Publisher’s
write-up:
‘Our choices
can help alleviate the most pressing issues we face today: the climate crisis,
infectious and chronic diseases, human exploitation and, of course, non-human
exploitation. Undeniably, these issues can be uncomfortable to learn about but
the benefits of doing so cannot be overstated. It is quite literally a matter
of life and death.
Through
exploring the major ways that our current system of animal farming affects the
world around us, as well as the cultural and psychological factors that drive
our behaviours, This Is Vegan Propaganda answers the pressing question, is
there a better way?
Whether you
are a vegan already or curious to learn more, this book will show you the other
side of the story that has been hidden for far too long. Based on years of
research and conversations with slaughterhouse workers and farmers, to animal
rights philosophers, environmentalists and everyday consumers, vegan educator
and public speaker Ed Winters will give you the knowledge to understand the
true scale and enormity of the issues at stake.’
This is Vegan
Propaganda is a book on the propaganda done by meat industry and the dairy
industry over the years, and other common arguments against vegan lifestyle,
argued and compiled by the vegan activist Ed Winters.
He starts
explaining the environment he grew up in and his transition to veganism. He
then goes on to talk about the practices of the meat and dairy industry and why
for both moral and scientific reasons, one needs to embrace veganism. He goes
on to mention more in graphic detail as to what goes on when it comes to
treatment of animals, be it in slaughterhouses or dairy farms. There is also a
segment of the book, where he debunks the frequent arguments used by the meat
industry and the society at large, including the famous question of ‘how do you
get your protein?’, and much as he touches upon the arguments in this book, I
understand that he has written a whole book titled How to argue with a meat
eater.
The book is very
well researched and provides ample statistics (properly referenced to back his
claims). One might feel that his statistics are highly UK-centric, but that is
natural given that the writer is from there. Moreover, the tendency in our globalised
world is similar across, barring a few minor gaps. So, this book tries to
please various sides, those who are convinced by statistics or those who are
convinced by morals. I found some of the information quite interesting, for
instance, on the amount of land occupied by farms of soybeans (a common
argument against vegans) and it would only increase if we were to all go vegan;
even though, as of today, 80% of the soybeans are for consumption by farm
animals who are slaughtered later for their meat.
The aspect I was
not sure was whom the author was addressing. Given that I am a vegan, I am not
shocked by what the author has written nor are my personal choices put on trial
over here. But if the intention is to reach beyond the base, I felt the language
used by the author was too strong, at times – there are different schools of
thought as to whether that is necessary but, in my opinion, making people
guilty of their present-day choices is not going to work. It was particularly
hard to read the chapters of the book where he described in detail how
different animals are tortured by the meat and dairy industry.
However, this
book could certainly help those in transition and as I mentioned earlier, that
I am vegan, I am also organiser of a vegan group where I am based, and we read
this book for a ‘book club event’. One of the participants remarked that they
were already a vegetarian but having read this book, decided to turn fully
vegan, giving up on dairy and eggs. However, more testimonies, especially from
those who are consuming a meat-based diet as of today, could help me judge this
aspect better.
To conclude, I
found this book informative and as aforementioned, could help those in
transition. However, for those who cannot read detailed write-ups on torture of
animals in the ‘factory farms’, those sections could be avoided. Considering
that, I would award the book a rating of seven on ten.
Rating – 7/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
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