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The Animal Rights Handbook: Everyday Ways to Save Animal Lives
Suggests ways to share the planet with its animal residents, including changes in clothing and diet, responsible pet ownership, ways to raise children to be more aware of animal rights, and methods of working for social change
- GenresNonfictionAnimals
113 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2014
This book is very similar to Ingrid Newkirk’s Save the Animals: 101 Easy Things You Can Do, but without the witty writing. I’ve read a lot of animal rights books, but Handbook falls toward the bottom of the heap. The writing is dull and uninspired, and the information about specific company policies and organization contact information is mostly out-of-date.
I will say that Handbook does offer a piece of smart advice sadly neglected by many other AR publications: suggesting that we animal advocates will our organs and bodies to medical science after we die. This is something I’ve championed for a while now—there is perhaps no better way to replace animals in research and xenotransplantation.
Other entries in this book will have AR folks scratching their heads. The author uses the eye-roll inducing terms “pesco-vegetarians” (eat fish) and “pollo-vegetarians” (eat poultry) and presents these as types of vegetarians just as legitimate as “regular” vegetarians and vegans! Now, I’m not one to say that a meat-reducing diet counts for nothing—I’d much rather see an omni reduce their meat intake than not. At the same time, for Pete’s sake, stop saying that fish and bird flesh are vegetarian foods. Just ask the few omnis in the audience to reduce their meat intake and leave it at that.
The naivety of the past is also glimpsed in this two-decade-old book. The Canadian seal hunt is assumed to be in its death throes and presented as a “success story” in the text. Little did the author suspect that while AR activists were looking elsewhere, the seal hunt roared back with a vengeance, complete with kill quotas set higher than they have ever been in the hunt’s history.
Later in the book, we are advised, “Before you join or contribute to wildlife or conservation groups, find out whether they support hunting.” Good advice. Yet one page later, the author urges us to “Join the Nature Conservancy,” which doesn’t just support hunting, but has proven itself one of the most relentless and merciless slaughterers of any and all species deemed “non-native” in its managed habitats.
I will say that Handbook does offer a piece of smart advice sadly neglected by many other AR publications: suggesting that we animal advocates will our organs and bodies to medical science after we die. This is something I’ve championed for a while now—there is perhaps no better way to replace animals in research and xenotransplantation.
Other entries in this book will have AR folks scratching their heads. The author uses the eye-roll inducing terms “pesco-vegetarians” (eat fish) and “pollo-vegetarians” (eat poultry) and presents these as types of vegetarians just as legitimate as “regular” vegetarians and vegans! Now, I’m not one to say that a meat-reducing diet counts for nothing—I’d much rather see an omni reduce their meat intake than not. At the same time, for Pete’s sake, stop saying that fish and bird flesh are vegetarian foods. Just ask the few omnis in the audience to reduce their meat intake and leave it at that.
The naivety of the past is also glimpsed in this two-decade-old book. The Canadian seal hunt is assumed to be in its death throes and presented as a “success story” in the text. Little did the author suspect that while AR activists were looking elsewhere, the seal hunt roared back with a vengeance, complete with kill quotas set higher than they have ever been in the hunt’s history.
Later in the book, we are advised, “Before you join or contribute to wildlife or conservation groups, find out whether they support hunting.” Good advice. Yet one page later, the author urges us to “Join the Nature Conservancy,” which doesn’t just support hunting, but has proven itself one of the most relentless and merciless slaughterers of any and all species deemed “non-native” in its managed habitats.
July 27, 2011
Not as abrasive or condescending as most PETA literature, but still obviously slanted and one-sided. The stated goal of the book is to give every person some cruelty-free ideas for living, whatever level of involvement they're interested in. It was successful in that vein. In addition to the many things I already do to promote animal welfare, I decided to donate my body to science in hopes that it will save a few research animals. I'll also try to buy free-range meat and dairy, as well as shop as much as possible at farmers' markets.
I have to say, though, that the authors are walking a thin line. They make inflamatory claims to frightening "facts" without any credible references to back them up. This book would be much more effective if there was a substantial Bibliography section in back, but there is none. I suspect that most of the information in this book isn't traceable. They are counting on the fact that the reader is a gullible, uneducated sheep and will blindly swallow anything they're fed. An example that almost made me snap the book shut: the claim is made that "control burning" (quotes retained) is for the sole purpose of growing lush grass so the deer population will be artificially high for hunting season. WRONG, JACKASS!!! It's for eliminating dry undergrowth so our precious forests won't go up like a candle when someone leaves a campfire burning! Remember a few pages ago when you were preaching about de-forestation, loss of habitat and species extinction?!?
I have to say, though, that the authors are walking a thin line. They make inflamatory claims to frightening "facts" without any credible references to back them up. This book would be much more effective if there was a substantial Bibliography section in back, but there is none. I suspect that most of the information in this book isn't traceable. They are counting on the fact that the reader is a gullible, uneducated sheep and will blindly swallow anything they're fed. An example that almost made me snap the book shut: the claim is made that "control burning" (quotes retained) is for the sole purpose of growing lush grass so the deer population will be artificially high for hunting season. WRONG, JACKASS!!! It's for eliminating dry undergrowth so our precious forests won't go up like a candle when someone leaves a campfire burning! Remember a few pages ago when you were preaching about de-forestation, loss of habitat and species extinction?!?
March 29, 2013
A light, yet very thorough read. As a person who beleives in animal rights, and has been for a little time now, I was aware of most topics discussed. Everything new was explained very well. I liked that it was a quick read. Some informational books can get quite lengthy, thus turning people away from reading thoroughly.
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December 13, 2015TDF one copy
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews