Erik Marcus (1) (1966–)

A very short history of veganism's bigger advocates over the past 50 or so years. Of all the dozens of men the author mentions, there are only two or three women he highlights, which I find hard to believe considering how "female" veganism is considered to be. No love for many of the amazing cookbook writers who have been bringing veganism mainstream, like Isa Chandra Moskowitz or Terry Hope Romero? Other than that major shortcoming, this book was short, and written like a long blog post, but without any references. A well-read vegan probably has already heard about all of the things highlighted in the book.… (mehr)

This book seems to be primarily aimed at vegan/vegetarians engaged in activism around animal rights. It's highly readable, and covers a range of important issues, although not in detail.

The first section covers the cruelty involved in 'animal agriculture', with a particular focus on the production of milk and eggs. Marcus' argument is that if you're vegetarian because you don't want to support cruelty to animals, it's even more important not to eat eggs or dairy products.

A large section of the book focuses on how to effectively achieve the goals of the animal rights/vegetarian movement. Marcus argues that what is needed is a movement to dismantle the animal agriculture industry, rather than (or in addition to) vegetarian, animal rights, or animal liberation movements. He also argues for non-violent methods of activism. I did not find this section of the book particularly convincing, in part because I don't see a 'dismantlement' movement as any more effective than existing movements/strategies.

In the appendices, Marcus presents some essays from activists who he respects, and debunks some common myths perpetuated by activists. Hopefully, these appendices will provide inspiration and ideas to those wanting to engage in activism around animal rights.… (mehr)