The Summary: Good morning everyone! I am currently reporting from Canada, where I am working the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair. The show starts at 4 pm today, so if you're in the area, please stop by!This first week's discussion went really well, and I appreciate those who left comments. I first asked if you think that more teenagers would go veg if The Jungle were required reading in school, and there was a mix of answers. Some think that it definitely would—Abigail S. Bean even said that the book is what turned her vegetarian in junior high. Although, Jeff pointed out that if it were read in class, it's possible that teachers would focus more on the human suffering, which is definitely relevant, and less on the animal suffering. This leads to my second question in which I asked if Sinclair acknowledged the animal suffering. It is true that Sinclair wrote the book mainly to expose the abuses done to human beings, but as several of you pointed out, Sinclair wrote about the animal suffering, especially in chapter three, in which he wrote about the individuality of the hogs, and their ability to feel emotion and pain.
We'll have a lot more to talk about next week when we will discuss chapters 6 to 16. Have a great weekend!
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
