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172 reviews for:
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals
Hal Herzog
3.78 AVERAGE
172 reviews for:
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals
Hal Herzog
3.78 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
There are few books with a similar title out there, and the topic is similar too: how do we relate with animals? How and when an animal becomes a pet? How and when an animal become food? And why?
Herzog is an anthrozoologist who owns a kitty and used to reduce lower forms of life into some sort of infusion (have you read Suskind's Perfume? Do you remember how he slaughter the cat? Well, some people do it for real and that's something I didn't need to know)
Let's start saying that the cover is missing 3 question marks. There are no answers here, only some facts. We tour from cats to cows to mice's lives and we're entitled to our opinions. Sometime I wished for more point of views though.
Herzog is an anthrozoologist who owns a kitty and used to reduce lower forms of life into some sort of infusion (have you read Suskind's Perfume? Do you remember how he slaughter the cat? Well, some people do it for real and that's something I didn't need to know)
Let's start saying that the cover is missing 3 question marks. There are no answers here, only some facts. We tour from cats to cows to mice's lives and we're entitled to our opinions. Sometime I wished for more point of views though.
I picked up this book because I love animals and I couldn't find any fiction books about them that looked interesting that week. Also, I thought the cover was cool and the premise sounded interesting.
I did not expect to have my world-view challenged! I didn't know a lot of the research and things he points out (I literally shouted 'Oh my God, seriously?!' when he points out that research shows dolphin therapy does nothing. I thought it did something, although certainly nothing as extreme as the die-hard supporters claim). He made me think about some things in ways I hadn't necessarily thought about them before.
And while I have had a few squeamish, 'eww, I'm eating a cow' moments before eating a cheeseburger in the past, I've been very successful in pushing such thoughts away. I couldn't push them away anymore after reading this book. It left me in a turmoil, one I had to sort out for myself--and I felt like that was the point of the book. He wasn't trying to tell you what to do, he wasn't trying to explain each individual person's relationship with the animal world; he just wanted you to think about it, instead of sweeping it under the rug. I thought about it, and I think I'm happier with myself after thinking about it, doing some additional research, and reaching some conclusions.
Also, while he's no comedian, he has a few turns of phrase that made me chuckle throughout, providing some much-needed tension relief. Overall, I would probably recommend this for people new to these thoughts, like myself. People already knowledgeable on the subject probably already know this stuff and wouldn't enjoy it as much for that reason.
I did not expect to have my world-view challenged! I didn't know a lot of the research and things he points out (I literally shouted 'Oh my God, seriously?!' when he points out that research shows dolphin therapy does nothing. I thought it did something, although certainly nothing as extreme as the die-hard supporters claim). He made me think about some things in ways I hadn't necessarily thought about them before.
And while I have had a few squeamish, 'eww, I'm eating a cow' moments before eating a cheeseburger in the past, I've been very successful in pushing such thoughts away. I couldn't push them away anymore after reading this book. It left me in a turmoil, one I had to sort out for myself--and I felt like that was the point of the book. He wasn't trying to tell you what to do, he wasn't trying to explain each individual person's relationship with the animal world; he just wanted you to think about it, instead of sweeping it under the rug. I thought about it, and I think I'm happier with myself after thinking about it, doing some additional research, and reaching some conclusions.
Also, while he's no comedian, he has a few turns of phrase that made me chuckle throughout, providing some much-needed tension relief. Overall, I would probably recommend this for people new to these thoughts, like myself. People already knowledgeable on the subject probably already know this stuff and wouldn't enjoy it as much for that reason.
I like that the author doesn't come across as trying to sell readers on some predesigned cause. This is not an exposé type book. Unfortunately that makes the book a bit meandering and heartless. Still, I learned a lot about the widely conflicting attitudes about everything animal, and was made to reflect on my own inconsistencies. I am trying to be more thoughtful about where the meat I eat comes from. I want to give the book to my more animal-crazy friends to help sort them out.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Eye opener. Incredibly well written.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
A very easy to read, comprehensive study of our varying attitudes towards other species. Prepare to witness vegetarians who eat fish, cockfighters that claim they love their prized roosters, animal hoarders that are convinced they help their rescued pets, or lab workers torn between boiling a worm and a mouse alive. Human interaction with animals is complex, arbitrary, and morally confusing. Hal Herzog does a great job at exposing these inconsistencies without pushing his own judgment on his subjects.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Very interesting & made some really good points.