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maahi's reviews
241 reviews
Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals Is Key to Human Existence by Poorva Joshipura
5.0
I feel like this should be required reading.
Let me start by telling you that this is going to make you feel uncomfortable. It is going to make your blood boil. And it damn well should.
As a vegan and a sustainability student, I encounter plenty of people who mock my choices. There is plenty of evidence to demonstrate that a predominately plant-based diet is necessary to solve the climate crisis. Yet people will refuse to believe the compelling evidence in front of their eyes and go back to their caves.
But enough is enough. Feigning ignorance is easy. But it will be fatal for us. So even though you might not be ready for this conversation, we need to talk about how our treatment of animals threatens our existence. How our sheer disdain for animal life has led to epidemics, pandemics, antibiotic resistance, climate crisis and a lot more.
While the book goes on into a lot of details about animal cruelty, that should not be an excuse to not read it. What we wear, what we consume both for nutrition and entertainment, what we use as makeup etc. - all of it systemically and ruthlessly abuses animals day in and day out. And you contribute to that abuse with your choices. So yes, you need to be aware of what goes on behind the scenes.
I particularly found these topics quite eye-opening: school shootings & animal cruelty, the importance of whales, how farming is forcing animals to become cannibals and the dairy myth.
Joshipura has put her heart and soul into this book. It needs to be read by everybody.
Highway to Swades: Rediscovering India's Superpowers by Bhairavi Jani
4.0
I think in this day and age of hyper-nationalism, many people don’t know how to differentiate between nationalism borne out of a genuine love for India, and one borne out of a superiority complex (you know, the belief that everyone else is inferior because they’re not a part of this great country that has no flaws whatsoever :P)
I digress, I know, but I think it’s important to remember this distinction. Bhairavi Jain belongs to the former category of nationalists and that is exactly why this book is wonderful. Her passion and dedication to shedding light on the wonders of India and all her enterprising or ‘jugaado’ people shine through her writing.
I also really enjoyed her exploration of what it means to be Indian. While we are all so so different, there is an essence of Indianness that manifests so vividly across the billion of us. And is it this essence that is so wonderfully explored in this book.
A refreshing read.