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A review by alexandrabree
The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability by Lierre Keith
3.0
I am firmly on the fence with this book.
I really wanted to love it, so much. Because as a farmer and having heard her speak she said so much I agree with, but then she’s goes full agriculture and hence civilization are evil or at minimum destructive and should be eliminated full stop. Which is where she lost me, and while she’s does some OK citing, it’s not great. She needed to argue more pro sources on the vegan team and promote the other side a little less.
A really good editor could have worked wonders but might have changed up the personal stuff, which would have admittedly made if more clinical and less personal.
Mono-crop large scale farming is horrible for the environment. She got that right
There are better smaller scale varied farming practices that involve less chemicals and artificials BUT the total number of world farmers would have to increase (not drastically but more than marginally) and in order to make it more “green” the biggest solution that I don’t think was mentioned is not shipping food into moderate climes, which is “unfair” and unlikely to happen for lots of reasons, this would mean no more out of season imports to year round food sustainable areas and the shortest distance possible for “food deserts” that are too cold or too dry for year round farming (this means bananas, avocados, pineapples.. tropical foods can only be bought in the tropics) eliminate shipping and flying food, if you can’t truck it, it can’t be on the plate.
Another truth, vegetable/grain farmers kill a lot of animals and bugs, rabbits, voles, mice, squirrels, birds, deer.. you get the idea
I am all for ethically killing cows,sheep,pigs, chickens, goats, fish and anti-factory farming which is where I find the L. Like so many conflate vegan diet and vegan lifestyle, which can be conjoined but don’t have to be. She obviously embraced both and that didn’t do her much good, I don’t think a vegan diet is for everyone, and i don’t think it can be accomplished without artificial supplements and additives
I really wanted to love it, so much. Because as a farmer and having heard her speak she said so much I agree with, but then she’s goes full agriculture and hence civilization are evil or at minimum destructive and should be eliminated full stop. Which is where she lost me, and while she’s does some OK citing, it’s not great. She needed to argue more pro sources on the vegan team and promote the other side a little less.
A really good editor could have worked wonders but might have changed up the personal stuff, which would have admittedly made if more clinical and less personal.
Mono-crop large scale farming is horrible for the environment. She got that right
There are better smaller scale varied farming practices that involve less chemicals and artificials BUT the total number of world farmers would have to increase (not drastically but more than marginally) and in order to make it more “green” the biggest solution that I don’t think was mentioned is not shipping food into moderate climes, which is “unfair” and unlikely to happen for lots of reasons, this would mean no more out of season imports to year round food sustainable areas and the shortest distance possible for “food deserts” that are too cold or too dry for year round farming (this means bananas, avocados, pineapples.. tropical foods can only be bought in the tropics) eliminate shipping and flying food, if you can’t truck it, it can’t be on the plate.
Another truth, vegetable/grain farmers kill a lot of animals and bugs, rabbits, voles, mice, squirrels, birds, deer.. you get the idea
I am all for ethically killing cows,sheep,pigs, chickens, goats, fish and anti-factory farming which is where I find the L. Like so many conflate vegan diet and vegan lifestyle, which can be conjoined but don’t have to be. She obviously embraced both and that didn’t do her much good, I don’t think a vegan diet is for everyone, and i don’t think it can be accomplished without artificial supplements and additives