The Vegetarian Myth – food, justice, and sustainability – Lierre Keith

PM Press, P.O. Box 23912, Oakland, CA 94623, Usa
www.pmpress.org

If you have a basic knowledge understandig of how human beeing and nature functions, you don`t need to read this book. Human beeing is omnivore and nature is about eating and being eaten – whats new. The author herself was a vegan for 20 years and, according to her, that ruined her body. Now she eats meat and diary products again, feels better and beats on vegetarians/vegans probably with the same vehemence, she was sceaming against anybody who was not vegan in the past. If you are one of those vegans that believes if all human beeings would stop eating animals, the world would be on the save side and all you know about your diet is that it is meat free then you should read this. To understand what the whole “spiel” is about.

A lot could have been written about this book – which by the way – was not easy to read, shitloads of information, statistics, numbers scientific “facts” (soy gives you cancer.), but I decided not to comment every good point and a lot of the bad parts (like all the mysticism tree roots “eat” human bodys out of graves.) of the book, it would be a waste of time. The 300 pages basically have one message: “Vegetarism is bad for you and the earth, so is factory farming – if you eat local animal sourced food all will be well and you healty.” Don`t get me wrong, there is a lot of truth and good points in this book that I agree with and which is just plain facts.

But a lot of it is just so “not new” and basic and surrounded by so much self anger (no doubt, I would be angry to myself too, would I think 20 years that not eating animal products is THE solution for all and everything) and statistics that “proof” the new thinking of Lierre Keith (she has to learn that statistics are just that and can be read and made up just so they fit any argument). Yes, again, there is a lot of points I agree with, factory farming (be it grain or meat) is a big problem, the earth needs a healty soil to survive, people do use too much cars, etc., etc., but I wish the author would not be so bitter about herself.

Then again, there might be hope, maybe in 10 years she writes a book called “How Pornograpy saved my Life” and beats on all her feminist anti pornography friends. Maybe the book just has the wrong title, it should be called “My Vegetarian Myth” since I think a lot of people who decided not to eat meat understand why they are doing it and what little effect it has on the situation of the world. 20.- US $ (dolf)

Isbn 9781604860801

[Trust # 137 August 2009]