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thebigemmt505's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This is Vegan Propaganda is a book by activist Ed Winters that lays out the many arguments in favor of veganism. It details the ethical, environmental, and global and personal health reasons, as well as the cognitive dissonance of carnism.
Ed Winters created an amazing ressource for people without much knowledge about the premises of veganism. It is also a great read for those who are already vegan, and functions as a reminder and deepening of the arguments. The writing is approachable, without any difficult or niche vocabulary. There is a clear effort to make this book as accessible as possible, with frequent explanations of facts or concepts that the general public may not immediately understand. The book has a relatively thorough overview of each of it’s points. Admittedly, I didn’t fact check every reference (given the sheer number); however, as a vegan myself, I knew some of the studies and statistics already. The ones I know well check out scientifically, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t missing nuance or slight bias in some of the citations. In general, though, the book is incredibly well-researched and as dense as it can be given the number of points made in relation to the length. The arguments laid out in the book are incredibly convincing and solid. It does a fantastic job at mixing Ed’s personal anecdotes with scientific evidence with a more philosophical / psychological approach with its investigation of morals, cognitive contradictions, and biases.
The pacing of the book is alright, but varies a bit jarringly at some points (i.e. going from incredibly dense science to a heart felt anecdote within a few pages.) There is repetition that feels a bit redundant, though it might’ve been an intentional decision aimed more at non-vegans than vegans. While the writing is mostly enjoyable, Ed is a speaker at heart, so there are some awkward, bordering on run-un sentences that interrupt the flow of the writing. I noticed a typo mid book and there might’ve been more I didn’t notice. Personally, even as a logical person, I think the book might’ve benefited from more anecdotes from Ed. I felt a lot of connection with his experiences with his hamster, Rupert, and the struggles of discussing his veganism with his family.
“This is the balancing act that vegans face: we either voice our objections and get labeled as extremist, militant, awkward or abnormal, or we stay silent and smile through the image of a cow having their throat cut that passes through our minds as we watch our loved ones bite into beef burgers.”
Overall, even while already being a vegan, I got a lot out of This is Vegan Propaganda. Even I am still surprised at the extent of cruelty committed in animal agriculture. I am reinforced in my previous arguments and armed with new ones, confident of their validity. Sure, perhaps the book just confirms my bias, perhaps I just love any excuse to be a nerd about nutrition and ecology, and perhaps my personal like of Ed as a long-time follower made me more pre-disposed to enjoy this book. In any case, I am eternally and throughly disgusted by the torture non-human animals go through at our hands, the destruction of our planet to carry out said torture, and all of its mental, emotional, and physical health consequences. The zeitgeist is horrifically flawed. A book like this gives me hope it is changeable.
“We have the power every day to either stand in favor of needless animal suffering, the destruction of our natural world and the increased risk of infectious disease and pandemics, or to stand against it. Which do we choose?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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