Eating Animals
by Jonathan Safran Foer
Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, is a semi-autobiographical examination of the issues involved with eating meat.
The author describes himself as being an on-again/off-again vegetarian for most of his life. He says the issue was something he tended to take quite casually; his vegetarianism came more from an adolescent desire to be 'unique', rather than from any strong ethical or moral motivations, and he was not very strict about refraining from meat.
He describes himself as "not eating meat, other than when I did."
The issue changes for the author when his wife becomes pregnant and he realizes that he is now going to be responsible for what his child eats. He decides that this responsibility is too important for him to be as casual with his child's eating habits as he has been with his own, so he decides to thoroughly investigate the subject of eating animals: how they are farmed, slaughtered, and processed, as well as the scientific research into their capacity to feel pain and emotions such as fear.
He also explores the effect that large-scale meat production has on our environment and, as a result, our health.
Foer enters into this examination with an open mind and an objective approach.
Rather than being an open indictment of eating animals, this book attempts to present a balance of both sides of the issue.
For every interview the author has with an animal rights activist or a small-scale family farmer, he also interviews workers at 'factory farms' and others who support mainstream, large-scale farming practices.
Throughout this book, readers will find moving and sometimes shocking information about animals and the manner in which they generally arrive on our plates.
Eating Animals is a well-written and intelligent narrative that engages the reader to explore a topic that we generally try not to think too much about.
Yet with conscious consideration the author argues we can come to a greater understanding and appreciation of the choices we make and the social, cultural, and personal reasons behind them.
Regardless of whether you are an omnivore or herbivore, anyone with an interest in animal welfare, human health, food safety, or environmental issues will find this book an excellent, thought-provoking read. This book can be borrowed from the adult non-fiction collection of the Bob Harkins Branch.
reviewed by Teresa Taggart,
readers' advisor at the
Prince George Public Library
The Price Of
A Bargain
by Gordon Laird
Gordon Laird explores the consequences of bargains and "everyday low prices" in this book. He argues that continuous price cutting is one of the most powerful economic forces in the economy and shows the consequences.
The world of cheap bargains depends on global supply chains, containerized shipping and cheap labour in developed countries. As prices fall in real terms, people purchase stuff they really don't need. Luxury items in previous generations become necessities of life.
Families use the equity in their homes like piggy banks, borrowing at cheap interest rates to finance their latest acquisitions.
Rising house prices disguise the fact that, for most families, their household incomes are falling.
One result of a service-based economy is increased income inequality for households - people either are very well compensated and work long hours or join the contingent workforce.
The world of cheap stuff depends on some implicit assumptions, which may not be valid in the future. The author notes that moving containers back and forth across the world's oceans require cheap energy. While developments such as the Athabasca tar sands may meet our future energy needs, there are serious environmental costs.
Laird takes his readers on a tour of the tar sands and its impact on the environment of the Canadian north.
As resource companies develop increasingly marginal sources of energy, the cost of energy is guaranteed to rise.
Next, he examines the assumption that cheap labour will continue to be available in China. Cheap products are a result of the failure to pay liveable wages and the cost of pollution.
In China, worker protests are becoming common despite crackdowns by its totalitarian state.
In fact, one of few areas of the world where Wal-Mart stores have been successfully unionized is in China.
The book contains a detailed description of the tactics used by big box discount stores to avoid unionization.
As China becomes a wealthier country, its workers will become increasingly unwilling to work long hours for dirt cheap wages.
Cheap stuff only appears cheap because companies and consumers are not paying the full cost of such products.
The cost of externalities such as water contamination, greenhouse warming, and the cost of providing social services for minimum wage employees is either borne by society or left to future generations.
The Price Of A Bargain is in the adult non-fiction area at the Bob Harkins Branch.
reviewed by John Shepherd, former trustee for the Prince George Public Library Board
