The Summary: Welcome VegNews Book Clubbers to the conclusion of our second month of the VN Book Club, in which we are discussing the final chapters of Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. We will be taking a break next week, but will start right back up on September 7 where we will begin talking about the first five chapters of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I hope you guys are as excited as me to read this classic novel about the atrocities of the Chicago meatpacking industry in the early 20th century, and hope that the extra week gives you plenty of time to read.

Back to our discussion on Skinny Bitch! I first asked how you maintain a positive attitude, and the answers mainly focused on exercise, particularly yoga, but Changeintomule even mentioned being a part of CrossFit, which is awesome! Personally, I have started to ride my bike much more, specifically to work and back, which has really changed my mood for the better. I also feel much more focused during work, and even at home.

Finally, I asked about your thoughts on some controversy of the tone of the book, as well as if you think that "skinny" equals "healthy." This question definitely spurred different answers and opinions, both negative and positive. I think that it's important to have these types of discussions, because these are the issues that matter most. The book can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on your outlook. If you consider yourself a feminist, there is some troubling language in the book that does not help the cause. But if you look at it in a casual matter, it could be read as a close friend giving it to you straight.

Please feel free to share anymore thoughts on Skinny Bitch in this post's comments section. It was a great month of sharing and I look forward to discussing The Jungle!

I would also like to announce the books we will be reading for the next three months of the VegNews Book Club, beginning with October:

October: Animal Camp by Kathy Stevens
November: My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki
December: Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston

I'm very excited about this lineup, and I hope you are, too. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Hello! I hope you're ready to discuss the conclusion of Skinny Bitch. The rest of the book consisted of two more chapters, a recommended reading section, and the index. Plus, there was a little note from both Freedman and Barnouin that I hope you guys caught. In "FYI," there are short blurbs with last thoughts from the two authors, including onions, buying organic, and not always following a perfect diet. In the final chapter, "Use Your Head," they ask you to just think about what you eat, and most likely you will make the right decision. They also talk about the title of the book, and to not take it literally. They stress the importance of being positive in life.

The Discussion: I look forward to this final discussion on Skinny Bitch! Here are two questions to get you started:

1. As mentioned above, Freedman and Barnouin mention the importance of staying positive in your life in the final chapter. How do you maintain a positive attitude?

2. When Skinny Bitch was published, there were some arguments, especially in the feminist movement, against the book, saying that it focuses on being skinny way too much, and that the constant put-downs do not help matters. Salon.com delves into this issue further. I know that we have kind of discussed this in the first week when I asked about your thoughts on the tone of the book, but how do you feel about these arguments? Is it important to you to be skinny? Does skinny equal healthy in your opinion?

The Assignment: We will be reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair for the month of September! Please be ready to talk about chapters 1 to 5 for our discussion on September 7.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the end of week three of Skinny Bitch! I hope you guys had an enjoyable week, and are just as excited for the weekend as I am.

I asked a couple of questions last Monday regarding chapters 9 to 11 of the book, and I appreciate the comments and discussion that followed. First I asked if there any government agencies or organizations that you trust, and if you did, why. Those of you that did answer this question pretty much said that you do not trust any agency or organization. While I agree that trusting governmental agencies is difficult, I personally find organizations like the Humane Society of the United States and Mercy for Animals trustworthy. Any thoughts?

I then asked if any of you were following the meal plan in chapter 11. Most of you aren't following it strictly, but are definitely getting the main idea by looking it over.

As mentioned earlier, I hope you guys have a great weekend, and I look forward to discussing the rest of Skinny Bitch with you all!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and is ready to discuss chapters 9 to 11 of Skinny Bitch.

In chapter 9, Freedman and Barnouin delve further into the political side of the food industry, focusing on how the US Department of Agriculture, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Food and Drug Administration don't care about public health, but rather help animal agriculture. Freedman and Barnouin ask you to reclaim your health and to see through the lies of these agencies. In the tenth chapter, "Don't Be a Pussy," the authors talk about the transition from an unhealthy lifestyle, including processed food, sugar, meat, etc., to a healthy "Skinny Bitch" lifestyle. They admit that the first month will be quite hard, but ask for you to step up and take it, in order to be rewarded in the end. Finally, food is discussed in chapter 11, where they list acceptable food and provide a month's worth of menus to help with the transition.

The Discussion: Here are a couple discussion questions for the week. I look forward to chatting with you guys!

