The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the month of June! I realize that we are still technically in the month of May, but it will be June soon enough, and it's time to discuss our final book of the VegNews Book Club, Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. This is definitely more of an independent book, and not well-known, but it seems to be an interesting book so far, and I look forward to discussing it with everyone!

I asked you to read the introduction, prologue, and chapter one for our discussion today. As you may have realized, this book mainly deals with animals used in the entertainment business, rather than food animals. It is also intriguing because it highlights instances when these animals have pretty deliberately sought revenge. The introduction gives a bit of history of human and animal interaction, and the writer, Jeffrey St. Clair, spends a good amount of time talking about how in the Middle Ages, animals were put on trial just like humans. These trials stopped a little after the early-seventeenth century, in which St Clair believes is the time when humans started to think of themselves as superior to animals, and able to use animals any way they wanted to, such as for entertainment and educational purposes.

Hribal's first chapter talks about circus elephants, and depicts different times in history when elephants have attacked and sometimes killed their trainers, as well as their escape attempts. He writes the book from the animals' point of view, helping the reader to understand why the animal attacked in the first place. We in the animal-rights movement already know how viciously these animals are treated, but you don't need to be an animal-rights activist to understand why these elephants did what they did. Hribal concludes the first chapter with the story of Tyke—an elephant killed in 1993 in Honolulu after he attacked his trainers and escaped from a show. His death—even though it was just one of many—helped to start a movement against the use of elephants in the entertainment industry. Although they are still used today, Hribal claims that the number has greatly decreased, and many elephants have been saved and moved to sanctuaries to live the rest of their lives in peace.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. As mentioned by St. Clair, people now view putting animals on trial as foolish. What are your thoughts on this point of history when animals were put on trial?

2. What do you think of Hribal's writing style? Do you think he's getting his point across?
 
The Assignment: Please read chapter two of Fear of the Animal Planet for our discussion on Monday, June 6. See you then!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Good afternoon everyone! I hope everyone's excited about the long weekend coming up—I sure am. Due to Monday being Memorial Day, discussion will be posted Tuesday, May 31, and it will be our first of the June read, Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. I have already started reading, and it's very interesting. I hope you guys like it as well!

This week's final discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle was great—thanks to all those who commented! It seems like everyone is very optimistic about the book in general, as well as the future of the animal-rights movement. There will always be wins and losses when it comes to important issues, but it's good to always stay positive.

I want to take this time to announce that next month will be the final month of the VegNews Book Club. It's been a full year of discussing fantastic books, and I want to thank everyone who has participated. We hope that you still continue to read books with animal-rights messages, as it's always important to stay informed. Thanks again for a great year of the VegNews Book Club, and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon, and welcome to the fourth and final week of our discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle. Next week, we will begin our discussion of Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal, which seems like a very interesting read. Be sure to get your copy, so you can join in.


We finished the book by reading the entirety of Part Three this week, which includes two chapters. There is also a small section entitled "Fifty Ways to Help Animals," which literally states 50 ways to help, such as adopting a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, writing letters to the editor regarding animal-protection issues, and just registering to vote. All of part three is mainly about creating a more humane world, and in chapter seven, Pacelle first states different cruelties that are still going on in the US and world, and tells about the people who defend these ways. The cruelties he talks about mainly encompass the use of animals for food, clothing, and sport. Organizations, such as the USDA, support the factory farmers because that's where the money is, and the National Rifle Association (NRA) defends all types of hunting, even the hunting that really isn't hunting—pigeon shoots, for example—because they believe it is a human right. Pacelle explains that is not about rights, but tradition and an unwillingness to change, that keeps these cruelties going.


In the final chapter of part three, Pacelle discusses how we could go about developing a more humane economy. He reiterates the fact that most cruelties stem from our not wanting to change and move away from tradition, even though once we do, the humane way is always the best option. He opens the chapter talking about when he went whale watching with a group of animal advocates, and relates how whale watching is now the norm in the Northeast, just a little more than 100 years ago the norm was whale hunting. So many inhumane practices are insufficient and costly, such as animal testing, but due to the fact that it's the norm, it is still happening. However, things are getting better, and small changes are being taken to help animals. Such changes include the development of chemical birth control to stem the population of wildlife, and possibly even dogs and cats in the near future. Also, the use of new and improved scientific methods to test the toxicity of chemicals in consumer products, without testing them on animals. It is changes like these that are helping us move in the right direction towards a more humane world.


The Discussion: Here are three discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!


1. What are your thoughts on the use of chemical birth control to keep the population of animal wildlife at bay?


2. Pacelle says that at the World Animal Forum in May 2010, they made several resolutions, including the worldwide ban on factory-farming practices by 2050. What do you think of these goals? Do you think they can be reached?


3. Overall, how did you like The Bond? Would you recommend it to a meat-eating friend? 


The Assignment: Due to the holiday weekend, next week's discussion will begin on Tuesday, May 31. Please read the introduction, Prologue, and chapter one for our discussion. See you then!


~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Hello VegNews Book Clubbers, and happy Friday! We are now at the end of the third week of our discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle, in which we talked about companion animals and wild life, specifically National Parks, and if you have ever visited one before. Thanks for the responses! All who responded have an animal friend with unique backgrounds. I appreciate you sharing your stories with everyone. Regarding National Parks, most of you have visited one of these spectacular places, and have had great experiences there. I would love to go visit more myself—they are truly the wonders of the US.

We have one more week of our discussion of The Bond, which I look forward to talking to you about next week. Please have the rest of the book finished by then. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! It's a rainy day here in San Francisco, and I hope you guys are experiencing some nicer weather. We are now in our third week of discussing The Bond by Wayne Pacelle, which I hope you guys are enjoying. This week, we will be talking about chapters five and six.

Chapter five is all about companion animals, the bond we share with these animals, and the hidden cruelties of the commercialized pet industry. Pacelle begins with the story of Katrina, the devastation that it imparted to New Orleans, and how it separated many people from their companion animals. He talks about the rescue effort, and relates some of the individual stories of people being reunited with their animals. He uses the Katrina rescue story to show the connection we have with our animal friends, and how it is not easily broken. He then goes on to talk about where we get our companion animals from. Many people get their animals from puppy mills, which are terrible places, and exist only to make a profit. HSUS actually has led raids on puppy mills and discovered terrible conditions, such as dogs being stacked in wire cages, and being neglected. Many of these dogs come out of puppy mills with health conditions for the rest of their lives. Pacelle urges readers to adopt from rescue shelters. He talks about how rescue shelters are continually trying to adopt no-kill policies, but it is hard to do so due to the fact that there are so many homeless animals.

In chapter six, Pacelle talks about animals in the wild, and the human-animal interaction when it comes to the wild. At a young age, Pacelle was a ranger for the Student Conservation Association, which largely led him to where he is now. He says that at that time he was able to really connect with the environment around him, and he acquired a very strong respect for the wild. In the chapter, he talks about some instances—including the Yellowstone bison, Alaskan wolf hunting, the Canadian seal hunt, and hunting in general—where humans have shown a complete lack of respect for the wild, and what he has done, along with HSUS, to try to make things better.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Do you have a companion animal? If so, where did you rescue them from?

2. Have you ever visited a National Park? Which one, and what was your experience like?

The Assignment: Please read the rest of The Bond for our discussion on Monday, May 23.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Happy Friday everyone! First of all, it seems that Blogger has been experiencing some problems, so unfortunately, some of our discussion has been removed, but we hope they will be recovered. It was a really good discussion, in which we mainly talked about Michael Vick, and how Wayne Pacelle came to the decision to work with him in HSUS' campaign against animal fighting, and whether we agreed with his decision or not. I also brought up the fact that since Vick's release from prison for his dog-fighting ring, he has been allowed to play in the NFL once again, which was very upsetting because playing in the NFL is a privilege, and one that Vick should have lost. We definitely had some heated comments regarding these issues, which totally makes sense. The situation with Vick was very upsetting for many, and not just animal activists. As we all know, animals that are more domesticated—dogs and cats in particular—are regarded very differently than other animals. When the violence of Vick's dog-fighting was exposed, it definitely struck a cord with most people—it's very hard to fathom that type of cruelty.

I want to thank everyone again for participating in this week's discussion, and sorry once again for the maintenance issues with Blogger. I look forward to our discussion next week, in which we will be talking about the next two chapters of The Bond.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend, and enjoying your reading of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle. We still have some copies of the book on the VN Store, so if you don't have one already, be sure to pick one up!

For this week's discussion, we read the next two chapters, which are in the second part of the book. The first chapter talks about the abuses of the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Chico, Calif., in which HSUS investigated and helped to shut down. Pacelle also relates HSUS's fight to pass Proposition 2 in California, which addressed some of the worst confinement practices in factory farming. In 2008, the proposition passed, which was a huge step for the humane treatment of animals.

In the second chapter, Pacelle talks about the cruelties of animal fighting, specifically dog and cock fighting. Specifically, he talks about his work with Michael Vick, the NFL football player who ran a dog-fighting ring in Virginia, until it was raided in 2007, and Vick was sentenced to prison for 18 months. Near the end of his sentence, Vick contacted Pacelle and expressed interest in working with HSUS to help it's anti-dog-fighting campaign. Pacelle was very skeptical at first, but explains that he saw an importance in working with Vick to help get the message across about the cruelty of dog fighting, especially to the impoverished youth of America, who are more prone to these types of activities. Vick is still working with HSUS, and by the end of 2010, he had spoken to 10,000 kids in communities that are at risk.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Do you think that it was a good idea for HSUS to work with Michael Vick after he did such cruel things to animals? Why, or why not?

2. As Pacelle mentions, animal fighting is very low on the radar for most people, even though it is quite prevalent. Why do you think this is?

The Assignment: Please read the next two chapters of The Bond for our discussion on Monday, May 16. And don't miss Pacelle on The Today Show tomorrow!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig