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blackberryandleaf's review against another edition
5.0
This story is very topical right now with all the talk of test tube meat. In a clever and funny narrative, David Agranoff has written a social commentary on the lengths to which society will go to use animals in as guilt-free a way as possible. Far from limiting his observations to omnivores, the factions within the animal rights movement also come under scrutiny in a satirical fashion that had me laughing from start to finish.
The basic premise is that scientists have developed a way to rear animals and kill them without the non-human animals suffering i.e. the animals are brain-dead. The products are labelled 'Stress Free' much like products are currently marketed in supermarkets to be called 'free-range', 'organic', 'humanely-raised' etc. The side-effect of these products is that they turn people into zombies. The story then progresses on to how the vegan protagonists fight a zombie apocalypse.
This book will appeal to anyone who has been involved in the animal rights world long enough to know some of the personalities like Peter Singer, Michael Pollan and Gary L. Francione and how various groups think (welfarist, abolitionist, etc). The author nails the personalities and views they espouse and puts them into hilarious situations (I had to put the book down whilst laughing at the mental images of a zombified Peter Sangar and the scene with the abolitionist arguing with Dani). Whilst I'm not too familiar with zombie references, these are also liberally sprinkled throughout and would appeal to fans of the zombie genre.
David Agranoff states in his afterword that this is his first attempt at satire. If so, I hope he writes more because this book is genius.
The basic premise is that scientists have developed a way to rear animals and kill them without the non-human animals suffering i.e. the animals are brain-dead. The products are labelled 'Stress Free' much like products are currently marketed in supermarkets to be called 'free-range', 'organic', 'humanely-raised' etc. The side-effect of these products is that they turn people into zombies. The story then progresses on to how the vegan protagonists fight a zombie apocalypse.
This book will appeal to anyone who has been involved in the animal rights world long enough to know some of the personalities like Peter Singer, Michael Pollan and Gary L. Francione and how various groups think (welfarist, abolitionist, etc). The author nails the personalities and views they espouse and puts them into hilarious situations (I had to put the book down whilst laughing at the mental images of a zombified Peter Sangar and the scene with the abolitionist arguing with Dani). Whilst I'm not too familiar with zombie references, these are also liberally sprinkled throughout and would appeal to fans of the zombie genre.
David Agranoff states in his afterword that this is his first attempt at satire. If so, I hope he writes more because this book is genius.
melissabalick's review against another edition
3.0
The Vegan Revolution... With Zombies is, as you might imagine, great fun for vegans and for zombie genre-lovers. Although I do own a DVD copy of the original (not the re-edited) zombie genre-inventing film Night of the Living Dead and I love it because it's really scary and a good story and great social commentary and I lived in Pittsburgh for a total of five years, I'm still not exactly a zombie genre-lover. In fact, I think the TV show The Walking Dead is so poorly written that it's unwatchable. No, I definitely think it's fair to put me in the other group of people for whom this book is great fun: vegans.
I mean, what a dream, right? Suppose eating animal meats and secretions zombified all the non-vegans, and those who remained could create a peaceable, sustainable future? It's true, I'd lose almost everyone I love, but imagine the world that would be created if everyone descended from people who lived according to their compassionate values? Amazing. I'm pretty jealous of this fictional future.
And the way that this book takes the likes of Michael Pollan (in the book, he's "Michael Poland") to task is practically pornographically pleasurable for people like me. Although the popularly-echoed "arguments" against veganism that vegans hear wax and wane in popularity, right now, the notion I hear the most regularly is that it's OK to eat locally-raised, free-range, organic meat/milk/eggs/whatever. The people who say this almost never actually DO only eat 100% locally-raised, free-range, organic animals, but they pay it lip service. Furthermore, no matter how you keep an animal for slaughter, we're talking about keeping creatures just for the purpose of taking their reproductive secretions and then slaughtering them for meat, all so that people can eat food that is terrible for us, and drives the leading causes of death. And it seems to me that Michael Pollan was the one who really popularized this erroneous, self-serving, and hypocritical path. So when the book's Michael Poland endorses the "Stress-Free" animal products, and it ends up turning carnists into zombies, well, that's cathartic to read. Thanks, David Agranoff.
Interestingly, the other big name Agranoff parodies is Peter Singer, who in the book is "Peter Sanger." Although Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation is on my Kindle to read, I never really looked into him or his ideas, nor was I aware that there was a disdain for him among many in the animal rights and vegan communities. After some Googling, I learned that Singer is a utilitarian, meaning he believes in reducing total harm to all creatures, and for that reason he embraces some things with which vegans do not relate. In particular, he defends killing human babies who are developmentally disabled, because in his view this will reduce total harm. What a shock for me to learn this! He is not someone who believes in the moral equality of all creatures, he believes in reducing harm to creatures who have "moral standing," which he does not grant to those with very low intelligence. OMGWTF. Obviously, I'll have to read more to understand what the effing eff this ish is about and how someone who promotes animal liberation could think this way, but once again I extend my thanks to the author, this time for tipping me off.
That said, ummm, OK, I'm really not the right person to read a zombie book, or any kind of genre purely-for-fun book. I'm too damn picky. I'm that person who's all, like, "Wait, didn't even ONE human try eating this Stree-Free meat before it went to market?" And, "So, this stuff was just rolled out in Portland and some other areas, had it gone national yet? How could EVERYONE have been zombified? There must have been some meat-eaters who hadn't had any Stress-Free label yet, right?" Also, why couldn't this one book have just been a little different and had it so that people didn't turn into a zombie just because a zombie bites you? There's no reason except for zombie tropes why one of them biting a vegan would zombify them. I just think it would have been better that way, but maybe that's crazy talk. And, yeah, the typos were kinda crappy.
It's also funny! The quiz at the end of each chapter consistently made me laugh. Somewhere toward the end, the quizzes stopped being consistent in format with the earlier quizzes, but I'm probably the only anal-retentive freak who noticed or cared. The skewering of the hipster obsessions with bacon, beards, 'bots, bicycles and, yes, zombies, was pretty right-on. Even though we vegans often get lumped in with all that (and we do agree about the bikes), really the defining characteristic of a hipster is their tendency to grab onto miscellaneous aspects of culture that have gained temporary currency which may, for a time, include veganism. But another key aspect of hipsterism is apathy, and vegans who delve into it for true reasons (not for short-lived social currency or a temporary excuse to have an eating disorder before they give it up because "they felt sick") are far too invested in caring about stuff to fit in with the people commonly called "hipsters."
My point is, terrific parody here that was incredibly fun and refreshing for me to read. Recommended for zombie fans, vegans, or people who really like the show Portlandia.
I mean, what a dream, right? Suppose eating animal meats and secretions zombified all the non-vegans, and those who remained could create a peaceable, sustainable future? It's true, I'd lose almost everyone I love, but imagine the world that would be created if everyone descended from people who lived according to their compassionate values? Amazing. I'm pretty jealous of this fictional future.
And the way that this book takes the likes of Michael Pollan (in the book, he's "Michael Poland") to task is practically pornographically pleasurable for people like me. Although the popularly-echoed "arguments" against veganism that vegans hear wax and wane in popularity, right now, the notion I hear the most regularly is that it's OK to eat locally-raised, free-range, organic meat/milk/eggs/whatever. The people who say this almost never actually DO only eat 100% locally-raised, free-range, organic animals, but they pay it lip service. Furthermore, no matter how you keep an animal for slaughter, we're talking about keeping creatures just for the purpose of taking their reproductive secretions and then slaughtering them for meat, all so that people can eat food that is terrible for us, and drives the leading causes of death. And it seems to me that Michael Pollan was the one who really popularized this erroneous, self-serving, and hypocritical path. So when the book's Michael Poland endorses the "Stress-Free" animal products, and it ends up turning carnists into zombies, well, that's cathartic to read. Thanks, David Agranoff.
Interestingly, the other big name Agranoff parodies is Peter Singer, who in the book is "Peter Sanger." Although Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation is on my Kindle to read, I never really looked into him or his ideas, nor was I aware that there was a disdain for him among many in the animal rights and vegan communities. After some Googling, I learned that Singer is a utilitarian, meaning he believes in reducing total harm to all creatures, and for that reason he embraces some things with which vegans do not relate. In particular, he defends killing human babies who are developmentally disabled, because in his view this will reduce total harm. What a shock for me to learn this! He is not someone who believes in the moral equality of all creatures, he believes in reducing harm to creatures who have "moral standing," which he does not grant to those with very low intelligence. OMGWTF. Obviously, I'll have to read more to understand what the effing eff this ish is about and how someone who promotes animal liberation could think this way, but once again I extend my thanks to the author, this time for tipping me off.
That said, ummm, OK, I'm really not the right person to read a zombie book, or any kind of genre purely-for-fun book. I'm too damn picky. I'm that person who's all, like, "Wait, didn't even ONE human try eating this Stree-Free meat before it went to market?" And, "So, this stuff was just rolled out in Portland and some other areas, had it gone national yet? How could EVERYONE have been zombified? There must have been some meat-eaters who hadn't had any Stress-Free label yet, right?" Also, why couldn't this one book have just been a little different and had it so that people didn't turn into a zombie just because a zombie bites you? There's no reason except for zombie tropes why one of them biting a vegan would zombify them. I just think it would have been better that way, but maybe that's crazy talk. And, yeah, the typos were kinda crappy.
It's also funny! The quiz at the end of each chapter consistently made me laugh. Somewhere toward the end, the quizzes stopped being consistent in format with the earlier quizzes, but I'm probably the only anal-retentive freak who noticed or cared. The skewering of the hipster obsessions with bacon, beards, 'bots, bicycles and, yes, zombies, was pretty right-on. Even though we vegans often get lumped in with all that (and we do agree about the bikes), really the defining characteristic of a hipster is their tendency to grab onto miscellaneous aspects of culture that have gained temporary currency which may, for a time, include veganism. But another key aspect of hipsterism is apathy, and vegans who delve into it for true reasons (not for short-lived social currency or a temporary excuse to have an eating disorder before they give it up because "they felt sick") are far too invested in caring about stuff to fit in with the people commonly called "hipsters."
My point is, terrific parody here that was incredibly fun and refreshing for me to read. Recommended for zombie fans, vegans, or people who really like the show Portlandia.
rovertoak's review against another edition
4.0
Shaun of the Dead and veganism in the awesome city of Portland, OR turns out to be a very fun read! A little too "anti-bacon" in some parts, but overall a good message about being good to yourself & the world that doesn't get lost amid the tofu snax.
mrfrank's review against another edition
3.0
David Agranoff's VEGAN REVOLUTION... With Zombies is to veganism what Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE is to socialism. That's not an entirely fair assesment but it was the first reaction I had upon finsihing the story. VEGAN REVOLUTION does try to convey a message but never takes delivering that message too seriously.
Through out the read you can safely assume the author is vegan himself given the depth and passion of the prose dealing with the subject. Given that, your still never sure if the story is stumping pro or con for veganism. As many pro vegan arguments are presented, just as many cynical counter points are made as well. The tone of it all is jovial and tongue-in-cheek.
The plot is a great and unique zombie tale. The catalyst for the zombiefication os poinant and brillian. The vegan aspect is always secondary to the zombies. Until the end. That is where the story takes it's Upton Sinclair moment and starts to stump hardcore for veganism and animal rights.
I do not subscribe to the vegan lifestyle and thus found myself rolling my eyes quite often through the final chapter and epilogue. In totality however the politics are forgivable as it's all not so much soapboxing but the author presenting his point of view against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse.
Your free to disagree with him and you won't fell belittled for it. But you should be prepared to become a zombie should you choose the meat eating route...
Through out the read you can safely assume the author is vegan himself given the depth and passion of the prose dealing with the subject. Given that, your still never sure if the story is stumping pro or con for veganism. As many pro vegan arguments are presented, just as many cynical counter points are made as well. The tone of it all is jovial and tongue-in-cheek.
The plot is a great and unique zombie tale. The catalyst for the zombiefication os poinant and brillian. The vegan aspect is always secondary to the zombies. Until the end. That is where the story takes it's Upton Sinclair moment and starts to stump hardcore for veganism and animal rights.
I do not subscribe to the vegan lifestyle and thus found myself rolling my eyes quite often through the final chapter and epilogue. In totality however the politics are forgivable as it's all not so much soapboxing but the author presenting his point of view against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse.
Your free to disagree with him and you won't fell belittled for it. But you should be prepared to become a zombie should you choose the meat eating route...
jasminenoack's review against another edition
2.0
I apologize in advance for everything I'm going to say in this review. Please instead see:
caris
and
eh
"Vegans" bug me. not vegans those are fine, well they can be a pain to go out to eat with but as long as Kris doesn't make me pick out the restaurant and Alex doesn't spend time telling me about pigs I don't care. On the other hand "Vegans" and what I mean by this is the people you who feel the need to talk about how vegan they are. I mean here's the thing, I'm vegetarian but most of my friends didn't know for months, some still might not but eventually people ask why you aren't eating cheese burgers so most do. Or even like I'm an atheist and plenty of my friends don't know that. Because well this is my life and that is their life. Well "Vegans" from my experience are ridiculously righteously indignant and habitually tell you how terrible of a person you are. (The fact is I shouldn't be accosted for eating cheese just cause I walked into the room.) if you are this books you add weird multiple choice questions about bacon being scraped off a pigs ass...
Although perhaps I should have realized this book would be like that, this may be a personal failing.
This book made me feel like I was talking to those people... which always makes me want to eat a steak just to spite them and I don't even like steak.
I have an inner desire to give this book one star, but I feel like it probably is not a one star book.
n8duke's review against another edition
1.0
After reading ten pages, I had found FOUR typos. Did anyone edit this thing? I mean, spellcheck would have been nice. I'm done with this one.
eyelit's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
rovertoak's review
4.0
Shaun of the Dead and veganism in the awesome city of Portland, OR turns out to be a very fun read! A little too "anti-bacon" in some parts, but overall a good message about being good to yourself & the world that doesn't get lost amid the tofu snax.
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