This Book is Cruelty Free

by Linda Newbery

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Nature

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 27, 2021

About the author

Linda Newbery's latest novel for adults is THE ONE TRUE THING. She has published widely for readers of all ages, and is a Costa Prize category winner with SET IN STONE, a young adult Victorian mystery. She has twice been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, with THE SHELL HOUSE and SISTERLAND.

With friends Adele Geras and Celia Rees, Linda hosts the literary blog WRITERS REVIEW, which features reviews, recommendations, interviews with authors and insights from booksellers.

Linda is an active campaigner on animal and environmental issues and has published a guide to compassionate living: THIS BOOK IS CRUELTY FREE - ANIMALS AND US.

She lives in rural Oxfordshire.

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was extremely fortunate to be sent a copy of this book and just want to say that I think it's an essential read for many reasons & one that could be used throughout the Primary/Secondary sector in a range of ways. In Linda's own words, this book 'is about living by your principles, making animal awareness an important part of your life & avoiding cruelty in everything you do'. What the book offers is a wonderfully clear invitation to reflect upon the choices we make in our daily lives.

There are sections for all. From animal rights, to what we wear and eat, to waste, to how we treat all animals & the power of protest. It could be given to children and young adults to read & equally it could be used as a tool for whole school assemblies. What I especially love about how & what
Newbery writes here is her own admission that she is still on a personal journey to better the way she lives on & alongside this planet. It is not judgemental at all; it is an open invitation supported with wisdom and research.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a secondary school teacher and I have recently done a scheme of work with my cultural studies and PSHE classes all about animal testing. This topic really intrigued me, and has inspired me to try harder to go cruelty-free with my cosmetics.
This book has further developed my knowledge on this topic. There was so much in this book considering how short it was. I definitely learnt a lot.
I liked how this book covered many aspects of animal cruelty - not just animal testing.
There's a lot to take away from reading this book and I definitely recommend this book to everyone!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book genuiunely surprised me in the best way possible.
I should start my review of by saying my background is Animal Management and Wildlife Conservation, so whilst I wouldn't consider myself an expert whatsoever, I do know more than the average person when it comes to these topics.
This is a great introduction to being more conscientious when it comes to animals and our planet, filled with clear information, interesting infographics and lots of opportunities for people to transfer things into their daily lives. Whilst I think any age could benefit from this book, I would recommend it for ages 10 and up (with supervision) and teenagers as there are some more sensitive topics - nothing graphic though.
My main critique for books like these tends to be lack of nuance, however I was pleasantly surprised with the level of thought and care that has gone behind making this book balanced. It doesn't give of the "preachy" vibes that some others I have read do. That being said there are a few topics I wish had been included, I do understand that this is meant to be an introduction however so I can appreciate that the author may have left these out to keep the book concise.
The importance of international cooperation in these issues. For example the issues with brands selling in China and the cruelty free status.
The way public perception of cute animals influences peoples ethics. The importance of public cooperation for conservation to be successful.
The difference between buying from small independent farms instead of major corporations and how that can affect welfare and wastage.
How you can find Zoo Accreditions on websites and check the locations you are visiting.
Vegetarianism and Veganism is a privilege and a luxury that many people do not have.
I would highly recommend you look into these things on top of reading this book, which in itself is very helpful.
My favourite part is definitely the idea that little steps can make big differences. It is one more people need to hear.

[niamh]

thank you netgalley for giving me this arc! as a teenage vegetarian i found this book super insightful and there was a lot to take away from it. i particularly loved the voice of this book and how instead of creating rules, they made suggestions and gave alternatives! this book was never boring and wasn't overrun by facts and statistics whilst still having a steady supply of data to back up the points. this book gave me a lot to think about and i think anyone could find this helpful!

[sarah]

I was really looking forward to this book, I had actually "wished" for it on NetGalley, but unfortunetly I decided to DNF it at 49%. I think that this book would be great for older children/young teenagers that are interested in going vegan and would like to know more about how veganism is good for your health and for the planet, but as someone who's been vegan for 6.5 years it felt like lecturing an expert. This book did make me cry within the first couple of pages, due to the subject matter it was talking about.





Thank you to Pavilion Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disclosure before I begin my review: I picked up This Book is Cruelty Free for several reasons. For one thing, I am a vegetarian, and recently I've been trying to monitor my impact on the world. Not just in regards to animals, but the environment as well. So naturally, a novel like this instantly appealed to me.

This Book is Cruelty Free, written by Linda Newbery, is intended to be a guide to help readers lessen their negative impact on the world. It is admittedly more focused on the animal side of things, far from being a bad thing.

I love that the book is broken down into easy-to-digest sections. Not only does it make the whole concept feel more approachable, but it's more useful this way too. People looking to adjust a specific part of their lives can more easily find the resources required this way.

I would recommend reading The Omnivore's Dilemma for anybody looking for a more in-depth view of the food industry side of things. This Book is Cruelty Free does a great job of covering the basics, but there's a lot more to learn as well.

I do have one criticism of this novel that I hate to bring up, but I feel like I must: One of the citations comes from PETA. From the outside, this may look like a sound source to pull from – but if you do your research, you'll understand how damaging PETA actually is to the animal rights cause. It left a bad taste in my mouth, seeing them listed within this book. It put everything else covered into question. Again, I hate to bring this up, but it would be dishonest of me to ignore this point. So to be fair, I am docking an entire star from my rating.

Thanks to Pavilion Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Frederique · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book everyone should read! In a clear, easy to understand way it discusses many topics involving animal cruelty, from farm factory to exotic pets. I thought it very good that climate change, overconsumption and biodiversity loss are also discussed, as these also have a huge impact on many animals.
Without judging people the writer gives her opinion on every topic, she encourages her readers to think and make their own decisions. I highly recommend everyone reading this. This Book Is Cruelty Free should be in every school's library!

[Lauriane · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a vegetarian, I think that this book was awesome. Sources are here, facts are here, no one can deny that we hurt animals. It’s incredibly well written, so everyone can read it. Definitely a must have.

[Sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that can teach everybody. Newbery talks about animal cruelty in fashion, cosmetics and th e most obvious agriculture while making it understandable and easy to comprehend for everybody with facts, and diagrams. She also talks about waste and climate change in connection to animals and how it all affects us if we let them extinct or treat our surroundings badly, as well as how we can change that.
The book is very approachable and doesn't shove it into your face to be a "perfect human" that goes vegan, protests against animal cruetly etc. It wants to educate and maybe help you overthink your consume and feelings towards it.



*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free version of this book.

[mib6475654 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! Initially I was intrigued by the premise but I think it's valuable in terms of creating animal awareness and taking into consideration animal rights.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative about ways in which we can help to reduce animal cruelty. Very easy to read, too, as there are many pictures interspersed with the text.
A good read.

[Alina Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple yet dense. Newbery knows how to explain animal cruelty in the systematic way, which is extremely helpful if you want to learn more about the fashion and food industry & how they affect animals. The age range is extremely wide—you can make your children and your grandparents read it.

Newbery’s discussions of animal rights, recycling & reusing, the fashion and food industry’s effects on animals, things to consider when you consider getting a pet.

Personally, I’m not a vegetarian & eat meat a few times a month. Even though this book pushes readers to go vegan, the author still shows amazing respect towards meat consumers like me who eat much less. Eating less meat is still a good step & matters.

Recycling & other R’s are so, so important but overlooked by many people. I loved the approach towards the subject and the ideas given by the author on how to Reuse, recycle, repurpose.

[Read With Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

I think the book has a great message it truly does but the execution was pretty bad. I picked this book up with Covid-19 being one of the only times that we were actually starting to see our planet turn in a healthier way with less driving, flying, shopping...etc. so I picked up this book hoping to find some small changes I could make.

The positive: i really enjoyed the last third of the book where the author went into circus acting and zoos and rehabilitation of animals. I was hoping they wpuld mention the use of holographic animals in zoos now since ive seen that trending. I liked how they talked about different zoos that were caring for the animals and i really appreciated the argument they gave on animals dying out rather than being bred at the zoo knowing full well they would not be able to survive in the wild. I also really loved the wnd of the book naming all of the websites I could visit to suppirt causes and learn more about my daily products.

Now the negative: As this was under the Tenns&YA category I really hoped it would have dived in a little deeper and given more depth to how teenagers are thinking now about meat consumption and consumerism. But sadly it did not. This truly sounded like a published collection of blog posts and was super repetitive the first 45% of the book. I think I was told how much meat the US, Australia and the UK eats at least 10 times before I was even 30% in the book. I did find this e-galley under Teens&YA, so I'm surprised that the level of writing here felt much more middle grade to me, teenagers are aware of these issues with the rise of social media, so I was hoping to see some more statistics or maybe alternative to use, like metal straws to plastic straws.

[Kanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable, insightful and deeply researched book that advocates kindness, compassion and cruelty-free living!

Linda Newberry discusses many important topics including::

-'animal rights',
-the kind and cruelty-free way of spending,
-being conscious about what is on our plate,
-the quality testing done on animals for the products we buy and use,
-the dangers of wastage and the importance of recycling,
-the treatment of animals that are used for displays and shows,
-the importance and place of every living being on this planet,
-the value of appreciating nature and the wild around us and,
-the need for all of us to have an attitude to protect, protest and campaign.

The purpose of This Book is Cruelty Free is to develop an understanding of our fellow animal living beings and realise their value and contribution in making our lives better, and more than anything livable.

On a higher level, it does appear as if we are all asked to do a compassionate act and selfless deed, but in reality, we, human beings, need to bring these changes in our lives, eating habits and attitudes for our own survival. If we truly consider ourselves to be the supreme and most intellectual among all the living beings of this planet, then it is time we all act and behave responsibly, and use at least some of that intellect and wisdom!

[Morgan Holdsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is Cruelty Free is set out a little bit like Women Don't Owe You Pretty & Laura Bate's Everyday Sexism making it really engaging as well as easily digestible. The book offers advice instead of being too pushy, claiming you have to be an incredibly strict vegan & refreshingly doesn't state that there are no excuses preventing anyone from being vegan. Furthermore, there is evidently a lot of research which went into the production of this, heightening my enjoyment of reading it, as well as making it a lot more thought provoking. After reading, I feel a lot more confident in knowing what steps I can take next to become more sustainable in my choices, particularly on fast fashion. In summary, I would recommend picking this up to anyone wishing to be more conscious of their ethical decisions concerning animals even if you don't rid yourself of all leather & animal goods and become a strict vegan it certainly assists in taking steps towards making conscious choices.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd had this book when I decided to quit eating animals in middle school! This book is filled with good information and reasons to make changes to our diets and to our purchases and lifestyle. While the book does a good job of going into how we impact animals by eating them, it also does a great job of pointing out other ways we are impacting animals in our non-food choices. I appreciated the discussions on topics such as fast fashion, zoos, etc, and the author's stance of doing what we can vs doing nothing because we can't do everything.

Thanks to Pavilion Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Roan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! It presents many facts about how to live without causing cruelty in a clear and concise manner. I found the section on food and animal agriculture a bit lackluster, but I suppose Newbery didn't want to go into detail, and there are plenty of other good books to read about that. I didn't expect to learn much from this but there some new information about zoos, fashion and the ecosystem which was cool. The actions and message at the end of the book were uplifting and inspiring! I also love the design, very appealing. I recommend reading this :)

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a huge amount of information packed into it yet it is accessible with good use of fonts, diagrams, illustrations and infographics. It covers topics such as animal rights, cruelty-free products including fashion, veganism and vegetarianism, waste, gardening for wildlife, and more!

A fantastic resource for the school library. Full of ideas and discussion starting points.

[Lee D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good summary of all the points on being (in essence) vegan. Very simply written, with easy diagrams and fun illustrations. I also thought she was very fair and balanced in her information. She approaches the subject in the correct manner and I hope people would take note of all the valid evidence presented here in making better life choices for the planet.

[Megan]

4.5 ⭐️

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Newberry has written a book for young adults and adults on how to lessen humanity's harmful effects on animals. She is an activist and following the reading of the book, I find myself being more thoughtful on my lifestyle choices and how they affect the animals of the earth. I highly recommend this book!

I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled, "We Don't Need Meet To Be Healthy" where she describes how she became a vegetarian and then a vegan. Part of her reasoning is the cruelty wreaked on cattle and chickens.

"The unavoidable issue with both mass dairy and egg production is that male chicks and calves are of no use in intensive systems, male chicks are killed at a few days old. Like other mammals, dairy cows don't produce milk unless they have calves; but their calves are taken away from them, often immediately after birth, and are either killed or reared for veal. . . . . .If you cut out dairy products and eggs as well as meat, you're distancing yourself from this kind of cruelty." (page 67)

A wonderful aspect of the book is the information in the appendix. It contains such gems as organizations and websites dedicated to a cruelty=free world, significant people such as Jane Goodall and Greta Thunberg along with their webpages, and even some cool vegan recipes. So not only does the book speak about being cruelty free, it gives the readers tools to become more active in that endeavor.

[Laiba M · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.7 I don't like non-fiction, but it was a good book