Are these good books?!
Are these good books?
I am a teenage lacto-ovo vegetarian looking for good books to read. I found these on vegetarian websites, which took me to amazon.
*Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?: Reflections on the Liberation of Animals- Steven Best
**Animal Liberation- Peter Singer
***An Unnatural Order: A Manifesto for Change- Jim Mason
****Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry- Gail A. Eisnitz
*****Please Don't Eat the Animals: All the Reasons You Need to Be a Vegetarian- Jennifer Horsman & Jaime Flowers
If you have any other suggestions, or cookbooks for teens, etc. I'd be very appreciative! :-D Thanks!
Answers: Beebs makes some good points. It is easy to get a bit obsessed - trust me!
I think you should check out these titles to really educate yourself on the HEALTH benefits of a vegetarian diet. Once you realize how unhealthy, unecessary, and unnatural a diet of animal products is it is even easier to argue against the meat industry and factory farming.
Becoming Vegan - has a ton of information and is easy-to-read. Even if you've been a vegatarian for a while.
The Vegan Handbook is awesome, even if they do have a stupid article about how humans (supposedly) are natural omnivores (no they aren't). Everything else is great, though. It has recipes, articles, all kinds of trivia - it reminds me of old cookbooks my grandma has that were like country almanacs. Good, interesting reading!
The China Study - blows away any arguement that eating animal products are healthy. The studies described are CRAZY important and I haven't figured out why everyone doesn't know this stuff. I wish every single person would read this book.
Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, How it all Vegan series - these are all very fun to read and are written by young, hip vegetarians. Vegan Freak is a title I've been meaning to pick up. These might be good picks for you.
If you are very concerned about animal welfare you will probably move from vegetarian to full-on vegan if you're not already. You're doing a good thing in wanting to educate yourself. Do try to not overwhelm yourself with the depressing stuff. There's a lot of positive reasons for being veg - focus on them and know that you're helping the animals through your diet. I haven't read any of the ones you listed. One that I would recommend is "Diet for a Small Planet" by Frances Lappe.
For recipies check out www.vegweb.com. Trust me, sweetie, these are quite extreme for a teen. I am 43, and was SHOCKED out of my mind when I learned the truth about food. Please trust me when I say, avoid meat, eat good wholesome veggies, fruits, nuts, and grains, and dont overload your mind with the animal rights issues. Yes, I think people need to know the truth, but it was too much for my pre teen daughter to take in all at once. Just trust that the meat industry is unscrupulous, deceptive, and downright brainwashing the public, but please dont burden your mind with the atrocities. Concentrate, for now, on learning some good veggie recipes, ideas, and tips, and save the controvercial stuff for a later point in your life. I wish I was still blissfully ignorant. One book I do HIGHLY recommend for you, is the ULTIMATE VEGETARIAN, which concentrates on healthy veggie recipes, and not the industry itself. Its too much for an adult to take in, so do yourself a favor. I hope you take this advice-what you can learn from those books is extreme enough to keep you awake at night. Stay in the dark about it all for just a bit longer, and focus on all of the healthy, tasty meals you can enjoy as a vegetarian. Email me if you like. I really liked this book: "Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy" by Matthew Scully. A very balanced perspective and very good overall. As for cookbooks, I like PETA's cookbooks. I usually get recipes online or convert traditional recipes into veganized versions. You said you're a teen. Go to www.peta2.com As I understand it, Diet for a New America by John Robbins is supposedly a good book about diet and eating. I believe he was heir to the Baskin Robbins company, but he wanted nothing to do with it.
Also, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, since it explains what is going on behind the scenes of the fast food business.
I haven't had the chance to read them, though I want to, and I think they are not as potentially graphic as the ones you list.