The Gist: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope you guys had a great weekend and have devoured the next two chapters of Mad Cowboy. I find this book a fast read, maybe due to the fact that it's a topic that I'm very passionate about, or maybe Lyman's writing style is easy to absorb. In chapter 4, "From the Farm to the Capital," Lyman recalls his experience with a cancerous tumor in his spine, and the risky surgery he had to undergo to remove it, which nearly left him paralyzed. This traumatic event led him to reassessing his life and career, changing his farm and lifestyle completely, and begin his lobbying efforts in Washington, DC. In "Mad Cows and Bureaucrats," Lyman summarizes the rise of Mad Cow Disease in England, and how the English government denied and tried to cover it up for several years, causing many people to become infected and die of the disease. He then talks about his Beyond Beef Campaign, in which he investigated the US Department of Agriculture for information on chemical contamination of meat and animal illnesses entering the food chain. When he discovered a report possibly dealing with Mad Cow Disease, it was quickly covered up by the government officials he was working with. Lyman ends the chapter expressing his concern of Mad Cow Disease spreading in the US, and posing the question of whether our government will act similarly to that of the English government.The Discussion: So let's get the conversation going! Here are three discussion points that I find relevant to these two chapters. Please respond to one or all of them, and read the comments of others and respond if you feel strongly about something said. I look forward to chatting with you guys throughout the week!
1. (Chapter 4, p. 68) Lyman expresses losing focus in his life, which I find is easy to do nowadays. Do you agree? What do you do to maintain focus?
2. (Chapter 4) The last sentence of p. 69 reminds me of an experience I had several years ago in the Dominican Republic, where I spent four months volunteering in impoverished Haitian villages. While there, I noticed that there were a ton of stray dogs and cats who were very malnourished and mistreated. This saddened me, but I realized that human beings in this country were not even cared for, so wanting to care for the animals seemed hopeless. It's a very solemn fact, but one that I find true. In this world, human-rights violations are everywhere. How will the rights of animals ever be respected when we can't even respect the rights of all human beings?
3. (Chapter 5) This book was published in 1998. Twelve years have now passed, and Mad Cow Disease is still mentioned in the news along with Bird Flu, but no epidemic has occurred as of yet. Do you think Lyman's fear of the spread of Mad Cow Disease is still valid? Are there now more contemporary concerns?
The Assignment: Read chapters 6 and 7 of Mad Cowboy for the July 19 discussion.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