1. Freedman and Barnouin mention several agencies and government organizations whose guidelines should be questioned in order to be healthy. Are there any agencies or organizations that you do trust, and why?

2. There is a sample meal plan in chapter 11. Are any of you following it? If so, how's it going?

The Assignment: Please finish the book for our discussion on Monday, August 13.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday everyone! We are getting into the Skinny Bitch groove this second week of August, where we've been discussing chapters five through eight. The chapters were mainly diet focused, specifically on veganism, so that's what we talked about.

I first asked about how you felt about eating lighter to heavier meals throughout the day, having primarily fruit in the morning, vegetables mid-day, and a more filling dinner. A lot of you said that you eat fruit for breakfast along with something a little more substantial, like protein powder or granola. And most of you do enjoy a heavier meal in the evening.

I then relayed from the previous week's discussion how a lot of you mentioned that this book convinced you to go vegan, and I asked what aspect helped sway you the most—the factory farming or the health benefits. I also asked if you found the information on factory farming a shock. The factory farming aspect is what swayed you most, although a couple of you did mention that health and environmental concerns did play a role in your switch as well.

Changeintomule brought up an issue which I hope to talk about probably in the last week of this month's book club—the focus of the book on being skinny. I look forward to talking about this subject later in the month!

I hope you are enjoying the next three chapters of Skinny Bitch, and I look forward to discussing them with you next week. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

BONUS: VegNews.com is holding a giveaway of an autographed copy of Skinny Bitch along with a signed copy of the 2008 Veggie Awards Issue of VegNews. Be sure to enter today!

The Gist: Happy Monday to everyone! I am currently reporting from Chicago, but will always make time for the VegNews Book Club. This week, we will discuss the next four chapters of Skinny Bitch, which are chapters five to eight.

Chapters five, six, and seven mainly talk about the problems with eating meat and animal agriculture, including the dairy industry and the issues with eggs. In "You Are What You Eat," Freedman and Barnouin point out the fact that if you eat meat, you are essentially eating a "putrefying corpse." They also talk about the protein myth that vegetarians are always accosted with, and how it's really important just to eat a healthy, balanced diet. The short eighth chapter deals with bowel movements, how it's important to have them frequently, and how a healthy vegetarian diet will definitely help you out with this.

The Discussion: On to the discussion! Last week's was the best yet, and I hope to keep it going with the following discussion questions:

1. Freedman and Barnouin say that it's important to eat faster-digesting foods earlier in the day, such as fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon, and your heaviest meal in the evening. Do you follow this rule? If so, what does a daily menu look like for you? If not, what would be your ideal eating plan?

2. In last week's discussion, a lot of you mentioned that this book is what made you go vegan. What aspect helped to sway you the most—the atrocities of factory farming described in the book, or the health benefits? Did you find the information on factory farming shocking?

The Assignment: Please read chapters 9 to 11 for our discussion on Monday, August 16.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Greetings from Chicago! Yes, I am away from cold and cloudy San Francisco and in hot and sunny Chicago for the VN-sponsored Veggie Fest. Maybe I'll see some of you here!

Whew! The conversation was really going for the first week of reading Skinny Bitch—I appreciate all of the participation. When I asked about the tone of the book, there was complete support of its straightforwardness, and many even said that this book was the reason they became vegan. I went vegan before the release of the book, so when I read it several years ago, I mainly skimmed the "vegan" parts, because for me it was preaching to the choir. I did not realize how much of an effect it has had on people who are not yet vegan.

I then asked for you to share the things you have given up beyond animal products, including coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, and sugar. And boy, you guys are healthy! Sugar seems to be the number one thing that readers have cut back on, which I find impressive. The feedback was great, and it's really given me some motivation to cut back on some of the bad stuff—well, at least sugar!

I hope you guys enjoy the weekend, and I'm excited about chatting with you more about Skinny Bitch!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Welcome to the second month of the VegNews Book Club! This month, we are changing the tone a bit and reading Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. This book became quite popular when it was published in 2005—it was on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year—among vegans and non-vegans alike. It caused a bit of controversy, which I hope to discuss throughout the month. You may also know Rory Freedman as a past VN contributor with her column Skinny Bitching.

