Before You Know Kindness tackles 3 main issues: gun control, veganism, and animal rights. While Bohjalian did a wonderful job at shedding light on both sides of the gun control issue I was turned off at the way he presented Spencer as this raving, vegan, animal rights activist, lunatic. Obviously FERAL and PETA are mirror images which I get - PETA is extreme. I was glad that Bohjalian didn't make the woman the vegan/activist which would have fallen into the typical stereotype, but I still walked away feeling like Bohjalian has an axe to grind with people who chose to be vegan. The constant references to Soy-gerine, soy milk, and fake meat added this fanatical element to the family that I thought was unnecessary.

I am a little confused on the title though. Is it you must endure hardship like loosing an arm to know kindness? Maybe I missed something but I don't really get how/where this title fits.

Overall, a good book. I loved how Bohjalian explored the girls relationship and the reasoning behind the lies. I'm looking forward to discussing the book with my book club.