Got books?
Do you enjoy reading? Do you like learning? And talking about it over vegan food with like-minded people? Then maybe we have an opportunity for you!
We’re considering starting up a book club. We would select a book to read, read it, then meetup to discuss it, every 2 months.
Here’s a selection of books that would fit in the nonfiction theme we’re targeting, animal-rights or vegan health books (science-based). If you’re interested, please contact Tammy to express interest and let us know what works best for a meeting time for you (weekday/weekend, and morning/afternoon/evening).
Update
Initial responses have led us to selecting Sunday morning as our meeting time, and the book Beyond Beliefs for our first reading selection
We will be having an “open house” meeting in March, and we can discuss future books & meeting dates, etc at that time. Note:it’s not a requirement to join us for every book we read. You can opt-in based on whatever books interest you.
3/3 Sun “Open House”/introductory meeting, 10 am to 11 am (everyone can bring different books, talk about book club, dates) – RSVP
5/19 Sun Beyond Beliefs discussion, 10 am to noon – RSVP
Book List
Beyond Beliefs: A Guide to Improving Relationships and Communication for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Meat Eaters
Vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters can feel like they’re living in different worlds. Many vegans and vegetarians struggle to feel understood and respected in a meat-eating culture, where some of their most pressing concerns and cherished beliefs are invisible, and where they are often met with defensiveness when they try to talk about the issue. They can become frustrated and struggle to feel connected with meat eaters. And meat eaters can feel disconnected from vegans and vegetarians whose beliefs they don’t fully understand and whose frustration may spill over into their interactions. The good news is that relationship and communication breakdown among vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters is not inevitable, and it is reversible. With the right tools, healthy connections can be cultivated, repaired, and even strengthened.
How Not to Die
In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America–heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and more–and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches to help prevent and reverse these diseases, freeing us to live healthier lives.
This book explores
the similar attitudes and methods behind modern society’s treatment of animals
and the way humans have often treated each other, most notably during the
Holocaust. The book’s epigraph and title are from “The Letter
Writer,” a story by the Yiddish writer and Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis
Singer: “In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is
an eternal Treblinka.” The first part of the book (Chapter 1-2) describes
the emergence of human beings as the master species and their domination over
the rest of the inhabitants of the earth. The second part (Chapters 3-5)
examines the industrialization of slaughter (of both animals and humans) that
took place in modern times. The last part of the book (Chapters 6-8) profiles
Jewish and German animal advocates on both sides of the Holocaust, including
Isaac Bashevis Singer himself.
Meatonomics
Few consumers are aware of the economic forces behind the
production of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Yet omnivore and herbivore alike,
the forces of meatonomics affect us in many ways.
Most importantly, we’ve lost the ability to
decide for ourselves what – and how much – to eat. Those decisions are made for
us by animal food producers who control our buying choices with artificiallylow
prices, misleading messaging, and heavy control over legislation and
regulation. Learn how and why they do it and how you can respond.
For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United States
Animal rights. Those two words conjure diverse but powerful images and reactions. Some nod in agreement, while others roll their eyes in contempt. Most people fall somewhat uncomfortably in the middle, between endorsement and rejection, as they struggle with the profound moral, philosophical, and legal questions provoked by the debate. Today, thousands of organizations lobby, agitate, and educate the public on issues concerning the rights and treatment of nonhumans.
Tags: animal rights, vegan
