitize ourselves to our abuse and cruelty toward other species. It shows how our use language to support our attitudes toward non-human animals as being things or "tools." Dunayer also compares our speciesist language with our expressions of gender bias -- we use the term "mankind" for humankind and "lower" animals for all but humans.

Even people who are sensitive to our more obvious speciesist epithets (like the use of "animal" or "subhuman" to refer to bad actions and "pig" to refer to human sloppiness) and our use of impersonal pronouns when referring to non-humans -- even such sensitized people might still find themselves not exactly "off the hook" (also speciesist).

The book includes a useful thesaurus of speciesist terms and substitute, preferred expressions, as well as a list of style guidelines.

Although this is not a book that one can read in one sitting, it is an important work for both people who care about our treatment and "use" of animals as well as those who care about how we use language.

This book is a MUST read!! Read it and "mind your bees and shrews."

I'm really not given to new-age books, so I started reading this one without much enthusiasm -- was I ever won over! I admire Carol Adams so much after reading this. She has struggled with living in a fully conscious way that overcomes mental and emotional obstacles and opens the way for both productivity and inner peace, and her story is inspiring and instructive. I just bought the companion Meditations book and am now working my way through it. I really can't say enough about this book. It's truly fortifying and worth a read.

Introduction: Woman-Battering in Christian Congregations? (Why Do Men Batter? Effects of Battering, Crises for Children, The Abused Woman Needs Safety, The Batterer Needs Accountability). Chapter 1: Naming the Abuse (Typical Inhibitors for Battered Women, Why Batterers Do Not Name Their Behavior, Creating the Climate for Disclosure, Knowing the Signs of Abuse). Chapter 2: Being Prepared (Providing Practical Assistance, The Discomfort of Calling to Accountability, An Active Counseling Role, Pastoral Self-Care). Chapter 3: Making Referrals (Arguments Against Couple Counseling, How the Community Responds to the Batterer's Needs, How Battered Women's Services Respond, How to Refer, Affirming the Value of Prosecution, Responding to Child Abuse, Proactive Pastoral Care). Chapter 4: Safety (Why Battered Women Seek Pastoral Care, The Movement to Safety, Is She Safe? Assessing Danger, Has He Changed? Will He Change? Forgiveness. Chapter 5: Accountability (Why Batterers Seek Help, Pastoral Responses to Men Who Batter, How to Respond to Controlling and Violent Behavior, Distinguishing between Remorse and Repentance, Arrest and Accountability, Keep Safety Issues Paramount, Scripture and Men Who Batter). Chapter 6: Suffering and Theology (Maintaining the Focus on Behavior, Suffering and the Survivor's Mission, Jesus' Suffering Was Unique, Jesus Halted the Suffering of Others, No More Suffering Is Necessary, A Community That Offers Bread Not Stones). Conclusion: Creating a Responsive Church Community (Responding to the Victim and the Abuser, Preventive Education, Supporting Community Resources Around Battering. Appendix: Handling an Emergency Call.

Having had a difficult couple of years since my son was born and my husband left me, I was living as a vegan on "autopilot" but no longer had that feeling of passion for the subject that I used to. In fact, when people asked why I don't use dairy products, I would mumble something vague, so lost in my other worries had my veganism become.

_The_Vegan_Sourcebook_ has got me feeling inspired again. In an intelligent, compassionate way, she neatly summarizes all of the problems with animal products--the cruelties done to the animals, the environmental devastation, the oppression of the human workers on factory farms and in slaughterhouses (a subject omitted from many other vegan books), and the damage to health. Not only does she discuss the negatives of animal products, she emphasizes the positives of veganism, with inspiring quotes from a diverse array of vegans which really humanize the vegan movement.

The nutrition section by Virginia Messina is positive but realistic, with all the information you need to plan a sound vegan diet for yourself and your family (though I would have prefered more emphasis on the importance of breastfeeding). This is a book that vegans will want to refer to again and again, and show to their nonvegan family members, friends, and health professionals.

When my wife and I decided to go vegetarian in early April, 2001, we really had no plans on cutting out all animal products from our diets (eggs, animal milk, dairy cheese, etc.), but after reading more than one of Joanne Stepaniak's books, we committed to the more extreme step just days after we became vegetarians.

Who is Joanne Stepaniak, you ask? After writing at least a half dozen excellent Vegan cookbooks, and now authoring this unique sourcebook (I don't think there are any such others), Stepaniak has become one of America's most famous and authoritative Vegans. And with good reason! This impressively comprehensive survey should be subtitled "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Veganism ... But Were Afraid to Ask" and it's an amazing and engrossing read for Vegans and non-Vegans alike; I should know -- when I started on Page 1 I was not a Vegan ... well before I finished the book, I was.

Stepaniak covers the entire gamut of Veganism from the elimination of animal flesh and products from our diet (for health reasons, for environmental reasons, for moral reasons) to the total elimination of animal byproducts in other areas of our lives. But Stepaniak is also a realist who repeatedly recognizes the futility of taking such an ethic too far -- and she continually reminds her readers to see the forest for the trees (a refreshing characteristic sadly lacking in similar literature). And never for a moment did I detect any aggressive proselytizing, any holier-than-thou attitude, unlike other books on similar topics. Stepaniak's greatest trait is her ability to balance compelling arguments with gentle compassion and understanding and this is evident on every page.

To anyone interested in improving life on this planet, including their own, I can't recommend this book more highly.

This book shows how beautiful sincere compassion can be.

As a vegan, I found this book to be most enlightening about aspects of veganism I had never understood—specifically zoos and circuses. I didn’t understand why they were wrong. How naïve I was! This book addressed this and many other questions I had in a thoughtful and lucid manner.

Joanne covers every aspect of vegan living, from clothing to household products to diet. If you have questions about being vegan, this is the book to read, and of course Being Vegan. Interspersed through the book are quotes from other vegans that serve as inspiration while reading through the tough parts of this book (i.e. those that explain how animals are treated.) I found these quotes to be very helpful.

Regardless of whether or not you are already vegan, compassion shines through every page of this book. I’d find it hard to believe anyone could still not be vegan after reading it. If you *are* vegan, this book will reinforce your faith (so to speak) and provide valuable information and delicious recipes (always a plus, right?)

And on another note, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Joanne on the Grassroots Veganism site... and she is truly as beautiful as her writing makes her seem. If you have some time, come visit us there. It’s a fantastic atmosphere for new and old vegans alike. It’s inspiring.

This book will remain on my shelf indefinitely. It has enriched my life in ways I can’t begin to express here, and only other vegans can understand how much I mean this. I know my life will be better for having read this. How many books can *you* say that about?

And one last thing, I like how Joanne clarifies to the reading public that veganism is not a diet. Veganism is a lifestyle of compassion. Read this book and you will know why.

Buy it. Buy it now.

Thanks Joanne.

"The Pornography of Meat" seems largely to be a condensed version of Adams's earlier volume, "The Sexual Politics of Meat". The general premise is the same, as are many of her arguments; however, "Pornography" is much shorter and easier to wade through.

With its informal writing style, "Pornography" reminds me of a journal-slash-scrapbook as opposed to a more scholarly piece of literature. Adams's writing style can be somewhat disconcerting; she shifts gears rapidly, leaving the reader with the feeling that she's jumping from topic to topic without fully resolving (many of) them. Her arguments are sometimes so abstract and theoretical that they seem enigmatic. Additionally, Adams does provide references, but not in an especially organized manner; as a result, it's hard to tell what information she pulled from which sources.

Don't get me wrong, "Pornography" is not without its redeeming qualities. Every few pages, Adams does hit the reader w/an excellent point, making all the other jargon worthwhile. The pictures (and there are many!) are the book's single best feature - but unfortunately they're all reproduced in black and white, many of them shrunk down to a fraction of their normal size so that the critical details are obscured.

One more minor gripe: as one of the leading AR organizations, PETA bears the brunt of anti-ARA criticisms, not all of them invalid. Though Adams does mention PETA's "exploitation" of women in their ads, the discussion is unfortunately very brief. As PETA is seen as the Church of the AR movement (and leader Newkirk as its Pope), I thought a more detailed discussion would have been appropriate (after all, what's more ironic than sexism in an organization designed to eradicate "ism"s?).

Adams is one of the few feminist writers that tackles the topic of "parallel oppressions" (speciesism, sexism, racism, etc.). There are painfully few books that deal with such issues, so "Pornography" is a must for anyone interested in the subject. If you'd like to learn more about feminism in relation to animal rights, this book is certainly worth the price - and is actually one of the few options out there.

if christopher guest ever set out to do - in a book about intellectuals - what he has done on film to rock bands and dog shows, The Pornography of Meat would be the result. here is a book that is so bizzarely and feverishly "leftist" that it seems to defy all reason. the book is a carnival of anti-meat, anti-porn, and anti-man rhetoric that may or may not be true. but, honestly, i can't tell you whether or not it is, because i can't wade through this text seriously. it looks SO MUCH like it was written to act as a parody, that i have a difficult time approaching it as actual scholarship. the basic idea seems to be something like this: there is a distinct and provable relationship between the consumption of meat (or at least media depictions thereof) and the consumption of pornographic movies/magazines, etc.. this all presumably builds from the logic of her first book The Sexual Politics of Meat, which i do not own.

the unquestionable highlight of the book are the many pictures that are offered up as evidence of this sordid relationship between porn and meat: the adult video cover where the female character is "hunted" by lustful men, the 30 year old ad for turkey where the bird carcass is layed out in what we are assured is a purposefully lurid pose. the whole thing is really sort of - excuse the pun - undigestable from the point of view of the skeptic. of course, if you're already a zealous, fervid, wild eyed supporter of these sorts of ideas, then this book will be very gratifying. girls with hairy armpits at liberal-arts colleges in vermont are going to be carrying this around like it was the Bible. the only thing that's missing (though perhaps it's there and i just missed it) was a way to tie all of this in with good old fashioned socialism. you know, the oppression of the masses by the ruling elite? the great future that is bound to come when the terror of property is destroyed and we all live on a big hug-a-bear commune and make arts and crafts and uncomfortable itchy hemp shirts? well, other than that, this book is an angry liberals wet dream.

look, let me speak honestly: i'm a man. i don't think of myself as a part of a patriarchy, or as an oppressor or rapist, or even as a good speller. and i do eat meat. plus, i'm a libertarian, which means that everyone regards me as a "conservative". so, you know, this book obviously wasn't written for me. i appreciate and identify with feminists, but books like this give them a bad name. maybe a book like this is supposed to be so "revolutionary" that it shocks everyone out of their dogmatic slumbers, but it just comes of as fanatical and - worse - flaky. so, take my ill-informed phallocentric egodriven opinion for what it's worth. read this book. if i'm wrong, WHICH EVEN AS A QUASI-CONSERVATIVE I CAN ADMIT THAT I MIGHT BE, then this book will be very informative. if i'm right, then you're bound to find this as entertaining as i did.

In Beyond Animal Rights: A Feminist Caring Ethic for the Treatment of Animals, editors Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams bring together seven articles on ecofeminism, an ethic of care, and animal liberation from a variety of perspectives. As a whole, the collection seeks to apply a feminist ethic to the philosophies of well-known figures such as Tom Regan and Peter Singer. Working through a feminist lens, the anthology attempts to propose an appropriate mode of behavior through exploration of contextual relationships between humans and non-human animals. Animal liberation is discussed in reference to the current dominating theories and to a new proposed ethic of care.
Feminist critiques of philosophers such as Regan and Singer suggest that although these men condemn Cartesian scientific practices for their lack of consideration of the worth of moral beings, they in fact use these Cartesian objectivist modes of reasoning to suppress emotional knowledge with hierarchical systems of natural rights or utilitarianism, respectively (p 45). The persistence of these mainstream philosophers in denying their appeal to emotion when analyzing the case for animal rights shows their biased masculinist perspective that does not take into account the very real epistemology of emotion and sympathy. It is this sympathy, feminists like Josephine Donovan claim, that ultimately has driven vegetarians and animal rights activists to their defining behaviors. Since one does not oppose cruelty to animals on logistical claims of fairness (as in, 'I oppose the systematic slaughtering of animals because such treatment of humans is not tolerated!'), but out of very real emotional sympathy for the animals, an ethic of care must be accepted in the animal rights movement and not dismissed as weak or irrational. Both Regan and Singer argue in favor of a justice approach, claiming that a caring ethic is not enough to sustain the animal liberation movement. Feminists declare that these claims are based on the philosophers' low estimations of the human capacity to sympathize. However, author Brian Luke proves these estimates inaccurate by revealing the extensive mechanisms employed to undermine sympathetic opposition to animal exploitation such as rationales of divine permission, 'cover stories' like human need of animal medical research and food, denying the harms caused to the animals and shielding the public from them, etc. (p 81). These attempts at guiding the public away from sympathy for animals show how powerful emotion is in dictating one's actions. An ethic based on sympathy is determined by Josephine Donovan to be appropriate and useful as it is a 'complex intellectual as well as emotional exercise' that pushes one toward animal liberation out of compassion for the animal and its well-being in exploitative circumstances (p 149).
Feminist ethics redefine rights and cross-species identity to be relational, contextual, and mutually accommodating, affording non-human animals rights to themselves, regardless of how identical to (or different from) humans they are (p 63). An ethic of care essentially tries to undermine the private/public dichotomy that keeps appeals to emotion in general and sympathy for animals in particular from their rightful place in the animal liberation movement, while creating contexts where care can thrive as non-exploitative. This contextualist ethic of care does not require (as popular animal liberation theory does) that one consider all interests as though no relationship existed between any of the parties, nor does it view animal rights as a contest between competitors for moral standing based on applied rules. This ethic also refrains from popular debate about the abstract 'right to life'. Instead, an ecofeminist caring ethic recognizes the role that our relationships with others play in our understanding of a situation and creates a central place for values of friendship and trust (p 61). Ecofeminist Rita C. Manning introduces an 'ethic of magic', in which the earth is recognized as a sacred living body of connected parts, all of which are deserving of respect and care. Humans should care about the natural world and all of its animal constituents because of the similarities in humans and non-humans, because of the role that animal care plays in the building of our character, and because some animals are genuinely entitled to care because they are as valuable as humans (p 103).
The issue of diet is looked at from a feminist perspective to reveal that our use of animals as food is not a gender-neutral issue. Language places positive slants on the consumption of animal flesh ('a meaty question'), while associating women and passivity with both vegetarians and vegetables ('watching TV will turn you into a vegetable'). In addition, the dairy and egg industries exploit the reproductive capacities of the female. An ecofeminist caring ethic calls for an end to the violent consumption of animals as food. Ecofeminist thought reveals the connection between the body and the self, claiming that our bodily selves develop a framework for violence when we inflict violence needlessly (when eating meat) (p 72).
Carol J. Adams addresses assumptions about women in a care-giving role in Western patriarchal culture in regards to an ethic for the treatment of non-human animals. She claims the autonomous rational being to be an illusion, revealing that men are as much or more so relational than women as they rely so heavily upon their relationships with women. The fact that they depend on the invisibility of women's caring activities is what allows men an illusionary façade of the autonomous rational individual (p 172). This shows that the patriarchal culture that we live in has created (in addition to the systems of animal exploitation in place today), contemporary animal rights philosophy that reflect patriarchal values. A feminist approach to looking at both animal exploitation and animal liberation emphasizes the value of caring and nurturing in the relationship between humans and non-human animals, rather than an objective, non-relational, 'rational' look at the exploitation of animals, and determining it morally unacceptable.

The book, Celebrating Commi=on Prayer by the Society of St. Frances, which is available through the UK division of Amazon.com when no longer available at the U.S. division. I have at present one copy left and there are several copies that I've donated to the Mission To Seamen in Pusan S.Korea. It is excellent for group prayer sessions. By following the simple format you are guided through a prayer session so that it is kept well organized. About the only thing I would add is a section on conversatinal prayer which is lacking in most group prayer guides. This is however one of the best I've foundd.

Picturing the beast is about the way animals are depicted in the media (cartoons, photography etc.) The thesis of the book is that such depictions partly determine the way we think about and treat animals. Picturing the beast is a highly original study and is recommended for anyone interested in media & communication, or the animal rights debate

At first glance, I thought I had an amazing find in this book. However, as a decade long vegetarian, I did not find answers to many questions that a vegetarian might face. The empathy is wonderful, yet I cannot agree with the author's theory that meat eaters are merely blocked vegetarians. The recipes in the back were great offerings and I did take something away with me from this book. But unfortunately, I found much of the information to be book filler material.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is or knows a vegetarian. It is clearly written and gives specific and practical advice, accompanied by empathic anecdotes, and explorations of many vegetarian philosophies. The authoress has educated herself well on the perspectives of vegans, vegatarians, and meat eaters, and suggests that non-meateaters think of others as blocked vegetarians (people who know that a vegetable-based diet is healthier for their bodies) but treat people as potential vegetarians (with respect, no preaching, and a simply 'live as an example' approach). She tells us to remind meateaters that apologize for their diet that we are not their alter-egos, and if they feel guilt over their choices, they need to examine their own beliefs, and not project their conflicts onto us. She tells us how to "be prepared," not only to supply our own food at events or outings, but how to be mentally and philosophically prepared for attacks, by meateaters who find our diet threatening (as an attack AGAINST their own beliefs, rather than a statement FOR ours). She has suggestions for what to say, in response to some of the most common attacks, and explains how both vegetarians and meateaters see their diet as a statement FOR life (vegetarians don't eat meat because to them, meat is death, and meateaters eat meat because to them, it is life-giving). Essentially, she gives a balanced perspective, insight into the minds of all Westerners. The problems with this book: (1)the responses she provides for us sometimes have a stilted language style that could easily sound unnatural and therefore confusing, to those that know us well (2) the authoress is a vegan, and her frequent statements about the vegan diet (though true) may make vegetarians who eat dairy feel guilty and less socially responsible than their vegan counterparts.

I picked this book up after hearing praises about it on a vegetarian website. I have been vegan for just over a year and before that was an ovo-lacto vegetarian for almost five years. In that time I had only a few bad experiences with meat-eaters finding out I was a vegetarian/vegan, but these experiences did stand out in my mind and made me rather fearful of confrontations. This book gave me quite a few tools for coping with any bad reactions that I may come across. While I still don't look forward to my aunt finding out that I'm vegan now, I feel better equipped to deal with her reaction this time.

I especially liked the author's point that meat eaters see the vegetarian diet as a diet of scarcity and that showing meat eaters just how delicious and abundant a vegetarian diet is can be one of the best ways of dealing with them.

As an added bonus, there are about 50 recipes included. So far I've tried three (Roasted vegetables with fennel seeds, mushroom cobbler, and tasty tofu) and found them all to be outstanding. I can't wait to try more.

I highly recommend this book and will be giving copies to many of my vegetarian friends.