Carol J. Adams

recommended for: (almost) all human readers, adults and some older teens and even some younger teens, though see caveat at the bottom of this review

I’m a huge fan of these two authors, as vegan & intersectional activists and as people. I’m so glad that this vegan book is not only vegan but also intersectional. It addresses how our food choices can address not only our own health and the rights of animals but also the environment/climate change, and human rights, and also issues such as show more misogyny, racism, food justice, and compassion.

Normally, I can’t wait to read vegan theory books, but these days I’m more interested in fiction or maybe biography with a narrative, so I read through this book slowly, though I found it interesting and the further along I got the faster I read through it.

This book is particularly good for those considering veganism or those wanting to move in that direction, and for newer vegans, but I’ve been vegan for over 3 decades and I found some recipes of interests and new things to think about/things to think about in a slightly different way.

I love this book’s organization. I love how throughout the book, daily actions, 30 + 1 of them, are suggested. The chapter titles are How We Got Here, Eating to Combat Climate Change, Food Justice, Take Out Misogymy, Dreaming of an Inclusive Democracy, Cultivating Compassion, The Diet You Need Now. Feeding Your Resistance, Bonus Daily Action: Host a Communal Resistance Dinner. Each section how those proposed daily actions, and recipes. information, philosophical musings, and accuate nutrition information; it’s hard to describe without talking too much about the contents, but I appreciated the presentation. At the back there are also sections for Recommended Resources, Sources, Acknowledgments, and an index.

I love the cover image. There are no photos in the book and it has a rather spare look about it, but I found it attractive with an easy to read layout.

Given that the first 15+ years I was vegan I was an extremely active activist but in the last nearly 15 years I’ve slacked off quite a bit in my vegan outreach, and often feel guilty and sad that I do so relatively little compared to so many vegans I know (this goes for all sorts of activism for all the causes I believe in!) I very much appreciated the authors stressing how every time I eat (plants vs. animals) I am participating in an act of resistance. Every time I eat I am doing something. I am grateful for this reminder from the authors.

4-1/2 stars. The half star off is because I’m afraid it will get quickly dated, in a way, because current events are discussed, including the current (2018) Presidential administration. The basic premise of the book is good forever but the cute names used for some of the recipes and much of the other content place this book very firmly in the 2016-2018 time period. I’m afraid people outside of the United States, people that disagree politically with me and with the authors, and readers not too, too many years in the future might find this book dated. That would be a shame because the gist of the book is timeless and will always be helpful for those seeking out this subject matter. show less

Full disclosure: One of the authors, an online friend since 2007 at Goodreads and elsewhere too, gave me a copy of the book. Also, I was interviewed as a participant for the book as it was being written.

I recommend this book for all vegans, especially those who have shamed others or been shamed for anything other than optimal health, all those who believe in end of life planning, all feminists, all disability activists, all caregivers and those who need the help of caregivers, all those who show more fear illness or death or want some guidance about how to deal with them regarding themselves or others. In other words, most people, though I’ll be actively recommending it mostly to vegans who either feel a vegan diet is a cure all or feel uncomfortable when they discover it isn’t and also to those who want a book that gives some useful tips on steps to take during end of life planning. I consider it a must read book for all vegans.

I will admit that I came to this book with feelings of excitement and high expectations, but it didn’t disappoint at all. It’s a superb book. It’s broader in scope/topic(s) than I’d anticipated and that makes the book even stronger than I thought it would be.

It’s an excellent addition to the genre, and for me maybe the best vegan book I’ve read in a long time, and that’s saying a lot since I’ve read dozens of great vegan books in recent years. This one is so timely and important though and is sorely needed.

The vegan movement needs this. And because of the topic, any reader can benefit, vegan or not. The authors are a wonderful team and they heavily utilized the wisdom and knowledge and experiences of many people. Engaging voices, friendly and non-judgmental, fun to read despite its sober subject, a perfect mix of issues and science/philosophy and personal stories. While it’s a mostly enjoyable read, the parts about mourning brought up painful feelings. Luckily they were presented in such a kind and helpful manner that I felt as supported as I did sad, and even if I was in acute grief I think I’d find comfort along with experiencing the painfulness of the subject.

