The Gist: Hello everyone, and Happy October! Last week, we finished up our discussion of The Jungle, and today we will begin our conversation about a much more positive book, Animal Camp by Kathy Stevens! I'm very excited about this month's book, due to the fact that I have heard nothing but good things about it, and about the author. So let's get started!

We read the first 45 pages of the book, in which Stevens introduces herself and Catskill Animal Sanctuary, a farm animal sanctuary located in New York State. She explains that the book is split into two sections—the first describing Stevens' summer away from the sanctuary at her partner David's house with three rescued animals which she calls "summer camp," and the second part about her bringing the three animals back to the sanctuary. The three animals are Franklin the pig, Hope the horse, and Tucker the cow, and all three are sort of outcasts at the sanctuary. Stevens wants to give them special attention in this summer camp, and also wants to learn lessons from the three animals.

Summer camp turns out to be a great success, and our reading stopped pretty much at the end of the summer. The three animals have become close friends, and Stevens comes out with some important insights.

The Discussion: This is a very lovely and easy book to read, due to its hopeful and gentle nature. Who doesn't like reading about happy animals? I, for one, am a sucker for this story. I leave you with a couple discussion points to get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you this week!

1. Have you ever visited an animal sanctuary? If so, which one, and how was your experience? If not, do you want to visit one? Why?

2. Stevens talks about her biography a little at the beginning, and she mentions that she turned down an offer to head a charter high school in order to start Catskill Animal Sanctuary, which was a dream of hers. What is your dream career, and do you plan on going through with it? Why, or why not?

The Assignment: Please read pages 46 to 95 of Animal Camp for our discussion on Monday, October 11.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Hi everyone, and happy Friday! We have now finished The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, and will begin our discussion of Animal Camp by Kathy Stevens on Monday. If you're in the SF Bay area this weekend, be sure to come out to the World Veg Festival—VegNews will be there selling subscriptions, and I'll probably be working the table for most of the show, so come say hello.

Earlier this week, I brought up two discussion points—the first about your feelings on socialism, and what your feelings were after finishing the book. There was a positive response to the socialist movement and you also supported Jurgis' decision to convert. From the feedback that I received, it doesn't seem that the book left any of you too hopeful, due to the fact that the same abuses are still present today.

That concludes our discussion of The Jungle. I hope to hear from a lot of you next week when we start some cheekier subject matter!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon, and welcome to the last week of our discussion of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Next week we will be reading a much lighter book, Animal Camp by Kathy Stevens. I think it will give us a chance to have more positive discussions, as it's about rescued animals. But first, let's finish our conversation about The Jungle!

Where we left off, Jurgis is back to working in Packingtown where he has helped a Republican candidate, Mike Scully, win office. After the win, Jurgis remains working as a hog trimmer. A strike breaks out due to a conflict between the packers and the unions. Scully talks Jurgis into staying on the job during the strike, which is known as being a "scab." He makes considerably better pay, and the strike lasts for some time. However, one night Jurgis is out and comes across Connor, who had abused Ona in the past, and Jurgis cannot control himself and attacks him viciously. He returns to jail and searches for help to be released, but finds out that Connor is one of Scully's favorites, and that he will be unable to be helped. He is advised to pay his bail and skip town, which he does, leaving him poor once again.

Back on the streets, Jurgis is unable to find a job, and one day he comes by a woman that he knew in his first year in Chicago, and although she is unable to help him, she tells him where Marija is working and says that she is well off. He goes to the house and realizes that it's a brothel. Once there, the police raid it, and Jurgis is only able to speak to Marija for a few minutes, in which he finds out that Stanislovas has died by being killed by rats, and that Marija has found that prostitution is the only job that pays enough for her to live and support the rest of the family. She understands why Jurgis left, and tells him to go back to the house. However, Jurgis does not want to go back to Teta Elzbieta until he has found a job, so he sets out to do so. During this time, he stumbles upon a political meeting, which turns out to be socialist. The man who speaks touches Jurgis very deeply, and he becomes an instant convert to socialism.