I asked you to read the first four chapters this week, which I think read quite quickly. In the first chapter, "Give It Up," Freedman and Barnouin list several vices that we should give up, including cigarettes, coffee, alcohol (except for sulfite-free, organic wine), soda, junk food, and OTC pills. In "Carbs: The Truth," they say that carbs are a good thing, as long as they are complex carbohydrates, and not simple carbohydrates. In the third chapter, "Sugar is the Devil," they say that refined sugar should definitely be nixed from your diet, and replaced by natural sweeteners such as agave, Stevia, and maple syrup, to name a few. Finally, in "The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet," they encompass Mad Cowboy's themes in one chapter, talking about the unhealthiness of meat as well as delving into the many problems with factory farming.

The Discussion: Now for the discussion! Here are two discussion questions that I found pertinent to these chapters and the book as a whole.

1. What are your feelings on the tone of this book? Do you think it's effective in getting the point across?

2. Freedman and Barnouin mention a lot of things to forgo. Have you gone beyond being vegan and given up coffee, cigarettes (if you smoke or have smoked), sugar, or alcohol? If so, which was the most challenging? How did you feel afterward?

The Assignment: Please read chapters 5 to 8 for our first discussion on Monday, August 9.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday everyone! It has been a great first month for the VegNews Book Club, and we have reached the end of our discussion of Mad Cowboy. I have very much enjoyed being in conversation with you about this thought-provoking book, and I'm looking forward to discussing more titles with you in the months to come—next week, Skinny Bitch!

As mentioned last Tuesday, we were very lucky to have Mad Cowboy author Howard Lyman agree to answer some readers' questions for us, and without further ado, here are the top five questions with Howard's response. Have a great weekend!

Susan Bran: I am an American living in Guatemala. I have seen first hand the destruction of the forests here for cattle. We live on top of a mountain close to a volcano, and every time we drive down we see trees burning to make more land for grazing cows. However, if I try to talk to the people here and in the States about the tragedy of destroying natural forests for one season of food for cows, they look at me like I'm crazy. How do I get the importance of this across to them?

Howard: Susan, always talk in the first person, such as what you saw and what it meant to you. When you talk about what they should do, it causes them to stop thinking. Talk about yourself, and they will get the picture.

Alice: As someone who certainly had connections with other factory farmers, have you been able to convince any of your former colleagues to go vegan? Thanks!

Howard: I have changed a handful, but most have gone out of business or died.

e___abeth: It's been 12 years since Mad Cowboy was first published. How do you think the meat industry, and conversely the public consciousness around the hazards of eating meat, has changed in that time? What shifts do you foresee happening in the future?

Howard: The meat industry is on the defensive. Health, environment, and global warming are on our side. I believe the majority of Americans will be plant eaters in my lifetime. I'm 72 today.

Anonymous: What's your favorite vegan recipe?

Howard: Rice and beans without a doubt.

Sarah O: Hello Mr. Lyman! I really enjoyed your book, and I want to thank you for taking your time to answer some questions! I attended the Lyman vs. Niman debate this past May where you talked a little about your lobbying efforts in Washington, DC. What are you currently working on?

Howard: Today I spend the majority of my time educating at the grassroots. This is the mother lode for success.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! It's good to be back at the VNHQ after a week off in the Midwest. It is the final week of the first month of the VegNews Book Club, and we will be discussing the last two chapters of Mad Cowboy. I can't believe how fast this month has flown by! I hope you're as excited as I am to discuss the book's conclusion, as well as to start reading next month's book, Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.

The last two chapters were definitely not as heavy as the previous chapters. In chapter 8, "Skip the Miracles and Eat Well," Lyman brings up the health benefits of adopting a vegan lifestyle, and also discusses how fad diets—particularly the "Zone" diet—just don't work and are very unhealthy, to say the least. In the shorter final chapter, "Going Home," he discusses his experience of going back home to Montana after several years away, and how all the family farms were gone. He ends the book with some final questions about what we as a generation will leave behind for future generations.

The Discussion: I'm going to leave you with two discussion points, which will conclude our conversation of Mad Cowboy. I look forward to reading your thought-provoking answers and comments!

1. (Chapter 8) Lyman talks about fad diets and how they can be very unhealthy. Unfortunately, some may view the vegan lifestyle as a fad diet, or see it as very restrictive. How do you break these stereotypes?

2. (Chapter 9) I think that Lyman asks some very good questions in the final chapter. What positive changes would you like to see by 2050—covering all aspects of society, including environmental, technological, social, etc.?

The Assignment: We will be discussing Skinny Bitch next week! Please read chapters 1 to 4 for our first discussion on Monday, August 2.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig