Bookverdict.com

In his first work of nonfiction, Foer (Everything Is Illuminated; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) turns his attention to the meat production industry. Like Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson in The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food, Foer exposes the role factory farming and aquaculture plays in global warming and environmental degradation but takes a less radical approach. Advocating for a vegetarian instead of a vegan diet and insisting that measures be taken to lessen the negative impacts of our current means for producing meat, Foer isn't demanding drastic dietary changes but rather asking readers to explore the origins of their eating habits. An on-again, off-again vegetarian, Foer is using his book not as a polemical soapbox but as a means to explore philosophical and ethical issues that have become more urgent to him in his new role as a father. Adding balance, he incorporates the opinions of an animal rights activist, an independent poultry farmer, a vegetarian rancher, and even a vegan who helps design slaughterhouses. Verdict This is sure to attract animal welfare and animal rights advocates as well as Foer's fans and general readers interested in learning more about the meat they eat. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/09.]-Diana Hartle, Univ. of Georgia Lib., Athens, GA Copyright 2009 Media Source Inc. Copyright 2009 Media Source Inc. ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More