The Summary: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers, and happy Friday! We are now finished with our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and we will begin our discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston next week. Be sure to pick up a signed copy of the book on the VN Store.

I asked two questions this week—one about your thoughts on Farm Forward and other humane meat movements, and if you think the vegan movement is moving at the right pace. It seems like you guys obviously support the humane movement, even though we would love to see everyone to become vegan tomorrow. The second question received a couple different answers. Some of you think it's definitely moving at a good pace, but Sock also brought up the fact about the cycles of movements, in which they can move forward for a while, but then take a big step backward. It will be interesting to see what happens, and hopefully this positive trend will keep moving forward.

I look forward to our first discussion of Veganist next week. Happy weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good morning, and Happy Presidents' Day! I am actually reporting from home today, due to the holiday. I hope you guys are enjoying a long weekend as well. It is the last week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I look forward to talking to you about the rest of the book. We will be reading and discussing Veganist by Kathy Freston next week. If you don't have it yet, you can purchase a signed copy on the VN Store.

We read the last two sections of the book for our discussion this week. In "I do," Foer tackles the cattle industry, as well as the two competing terms in the animal rights movement today—Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare. He starts the section by introducing Bill and Nicolette of Niman Ranch, which was mentioned earlier in the book. Niman Ranch is known for its "humane" meat, and Foer visited the ranch while researching the book. The section goes on to tell three different views of the meat industry: one from Nicolette, the "Vegetarian Rancher;" one from Bruce Friedrich, the PETA activist; and one from Bill Niman, the humane rancher. After these points of views are shared, Foer goes on to talk about the cattle industry as a whole, and points out the fact that humane ranches, like Niman's, are fine, but won't make much of a difference as long as cheap, factory-farmed meat is available to the masses. Foer does say that if all meat was raised like Niman's or Frank Reese's turkeys, he would probably eat meat, but at this time, there is no way that you can eat humane meat 100 percent of the time. He explains that this is why he has chosen a vegetarian diet.

The final section is entitled "Storytelling" once again, like the first section, and Foer goes back to talking about family and traditions, specifically Thanksgiving. Americans have made Thanksgiving about the turkey, even though it's quite possible that there wasn't even a turkey served at the first Thanksgiving. He questions this tradition, as well as the treatment of the factory-farmed turkey. He once again mentions the fact about people "forgetting" when it comes to their food, and he really starts to delve into the importance of what we put on our plate. He understands that it is our food that gives us a "sense of self," but also mentions that due to the unfathomable abuses that are now taking place on factory farms, it is time to leave our comfort zone, and actively choose what we eat. He relates it to when his Grandmother said that she would not eat pork even though she was starving while on the run during WWII, and how she said, "If nothing matters, there's nothing to save."

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What are your thoughts on "I am a vegan who builds slaughterhouses," in which the man in charge of Farm Forward talks about helping Frank Reese build his own humane slaughterhouse. Would you still label him as a vegan? Do you think Farm Forward is a good program, or is there a better realistic solution?

2. It is obvious that the vegan movement is catching on—right now there are two bestselling books that deal with veganism, and people in the mainstream like Foer are bringing these issues to more people. Do you think that the movement is moving at the right pace, or does something bigger have to happen?

The Assignment: Please read the Introduction and the first two chapters of Veganist for our discussion on February 28.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday VegNews Book Clubbers! We are finishing up our third week of discussion on Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I wanted to thank everyone for their great thoughts and insights. We have one more week with this book, and I look forward to finishing up this fantastic read.

As I mentioned in our conversation, the question I posed might have been a little loaded, and it definitely received some thoughtful comments. As vegans, it can be frustrating to be among others that just don't care about what they put on their plate, or the consequences. However, I agree with Jessica and Sock about the fact that everyone chooses to forget at times—it is a trait that we all share as human beings. And this question does lead back to the point I brought up in the first week about the cultural and traditional aspects of our food. These issues—food, animal agriculture, environment, etc.—are not black and white, and will take a great deal of discussion in order for solutions to be made.

Please finish the rest of the book for our discussion beginning Monday. Happy Presidents' Day Weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and Happy Valentine's Day! We are in our third week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I, for one, have really enjoyed this book. Though I might not agree with everything that Foer writes, it is very refreshing to read a well-written book on the subject of factory farming, and why we eat animals.

For this week's discussion, I asked you to read the sixth section of the book, "Slices of Paradise/Pieces of Shit," which mainly deals with the pork industry. First, Foer introduces the independent slaughterhouse Paradise Locker Meats, which is located in the Midwest. Foer visited the slaughterhouse, which is known to be more humane in their slaughter methods. Specifically, that means pigs are killed one at a time, and not at the fast-paced rate as they are in bigger factories. Of course, there are still many issues with this plant, including issues with the meat inspection, and the obvious contradiction of the term "humane slaughter."

Foer continues to talk about the pork industry, mentioning how pigs are bred nowadays to be food, and not an individual animal, much like chickens and turkeys. He also brings up the fact that only four companies account for 60 percent of the pork produced today.

He then introduces Paul Willis, a pig farmer in Iowa, who produces pork for Niman Ranch, which is known to be a more humane producer of meat. Willis claims that on his farm, pigs can be pigs, until the time of slaughter, that is. While Foer is visiting the farm, the family finds out that a factory farm has purchased land nearby with plans to build a pork-producing facility, which would obviously ruin the land. This leads Foer to talk about the massive amount of pollution resulting from hog farming—specifically, the shit. He gives many facts and details regarding this subject, and then jumps into the actual abuses that factory-farmed pigs have to face. He relates it to a new form of sadism. It is truly unbelievable what happens at these farms.

Finally, at the end of the section, Foer goes back to the question of why we eat animals, especially now in the midst of the immense abuses of of factory farming. He brings up the issue of tradition, and talks about how remembering and forgetting are nearly the same thing, and happens quite often when it comes to our food.

The Discussion: Here's a discussion point to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Many people are aware of the terrible conditions on factory farms, and the enormous amount of waste they produce. What are your feelings towards people who choose to "forget" about these issues?

The Assignment: Please read the rest of Eating Animals for our discussion on February 21. If you still need a copy, you can purchase one at the VN Store.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Hello everyone, and happy Friday! We are at the end of our second week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and just as like the first week, we've had some great conversation.

First, I asked you what your thoughts were on Frank Reese, aka "the last poultry farmer." Also, I asked if you would still be a vegetarian or vegan if all farmers were like him. Everyone who responded would still not eat animals even if only family farms existed. Of course, things would be better for the animals if all farms were like Reese's, but many of us agree that it's not about the farm, but using animals at all.

Second, I asked you why you think so many people still live in denial about what they eat. I honestly believe this is a hard question to answer, due to the fact that it pertains to the complexity of the human mind. I did enjoy reading your ideas on the subject. It's an upsetting issue, and one that should be brought up into conversation frequently. Perhaps, videos like the recently released Farm to Fridge will help push people in the right direction.

Just as a reminder, we will be discussing the sixth section of Eating Animals on Monday, February 14. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the second week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. We started off with some great conversation, and I look forward to another great week!

We read the next two sections of the book for our discussion today. The fourth section is called "Hiding/Seeking," and it follows Foer's further investigation into the animal-agriculture business, as well as some history of our relationship with animals and how factory farming came to be. It begins with him writing about his experience with a woman who secretly goes onto big factory farms, specifically poultry farms. They are sneaking onto a poultry farm in the middle of the night. Foer has decided to do this in order to truly see what factory farms are hiding, and it's obviously not good. He also depicts a letter, which is his seventh letter, to Tyson Foods asking if he could visit one of their many farms. The letter seems to indicate the secretiveness of the big factory farms. The section also includes a part entitled, "I am the last poultry farmer," which is a man named Frank Reese who talks about how family farms no longer exist, excluding his, which has turkeys that have not been genetically engineered in any way.

In the fifth section, "Influence/Speechlessness," Foer talks about the increasing risk of a pandemic, due to the rise of animal agriculture. He talks about the last terrible pandemic, the Spanish Flu, which killed nearly 100 million people worldwide within about 24 weeks. He goes on to talk about how the increase of factory farming, which has led to the genetic engineering of animals to make them merely "food" has led to the rise of antimicrobial resistance and food-borne illnesses, and how we are lied to about the danger of eating animals and the health benefits of eating a vegetarian diet.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What are your thoughts on the "Last poultry farmer," Frank Reese? Would you be a vegan or vegetarian today if all farmers were still like him today?

2. With the threat of increasing food-borne illnesses and a chance of a terrible pandemic, why do you think so many people still live in denial about animal agriculture?

The Assignment: Please read the next section of Eating Animals for our discussion on February 14. If you still need a copy, you can purchase one at the VN Store.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy belated wrap up, Book Clubbers. Apologies for the delay in recapping our wonderful discussion of our first week of Eating Animals. This week, we talked about some very emotional topics: our families' relationship with food and life-changing events that made us want to re-evaluate our lives. Thanks so much to everyone who commented! Though many of you said that your families have non-vegan food traditions, it seemed like almost all had been successful at veganizing the family recipes or having the support of your family members. Many of you, like Foer, have children and want to make sure that they are raised vegetarian or vegan, which is so commendable! There are so many resources now for raising kids without feeding them animal products, and we're come a long way since the days of combining foods to make "complete" proteins.

Another theme that came out in your answers was health issues. Whether it was a weight issue, something chronic like Crohn's Disease, to emotional catalysts, there were definitely significant moments in your lives that made pushed you beyond your typical comfort zones. Thank you for sharing such personal moments with everyone reading! That's it for now, I'll keep this short and sweet since we have a new discussion to get to today too!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Happy Monday afternoon everyone! This is the first week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I hope you're as excited as I am. I have been dying to read this book for some time now, and I'm glad that I'm reading it with you guys. I've read one of his novels so far, Everything Is Illuminated, and I absolutely loved it! And I really like what I've read of Eating Animals thus far. So let's begin!

I asked you to read the first three sections of the book for our discussion today. The first is entitled "Storytelling," in which Foer talks about his background, specifically his relationship with his Grandmother, and how her life revolved around food. She was a surviver of World War II by staying on the run, and she ate to stay alive, in comparison to how most Americans live, in which we eat whatever we please, even if we're not hungry. Foer also talks about how he came to the understanding of how the eating of meat meant that you were eating animals, and that once he came to this realization, he has gone back and forth between eating meat and being a vegetarian. He shares that he felt the need to write the book once he himself became a father. He truly wanted to learn what meat actually is.

The second section is called "All or Nothing or Something Else." He begins the section by talking about his beloved family dog, George, who is actually a female. Before George, Foer was not a dog person, but he explains that once he saw George, he fell in love. He goes on to talk about how his relationship with George has led him to question the difference between animals and humans. It also leads him to question why we eat certain animals, and not others, which is different in each culture. As we know, animals that we would not eat in US—primarily dogs and cats—are eaten in other parts of the world, and Foer wants to know why. He then brings up our relationship to fish and factory farmed animals, which he describes as full out war. We have used technology to increase our production of our meat to a tremendous extent, and even though people don't know everything about these industries, they know enough, and they still don't change their habits. Foer questions why this is.

In the third section, "Words/Meaning," Foer lists words relating to the eating of animals, and gives a definition of some kind, whether it's an actual definition, or a story behind the word for phrase. Some examples include "Animal," "Battery Cage," "Comfort Food," "PETA," and "Radical."

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Foer brings up stories of his Grandmother's relationship with food at the beginning of the book, which come from his memories, as well as his family traditions. How much do you think tradition and culture affects the way we eat? By being a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel like you've gone against your family tradition, or do you still find a way to keep it alive?

2. Foer says that it was the birth of his son which pushed him to write this book. Has an experience in your life ever caused you to make a big change or to accomplish something you've never done before?

The Assignment: Please read the next two sections of Eating Animals for our discussion on February 7. If you still need a copy, you can purchase one at the VN Store.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! We have now come to the end of our discussion of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott, which was a really fun read, and it sounds like all of you really enjoyed it.

Last Monday, I laid out two discussion questions. First, I asked if any of you have ever had your own garden. From the few comments, it seems like most of us would love to have one, but haven't had the opportunity yet. I think a lot of us live in the middle of a city, which complicates things, but community gardens, as mentioned by Sweet Swallows, are definitely good options. Good luck with trying your hand at that this year, Sweet Swallows!

I also asked what your favorite DIY project is, and what project you aspire to do in the future, and the dessert stands in the book were a major hit! I'm sure they would be of great use in the vegan bake sales, if you have one in your area.

Next week, we will begin our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Be sure to read the first three sections of the book to be ready for our conversation. Also, if you still need a copy, you can pick one up at the VN Store. Happy weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the final week of our discussion of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott. We've had some great conversation this month, and I hope that we can have even more in Feburary when we begin Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Purchase your copy now from the VN Store, to be ready for our discussion!

I asked you to read the rest of the book for this week, which was only one chapter. In this final chapter Elliott talks about a bunch of DIY projects, including gardening, dessert stands, how to frost a cupcake (the fancy way), and plenty of arts and crafts. Want to make your own clothing? Well, Elliott has you covered in this chapter. This is the chapter that I think makes this book unique to other vegan lifestyle books. Being terrible at DIY projects myself, I found this chapter to be a handy guide.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Have you ever had your own garden—be it a backyard, community, or urban garden? What was your experience like?

2. What's your favorite DIY project? Also, what project do you aspire to do, but haven't done yet?

The Assignment: Please read the first three sections of Eating Animals for our discussion on January 31.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! We are at the end of the third week of our discussion of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott, and we've had some great conversation all month. Thanks so much for all of the great comments!

I brought up two discussion points last Monday. First, I asked you guys to share your favorite brands of clothing and makeup. All of the comments and tips were really helpful! Personally, I've been looking for a good brand of dry shampoo, so thank you, hands2health, for mentioning Hairfix. I might just give it a try!

I also asked if you guys have tried any of the recipes in the book as of yet, and a lot of you have, with positive reviews. I'm still jonsing for the Portobello Banh Mi, but they all look super good.

There is one more week of discussion of this fun book—please read the rest of the book to be ready for our conversation beginning Monday. Also, don't forget to pick up a copy of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, which we will be discussing in February. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Happy MLK Day VegNews Book Clubbers! We are now in the third week of our discussion of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott. I'm personally very excited about the holiday, because it gives me time to catch up on my reading. Don't forget that we will be reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer in February, so get a copy! We're actually selling the book over at the VN Store, so you don't even have to make a trip to the bookstore.

We read chapters four to six for our conversation this week. Chapter four covers non-food shopping, such as clothing, makeup, feminine hygiene, natural cleaning supplies, and even sex products. Elliott lists an array of brands for each area, giving a great guide for your cruelty-free purchases!

Chapter five talks food, and Elliott gives a detailed guide on how to stock your vegan kitchen. She includes canned food, dried food, baking ingredients, frozen foods, spices, tools, and other various staples. She also provides a sample menu, a list of non-vegan ingredients to look out for, and talks about what and what not to feed a non-vegan. If you are new to veganism, this is definitely the chapter for you.

Finally, chapter six contains recipes, and a lot of them! From breakfast to dessert, these recipes look to be a good start to help your vegan cooking take off. I personally want to make the Portobello Banh Mi Sandwiches, because I love everything sandwich.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What are your favorite cruelty-free clothing and makeup brands?

2. Have you tried any of the recipes listed in chapter six? If so, which one, and how was it?

The Assignment: Please read the rest of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life for our discussion on January 24.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

Reading List

Happy Wednesday VegNews Book Clubbers, and I hope you're enjoying Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. This is a special post to bring you some very exciting news: the next three books that we will be reading! Without further ado, here are our first three titles for 2011:

January: The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott
February: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer
March: Veganist by Kathy Freston

Veganist is not yet out, but it will be hitting bookshelves early February, so just hold tight! I look forward to discussing these titles with you!

~VegNews Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig