VegNews Book Club

The Summary: Good morning! It has been quite a busy week at the VNHQ—we are just finishing up the November+December Veggie Awards issue, and we are moving headquarters this weekend, which we are all very excited about. As excited and as busy as I have been, I've still found time for The Jungle, which I've really enjoyed reading. Although the book is quite grim, I'm almost sad to see it come to an end, and we're almost there with only two more chapters to go, which I can't wait to discuss with you next week!

This week, we talked about how the capitalist system affects the factory farming industry, and those who responded agreed that it helps it to grow. Every aspect of the industry relates to capitalism—supply, demand, labor, production, and profit. These words can be used to describe capitalism and factory farming alike.

I also asked about Jurgis' character, and if you agree with his decisions in these chapters. Riley says that he has no choice, and I agree. He has been run down to the point of choosing between survival and death, and he chooses to survive. The only way that he has found to be able to stay alive is by following a criminal lifestyle.

That is all for the week, and I wish you all an enjoyable weekend! Looking forward to discussing the conclusion of The Jungle with you guys.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig