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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
4.5 for some sketchy citations that didn't impact the overall message
I've been vegan and a follower of Ed for years so I didn't think I needed to read this book as I already understood the gist of the different vegan arguments. I was very wrong. Even though I roughly understand different aspects of veganism, it's helpful to know all the details that Ed lays out here. This book should be essential reading for anyone that's ever eaten food.
I’ve long been an admirer of Ed Winters’ activism, how well spoken he is and how passionate. Both of those qualities really shine in This is Vegan Propaganda - the book is well structured, insightfully written, thoroughly researched and, well, passionate. Like Winters advertises, this is for vegans looking to develop their arguments, as well as for curious omnivores, vegetarians, meat eaters etc. I couldn’t help but pick out some brilliant quotes:
“Like most people, I precariously balanced on the tightrope of mocking people who didn’t want to hurt animals while simultaneously professing myself an animal lover.”
“People often call vegans extremists, and yet veganism is merely living by the principle that if I am against cruelty then I will do what I can to avoid perpetuating systems that cause physical and mental harm to animals. It is a clear indictment of how ingrained our state of cognitive dissonance is that we see attempts at moral consistency as signs of extremism. Is it not strange that we call those who kill dogs animal abusers, those who kill pigs normal and those who kill neither extremists?”
“Some people believe that to be vegan means you have to be an animal lover or be someone who goes out of their way to be kind to animals. But it’s not an act of kindness to not needlessly hurt someone.”
“Being confronted with veganism reaffirms that what, or who, we eat is an active choice, and suddenly the consumption of meat comes with a label of being an ‘animal eater’ as opposed to just being ‘normal’.”
“Like most people, I precariously balanced on the tightrope of mocking people who didn’t want to hurt animals while simultaneously professing myself an animal lover.”
“People often call vegans extremists, and yet veganism is merely living by the principle that if I am against cruelty then I will do what I can to avoid perpetuating systems that cause physical and mental harm to animals. It is a clear indictment of how ingrained our state of cognitive dissonance is that we see attempts at moral consistency as signs of extremism. Is it not strange that we call those who kill dogs animal abusers, those who kill pigs normal and those who kill neither extremists?”
“Some people believe that to be vegan means you have to be an animal lover or be someone who goes out of their way to be kind to animals. But it’s not an act of kindness to not needlessly hurt someone.”
“Being confronted with veganism reaffirms that what, or who, we eat is an active choice, and suddenly the consumption of meat comes with a label of being an ‘animal eater’ as opposed to just being ‘normal’.”
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I read this book on a five hour flight and honestly it kickstarted an existential crisis, and by the end of the flight I had resolved to transition towards veganism.
A book that made my decision to become a vegan feel better than any other decision I have made in my life.
I do love my cheese, but at what cost?
I do love my cheese, but at what cost?
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I’ve been watching Ed on YouTube for a few years now and he’s one of my role models in having difficult conversations. I had this book on my reading list for a while in hopes I will read it and become vegan. I’m not sure what Ed would make of me having an almost obsession with veganism but never quite managing to stick to it. I am fully convinced this is the right way yet I keep failing at it. I’ve been vegan for the past month for Romanian lent but as Christmas came I have failed once again. It is disheartening how I have all these tools and resources and I can’t manage to stick to my morals.
The book is brilliantly written and it’s great to have a resource with all the proof and evidence you might need.
The book is brilliantly written and it’s great to have a resource with all the proof and evidence you might need.
Very impactful. I wish everyone could read this book.
If I enjoyed non-fiction more, this would've gotten a higher rating.
If I enjoyed non-fiction more, this would've gotten a higher rating.
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Fact-heavy and quite dense at times, but enlightening, thorough, and oh-so-important!
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was a highly informative, well-written read and I strongly encourage anyone who is even remotely curious (or sceptical) about veganism to read it. Before reading this book I had no idea of just how deeply distrustful the meat and dairy industry is in the UK because of how indoctrinating and ingrained into society the messaging from the industry is. And some of the figures given in the book are staggering in their scale of impact.
This wasn’t a pleasant read, by any means. It took a full year for me to finish the book, both because I’m not a huge non-fiction reader and because of the subject matter. However, it is an incredibly important read, especially in a time when misinformation can be difficult to spot. (I found it useful to annotate as I went to keep me focused on the text.)
I admit that I found the first chapter to be a little preachy, especially for someone is already transitioning into vegan diet, like I was when reading it. But, once I got into the section about the meat industry, I found exactly what I wanted this book to give me: sourced, hard facts and data from the UK where I live, although it also had data from the US and around the world. All of the sources are meticulously cited at the back of the book, and the information is presented clearly.
The last section of the book, where Ed talks a bit about the personal challenges he faces as a vegan, was quite relatable to me, and I’m not even fully vegan yet. I appreciated that he included this, as it gave the book a real ‘voice’ behind the words on the page.
Not long after finishing it, I lent my copy of the book to a friend, and I wish I could give it to everyone in my life. Unfortunately, I don’t think this book will convince people who are not already at least open to the idea of veganism or eating a plant based diet, if they would even consider reading it in the first place. But I will go through the book again to pull facts and statistics so that I can have them handy for future conversations.
I also recommend checking out Earthling Ed, the author, on YouTube; I purposely only looked at the YouTube channel after reading the book as I didn’t want any preconceived notions about the author to cloud my judgement of the book in any way.