So many in the vegan community act as though being a healthy vegan will keep them healthy forever, and fat shaming, disease shaming, etc. of other vegans is running rampant over at Facebook and in real life too. It's driven me crazy for years, even prior to the internet. I first noticed it in force and directed at me at a vegan convention 2 decades ago. Also this is an end of life, and caregiving, and dealing with disease, and showing compassion book for everyone, so really 90% of it is applicable to all readers. I’m sure I’ll be posting about it every time I think a vegan or a group of vegans need a reality check.

At times I wanted to cry it addressed these issues so well. That’s not to say I don’t think vegan eating is healthy because I do, but I’m an ethical vegan, 100% for the animals and also for the environment on top of that. I never went vegan for my health nor could I be a 100% vegan eater for my health. That said, I know what I’d be eating if I was still a lacto-ovo vegetarian or omnivore and I know I’d be much more unhealthy (maybe dead) if I hadn’t been eating vegan for so many years (decades.) I never expected my health or longevity would improve by eating vegan though, but it probably actually has helped, though I can’t know for sure, even though I’m not always a health food vegan. Still, I never make false promises about following a vegan diet, nor do I blame anyone who has health problems. As this book points out so well, there are usually multiple and often unknown reasons for developing many health problems, and everybody dies. We don’t have complete control over our health and no control over our mortality. Vegans who fat shame, disease shame, feel invincible don’t help the non-human animals or their fellow humans, and veganism doesn’t need hyperbole to make it a convincing choice. Veganism isn’t about human health anyway, at least for me it’s not. I know for some that vegan eating is about their health and that’s fine too, but no living being is indestructible no matter how well they live their lives.

I like how the authors stress the compassionate part of veganism and also the goal of being compassionate with those who are sick or dying, including being compassionate with ourselves.

I appreciate some of the big, thought provoking ideas brought up and some of the connections made about vegans & animals & health/mortality.

As far as the end of life planning sections, my mother died when I was 11 and death, including my own death, has been at the forefront of my mind since then. So I’ve already thought a lot about and done many of the suggestions that are given in this book. I’ve had a will since childhood and since my teens everyone who’s known me well knows what I want done and not done medically. Even so there is more I’d like to do and revise, and reading this has given me the motivation to update some of my paperwork. I believe it will be well worthwhile to get my affairs in even better order.

And I want to state that this book makes a very good guide for end of life planning, no matter what your age or state of health and whether vegan or not. Whether or not readers have given much thought about this issue, this book provides a gentle way to read about and think about it and take the actions that will ease the process.

The contents are a perfect ratio of philosophy and information and personal stories. What’s presented is scientifically sound, including being honest about what we don’t yet know about diet and health. These are pro-vegan authors so they do cover what is healthy or likely healthy about following a plant based diet.

Even though I’m a slow reader I did finish it in less than 48 hours. For many readers this will be a book they can read in one sitting.

This book is a book pusher. I added many books to my to read list that are mentioned in it.

What most thrilled me about this book is the takeaway of what I can do with my own vegan advocacy and support work, and I’m so glad I have this book to recommend to vegans who aren’t inclusive of others or who believe vegan eating is a magical cure all.

Contents outline:
Foreword
Introduction: Facing Your Own Mortality Can Enhance Your Life and Advocacy
Part 1: Vegan Health: The Myths and Realities
1. Even Vegans Get Sick…
2. How Shame and Blame Affect Our Health and Advocacy…
Part 2: Caregiving as Vegans
3. A Vegan Ethic of Care…
4. When Someone You Love is Seriously Ill or Dying…
Part 3: A Vegan’s Guide to Death and Dying
5. When You Have a Terminal Illness…
6. Mourning…
7. Protecting Your Legacy of Kindness: Wills, Trusts, and Other Legal Protections…
8. Last Words, Organ Donations, and Resting Places…
Afterword: A Vegan Understanding of Death – We Are Animals Who Will Die
Acknowledgements
Sources and Further Reading
Index
About the Authors
About the Publisher

And as someone who’s struggled with weight issues I love this quote the authors provide and think that it’s a good guideline re weight: “The Canadian Obesity Network defines your “best weight” as whatever weight you achieve while living the healthiest lifestyle you can truly enjoy.” (page30) show less

A Burger is in the Eye of the Beholder

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for allusions to violence against women, and actual violence against nonhuman animals.)

Toward the end of a very long evening in which Harold and Kumar overcome a variety of obstacles in their pursuit of a White Castle hamburger, Kumar makes a speech about the meaning of immigration to the United States. In his telling, hamburgers form the heart of being a show more citizen of the United States.

"So you think this is just about the burgers, huh? Let me tell you, it’s about far more than that. Our parents came to this country, escaping persecution, poverty, and hunger. Hunger, Harold. They were very, very hungry. They wanted to live in a land that treated them as equals, a land filled with hamburger stands. And not just one type of hamburger, okay? Hundreds of types with different sizes, toppings, and condiments. That land was America. America, Harold! America! Now, this is about achieving what our parents set out for. This is about the pursuit of happiness. This night . . . is about the American dream."

The symbolism of the hamburger may seem fixed (equal to the entire United States), yet Kumar did not consume White Castle hamburgers in the movie scenes. The actor who plays Kumar, Kal Penn (Kalpen Suresh Modi) is a vegetarian and ate veggie burgers. Ten years before White Castle introduced a vegetarian slider to its customers, they custom-made veggie sliders for Penn to consume as Kumar.

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Why do the history and technologies of violence central to the hamburger remain unacknowledged? The violence could be invoked as a reminder of masculine identity and conservatism, something [Michael] Pollan himself celebrates when he goes boar hunting. It could also have been claimed as part of the human identity.

True, the bovine is more pacific and in general less dangerous than a carnivore; killing a bovine might be seen as a less virile activity than killing carnivores. Still, a narrative of violence might have been developed to celebrate hamburger eating. The question becomes not how do we understand the violence at the heart of the hamburger, but why isn’t the hamburger celebrated for the violence at its heart?

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Published by Bloomsbury, Object Lessons "is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things." I was both surprised and a little exhilarated to see that the author of Burger, the latest addition to the series, is none other than ecofeminist Carol J. Adams, she of The Sexual Politics of Meat fame. If anyone could restore the absent referent - the 32.5 million+ cows slaughtered annually in the U.S. alone - to a conversation about hamburgers, it would be her.

Since this is my first experience with Object Lessons, I wasn't sure what to expect. The book is both wider ranging and perhaps more scattershot than I anticipated. Particularly in the early chapters, Adams adopts a writing style that feels almost stream of consciousness, which often left me a feeling a little discombobulated. (To be fair, I read an early copy six months ahead of the release date; the finished copy will likely be a little more polished. This goes double for the weird and obviously incomplete formatting, which made the narrative even harder to follow.)

Adams brings a vegan-feminist perspective to the, ahem, table; your thoughts on this will likely vary according to your own dietary and ethical preferences. Personally, I loved it; I think Adams shines brightest when addressing the intersection of animal exploitation and misogyny, such as in chapter four, "Woman Burger". (Pro tip: if you enjoyed this, definitely pick up The Pornography of Meat - which, imho, is much more accessible than The Sexual Politics of Meat, and thus perfect for newcomers to the topic.)

Even though I've read quite a lot of her previous work, it's clear that there's still so much to learn; her discussion of Seventh-day Adventists' (led by women members) influence on early veggie burgers, as well as Charlotte Perkins Gilman's demand for day care and cooked-food services, proved fascinating. There are so many random little factoids (see e.g. barbed wire's contribution to animal agriculture) sprinkled like tasty little morsels throughout Burger. Perhaps it requires a second reading to truly savor it all?

Yet what makes this book stand out is also what works against it: any book about the cultural significance of the hamburger that weighs in at a mere 160 pages (less if you exclude the references, which are many) is bound to feel incomplete. Still, it's a compelling read, and just might encourage casual readers to explore some of Adams's other work. (We can only hope!)

3.5 stars.

 


Table of contents

1. Citizen Burger
2. Hamburger
3. Cow Burger
4. Woman Burger
5. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Burger and Other Modernist Hamburger Identity Crises
6. Veggie Burger
7. Moon Shot Burger
Afterword: Slippage

Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Notes
Index

http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/03/08/burger-by-carol-j-adams/ show less

Carol J. Adams uses an inflammatory title to draw the reader in, and from there goes through a series of theses. The book displays the parallel ways that women and animals are oppressed through domination, and the cruel industries that support the oppression so many see as natural. She critiques animal rights advocates that use sexism in their activism - namely, PETA, and calls on feminists to consider Mother Earth's other animal inhabitants. Adams explores race and class in different show more chapters as well, to broaden the intersectional lens. My only critique of the work is that while there is referemces in the end pages, it is not easy for the reader to easily find a citation, as there are no footnotes, endnotes, or in text citations to follow. Overall, a great read, and a good contribution to ecofeminist philosophy. show less