The rest of the book is about Jurgis learning more about the socialist movement and working to help it grow. He finds a job in a hotel run by a socialist leader, and is treated well while working there. The book ends with elections taking place, and the socialists win great victories, by increasing their numbers across the country.

The Discussion: I hope you guys enjoyed this book as much as I did. I leave you with two last discussion questions, and I look forward to your thoughts.

1. How do you feel about socialism? The term is still very common, but is often not seen in the most positive light. If you were in Jurgis' position at that time, would you have joined the movement?

2. What were you emotions when finishing this book? Did it leave you hopeful, or pessimistic?

The Assignment: Please read the preface to page 45 of Animal Camp for our discussion on Monday, September 28.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

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

The Gist: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! It's time to discuss chapters 17 to 25 of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. This section is mainly focused on Jurgis alone, and a number of changes take place for him. It starts off with Jurgis still in jail, where he has to remain for 30 days. Once out, he makes his way back to the house, but finds it occupied by a completely different family. He soon finds out where his family is staying—in the boarding house in which they previously stayed—and goes there, only to find out that Ona is having a premature birth of their second child. Ona is in horrible pain, and the family cannot afford a doctor to attend to her. So Jurgis sets out to beg for help and comes back with a Dutch midwife. Unfortunately, it is too late and after several hours the midwife reports that the baby is dead, and that Ona will die shortly due to blood loss. Jurgis goes up to see her one last time, and observes her death, which causes him a terrible amount of grief, so he leaves to get drunk. His mother-in-law helps him to realize that he still has a son, and Jurgis gets it back together and goes to find a job, but Packingtown is not an option because he has been black listed. He finally finds a job, only to lose it a few days later due to the factory being shut down. He is then given another job that is very far from the boarding house, so he only travels home on the weekends. One such weekend he comes home to find out that his only son has drowned in the mud on the street.

Jurgis totally loses it at this point, and he deserts the rest of the family and leaves the city. He spends the summer living as a tramp in the countryside, working odd jobs here and there. When the winter rolls around once again, he ventures back into the city to find a job. He finds one digging underground tunnels for railroad, but gets injured on the job. After spending two weeks in the hospital he is kicked out and finds out that he has lost his job. He has no other option but to beg for his life, and one night he comes across a drunk, wealthy young man, who takes him to his mansion and gives Jurgis a hundred dollar bill without even thinking about it. Unfortunately, Jurgis tries to get change from the bill, but is tricked by a bartender who takes his money. Infuriated, Jurgis attacks the man, but is stopped by the police, and is sent back to jail. While in prison, he meets a man who he previously met in jail, Jack Duane, who lives a life of crime. Jurgis follows Jack's path, getting involved with politics, which are completely corrupt at the time. He gets sent back to Packingtown to become a hog trimmer, and to show support for a Republican candidate in order to receive political graft.

The Discussion: Whew! Like I said, much takes place in these chapters, as you see from my long summary above. Here are a couple of discussion questions to start the conversation. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

1. As mentioned before, this book is primarily an attack on capitalism. What are your thoughts and feelings on capitalism? Do you think the system helps the factory farming industry grow? If the socioeconomic system changed, do you think it would benefit the animal rights movement?

2. What are your feelings on Jurgis's character? Do you think he's making the right decisions? Does he have any choice, in your opinion?

The Assignment: Please read chapters 26 to the end of The Jungle for our discussion on Monday, September 28.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday! I hope everyone had an enjoyable week. Discussion was light this week, and I want to thank Hope-g for participating. We talked about the connection between humans and animals portrayed in The Jungle, and how the characters are treated like animals, in which their voice is not heard, and how they are used and then thrown out by the Packingtown system—much like how animals are used and then slaughtered. We also discussed the human rights issues within the factory farming industry. Without some solution to the horrible abuses on the human level, the animals will never be truly helped. It's important to look at the problem as a whole in order to make change.

We will discuss chapters 17 to 25 next week. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon everyone! I am just returning from Toronto, and gearing up to discuss chapters 6 to 16 of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Much has occurred in the lives of the main characters of the book, specifically Jurgis, Ona, Teta Elzbieta, Marija, Stanislovas, and the other children of the family—all of it negative. They have been used and abused by the Packingtown system, and by the end of chapter 16, they are literally in despair. Ona has been taken advantage of by her boss, and Jurgis is now in jail for seeking revenge for his family by attacking the man with the intent to kill him. This week's reading has mainly focused on humans, but there is a connection between how these characters are treated and animals. Neither the humans nor the non-humans can be heard or express their rights.

The Discussion: This book is chock-full of discussion points, but I would like to keep it to two, so that we can maintain a focus. I look forward to reading your comments!

1. Above, I mentioned the symbolism and connection between the humans and animals in the book. Do you agree with this conclusion? Can you point out some parts of the reading where this is apparent? Do you think that Sinclair knew that he was making this connection?

2. This book is very sad, almost to the point of hopelessness. Although this book is set in 1906, there are still problems like this today, in which the people who work on factory farms are horribly abused. As vegans and animal-rights activists, we can sometimes forget about the human-rights abuses of this industry. What could we do to help change these problems? Do you think that if we worked to change these problems that it could help the animals as well?

The Assignment: Please read chapters 17 to 25 for our discussion on Monday, September 15.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

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

The Gist: Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope the week off has given you some time to read up on The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I know this is a tougher read, but it's not too long of a book, and I find it quite interesting. The first chapters of the book introduce the main characters—two Lithuanian families who have recently immigrated to America in the early 20th century. The story focuses on Jurgis Rudkus' point of view, who is a younger man and gets a job almost instantly in a Chicago slaughterhouse due to his stature. The first chapter tells of the wedding, or veselija, between Jurgis and Ona Lukoszaite, which is a happy time, but also quite stressful due to the high cost of marriage and the fact that both of the families are impoverished. The second chapter jumps back in time before the marriage and talks about the voyage from Lithuania to Chicago of the two families, and their settling into an overcrowded boardinghouse. The third chapter takes the family on a tour of the stockyards, where they observe the slaughtering of pigs and cattle. Sinclair goes into a good amount of detail about the process and how tens of thousands of animals are killed per day. In the fourth and fifth chapters, the family buys a home, even though it will take them many years to actually pay it off. The chapters also describe Jurgis' new job at the slaughterhouse where his duties are to sweep the entrails of slaughtered cattle into trap doors. He is proud of the job, and is actually surprised when he learns that other workers hate theirs. He refuses to join a union, which is asking for a reduction in the pace of the work. At the end of chapter five, he observes downer cows and calf fetuses being killed secretly and packed with the rest of the meat, which does disturb him.

The Discussion: This is definitely a heavier book, and not always easy to read, especially the parts that describe the slaughter of animals. It was a very important book for its time, and is still pertinent today. Here are a couple of discussion questions for the first five chapters. I look forward to chatting with you!

1. Being a classic, this book seems very academic to me, since it depicts a part history in a very realistic way, but it's rarely included as required reading for students. Do you think there would be an increase in teenagers going vegetarian if this book were assigned reading?

2. Sinclair originally wrote this book to go against capitalism and to depict the abuse of humans. Do you think he was aware of or acknowledged the abuse of animals?

The Assignment: Please read chapters 6 to 16 for our discussion on September 13.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

Checking In

Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope everyone has had a great week, and that you have been reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. We will be discussing the first five chapters next week, beginning on Tuesday, September 7. I am currently on chapter four, and I find it very engrossing so far. I look forward to the start of our discussion. Happy Labor Day weekend!

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

Let's Open Our Books

The Intro: Welcome to the VegNews Book Club! I'm Lyndsay Orwig, VN's office manager and an avid reader, and I am very excited to be your hostess for our brand-new blog! We will be reading both fiction and non-fiction works, hosting discussions, and chatting with superstar authors. We'll read one book per month with a new discussion every week, and build your knowledge of the cruelty-free lifestyle we all know and love. Can't wait to get started? Without further ado, here are the first three titles that we will read during the next three months:

July: Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman
August: Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
September: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

So get into your comfiest reading chair and hit those books! We'll be back with the next post on Monday, July 5, for our first discussion of Mad Cowboy.

The Assignment: Read chapters 1 to 3 of Mad Cowboy for the July 5 discussion.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig