Eating Animals

Early in Eating Meat, Foer shares an anecdote of his starving Jewish grandmother, fleeing the Nazis and offered pork by a kind peasant. She is dying of starvation but rejects the pork, explaining, "If nothing matters, there's nothing to save." While Foer loves his grandmother, the story-teller, the life-giver, and the lover of kosher beef and chicken, he uses her quote as a sort of epitaph throughout his book to pave the way for his conversion to vegetarianism, a conversion that separates him from a lot of his family traditions that define who he is. For him and many others, including myself, the relentless and unspeakable cruelty that animals suffer because they are treated like commodities to be savored for a few minutes is something that deeply matters and we should not willfully be ignorant or deny animal suffering.

Eating Animals is a deeply personal book, propelled, Foer explains, by the birth of his son. What kind of person does he want his son to be? For Foer, raising his son to empathize with animals and as a result not eat their slaughtered flesh is the kind of son he wants to raise and of course he must change as a parent to lead in this manner.

The book is very nuanced, never dogmatic, but keeps a crystal-eyed focus on animal suffering, including firsthand accounts of what happens in the slaughterhouses. For me, the book's most moving passage is when Foer asks the owner of a slaughterhouse if there was ever a time he had difficulty killing an animal. The slaughterhouse owner confessed there was a time a cow licked his face and leaned against him for twenty minutes in a display of affection to his killer that made the slaughterhouse owner pause. But sadly he killed the cow anyway. I shared this anecdote with my college composition students and asked them if they could kill the cow after being licked in the face and 95% of them said they could not. I hope Foer's book, enjoying lots of buzz, justifiably so, has such an influence on millions and millions of people.

I have to say I had high hopes for this book. It quickly became a clear preaching of vegetarianism from a privileged white urban man, and not realistic in terms of everyday existence.
Especially, I took offense with the criticism of Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan, two men who have done more for the advocacy of food animal welfare in this country more than anyone in the last decade. I have personally met and interviewed Mr. Salatin, and trust me, no one. cares more for welfare than he does. Genetics, on both the grand human scale and livestock scale, is negotiable nowadays, and we need realists in the know for better food to be produced tomorrow.
Keep the proselytizing to your home district, it doesn't pan out to even me here, working as a chef in New Jersey working in NJ to grow and serve better food.

Incredible book. I have never read anything about the meat industry that was so informative without being preachy. Foer is brutally honest, and encourages us to take a long hard look at the way we eat. However, he never tells us what to eat or that what we're doing is wrong. What's wrong is factory farming. The author allows others to tell their stories as well, and is really fair in assessing what they share. Foer has convinced me that not eating meat may not be enough, and I may need to consider cutting fish out of my diet as well. I may be in a minority in making these choices, but I can't imagine having a clean conscience any other way.

Very informative even for omnivores! We should all be more knowledgable about what we put into our bodies. Safran-Foer presents an accessible and interesting overview of the food industry without being preach-y. A definite must-read.

Having read Jonathan Foer's book for my English 3 class, I have come to understand that the author wrote this book to inform readers about the meat industry and its process; however, although informative, it is just a guise to get readers to switch to vegetarianism. The author does this mainly by using emotional experiences to guilt readers into questioning their eating habits. Overall the book is a good read about factory farming but in my opinion won't change the mind of those who want cheaply priced meat.

Foer does a wonderful job of endearing himself to the reader in this journey into the question of what food he should feed his son and himself. He does this with interesting stories of his family and then prints letters from people more close to the ins and outs of the meat industry in order tell their sides of the story. Some of my favorite passages are from the other people's vantage points. In doing this he offers the reader the chance to come to his or her own conclusion.

Overall, I am very encouraged to see a book like this on the market. It seems that though this information is and has been readily available right here on the store that Foer might actually somehow bring this information to a wider audience. I hope that is the case, though I have my doubts. In nearly 20 years of being a vegetarian and for most of that nearly vegan I have always wondered how people can ignore the truth about what they eat, especially in this age of instant information. Will this book or the movie Food, Inc actually change anything? I hope so.

I am disappointed however that Foer, unlike several other books I've read, neglects diving deeper into the milk industry. I don't know if Foer ever made the difficult decision to give up cheese, milk, and eggs for himself and his son, but I hope he did. The fact that he nearly ignores dairy bothered me throughout the book. I kept hoping to get to the chapter where he would tell the reader that he had in fact given up milk as well, but this bombshell never came. To that end, I hope that readers of this book will find themselves thirsty for even more truth and read books like the ones by John Robbins, Erik Marcus, Howard Lyman, and Dr. John McDougall.

I was disappointed in this book- it was rambling and disorganized and a lot of the stories and information were not new at all- several of the ancedotes are straight out of widely circulated brochures. It's a good topic though- and I encourage everyone to read as much as they can about factory farming.

I like and recommend this book, and yet I am torn because I deeply dislike the author. More on that later.

So, to the book before the author. In the genre (if I may call it that) of works on ethical eating and factory farming, Eating Animals is an important, if flawed, work. Anyone interested in the subject should include it on their reading list. Foer raises questions we all should be asking of ourselves.

While this is no manifesto for veganism, it is written by a man --a vegetarian -- who is trying to prove something he already holds to be true. Some may see that as an indication he is biased and therefore untrustworthy, but this isn't a work of investigative journalism. Eating Animals is more of a conversation. Foer lets ranchers, farmers and slaughterers speak for themselves, even if they are presented in a context that tweaks the meaning. He is extremely blunt about the horrors of factory farming and large-scale fishing and fish farming, while he verges on excessively sentimental (and often makes incorrect assumptions) when writing about traditional farming. What another reviewer called the book "disorganized," the rambling style is typical of Foer. You like or hate it.

I am a vegetarian and was already fully informed about --and vehemently against -- factory farming when I read this book. Someone new to the subject may find the information shocking and disturbing. Read it anyway.

Now, about the author and why he raises my hackles. It's more than just one thing, but a scene from the book may explain my feelings best. Foer has just completed a tour of a small, independent slaughter facility and smokehouse, where animals are dispatched one at a time,with as much care for their welfare as can be afforded. The owner has been gracious, open, and generous. A woman from the office comes out with a plate of ham and offers it to the author. Foer writes of his conflicted feelings at that moment, of the importance of "breaking bread" with friends and honoring hospitality. So what does this vegetarian do? He says to his kind hosts, "I'm kosher." He lies. And he lies in a way that puts the onus on the wrong side of that plate of ham and insults his own heritage. That is the act of a coward, a hypocrite, and an egoist.

On a side note, I kept wondering what Foer feeds his dog every day.

The book gives all the evidence against industrial farming that we all have heard before. There is some humor and nice cultural references thrown in to make the book an enjoyable read but the author completely ignores why he can rationalize eating dairy and eggs but not meat. I feel it is wrong to use all animal products hut understand that many do not share my views. I was so dissapointed that there was no explanation for this. For someone to strongly preach against animal cruelty and then use leather, fur, down, wool or at eggs or dairy I find that to be hypocritical and at the very least deserving discussion.

There is some good information in this book, unfortunately in order to get to it you have to wade through mountains of biased, self righteous paraphrasing, interpretations, and anecdotes. There are even some things that seemed flat out innacurate - not the facts about the industry or the way the animals are treated, he does a decent job of getting those things right. It's the times he tries to put on his anthropologist hat that drives me up a wall! He spent the better part of a chapter talking about how if we ignore the similarities between humans and fish, that we're ignoring the most important part of our humanity...it's just my opinion but I always thought the most important part of our humanity was our personalities and the choices we make...not the fact that we both have spines and pain receptors - you're streching it my friend. He also starts out the book saying it's not a call to vegetarianism, and later on admits that it actually is just that.

To sum up I think he should stick to writing novels...Fast Food Nation provides a lot of the same information with little to no bias leaving you free to draw your own conclusions.

Foer starts out his argument well in the first couple chapters but by the end he comes off as elitist and annoying. I did find the facts he brought to light interesting but the order and tone negated their desired effect. By the end of the book I have a new found dislike for factory farming but was not persuaded to stop eating animals.

I had seen the author on the ELLEN show and was intrigued but at the same time wondering if it would be a bit 'heady' and difficult to read. Not difficult in an emotional sense but difficult in that it would be nothing but statistics. I couldn't have been more wrong. Eating Animals is a very readable book. The book is so interesting and is so well researched. It opened my eyes like no other book on this subject. It is not preachy or dry. Thank you Mr. Foer.

This book was SO disappointing. He starts off by trying to convince the reader that it's not going to be a self-righteous book about becoming a vegetarian but it quickly devolves into being just that. I did like the part about his family history but that was just the beginning and he never really went back to it. It was so angry and after reading all his opinions, I can't understand how he's not a vegan!

I love his novels but will definitely think twice about reading another non-fiction from JSF.

Foer’s approach throughout the book wasn’t convincing. It was filled with fictional stories described in gruesome detail. This wasn’t my favorite read but I must admit some parts were interesting.

I'm a meat and potatoes guy all the way and wouldn't normally buy a book about factory farming but I'm a Jonathan Safran Foer fan. And I'm happy to report that his latest work doesn't disappoint. In fact, EATING ANIMALS lives up to the definition of great art-it changed the way I view the world. Now that I know what really happens inside a slaughter house I can no longer blithely choose taste over cruelty.

My friend told me she was reading this book, and having heard her account, I decided to read the book.

It has some good elements, I liked interviews of meat factory workers by the author. They are quite powerful stories that made me re-think my eating habit.

However, I am less impressed by the rest of the book. Especially many episodes added by author were rather poorly written. There were several moments, I read through the sentence -- and it ends abruptly, and wondered what, what is the point of this chapter? Maybe author wanted to try something new.

There is a story of his grandmother, totally irreverent. There are lots of other short episodes, not well connected and pointless. I actually think editor should have cut the most of them and made the book 1/3 of the size, and general takeaways from the book will not change.

Well, I have to admit, the book made me think about whether I should keep eating meat produced by firm like Tyson foods, and I actually stopped doing so. So I learned something, I recommend you get the book used or from library and just skim most part but read interview of meat factory worker part.

Every time I order and receive an item from the store, be it a book or another product, I say the same thing in the review.

The service (packaging and time of arrival) is always great and I love the store.
Keep up the good work and I'll keep ordering. Thanks!

I thought the book was about the animal slaughter and meat industry. That would probably be a good book. This book is about Jonathon however. What a good son, father, husband, etc. he is. And while I appreciate Jonathon's attempts to lighten the subject, I can't help but wish Bill Bryson had tackled this issue, instead.

I looked for a way to email Jonathan Safran Foer a letter of gratitude for his book, Eating Animals, but I suppose his email address wouldn't just be floating around the Internet for people to hate-email him all the time. Maybe he will read this review on a day that he's struggling or wondering if all his effort is really making a significant difference.

I'd like to tell him that his book has made a difference to me. Yes, I'm only one person, but it's my life that has changed radically, and maybe I can influence others in some way, and the cycle can continue onward. To say thank you to Mr. Foer for sharing this information wouldn't quite sum it up - instead, I'll say, thank you for helping me to understand a part of myself that I knew was there, but wasn't willing to see before. Thank you for helping me create a direction to go with that new understanding.

Now, on to the actual book review: The author is not obnoxious. That was my biggest concern when searching for a book to read about this subject. He's not preachy. He's sarcastic sometimes, but it is tempered by the inclusion of many accounts from other people, the voices of those he encountered during his three years of research. They represent multiple views on the issues, even from the side of what vegetarians/vegans might call, "the enemy."

It's thorough, it's meticulously well researched, it's full of the descriptions of factory farming that you see in those graphic video clips. He irrefutably proves that what you see in those video clips is the usual, not one horrifying and singular incident. Factory farms aren't being framed or misrepresented, and they aren't scapegoats of the press or of PETA. They really are just that terrible.

The reason that generally good, animal-loving people carry on eating factory farmed meat is because it's easy to put it all out of sight, out of mind - it's intentionally designed to be so. This book inspires anyone who reads it to give up the old ways of pushing away what makes you uncomfortable, as well as what makes your friends and neighbors uncomfortable. It inspires you to help everyone else to see, to understand, to find that part of themselves that you found by looking at the truth.

Mr. Foer, thank you for willing to be uncomfortable. Through the research and writing of this book, you have inspired me to be uncomfortable, and to help others face being uncomfortable too.

Jonathan Safran Foer essentially started thinking about the concepts in his book Eating Animals as a young child, while eating meat-filled meals at his grandmother's house. Throughout his adolescence and early adulthood, he became a vegetarian, started eating meat again, and went back-and-forth for several years until finally sticking with strict vegetarianism. Part of his journey involved the research that went into this book, which focuses on the treatment of animals involved in factory-farming.

The book is chock full of interesting anecdotes about Foer's experiences infiltrating factory farms and interviewing farmers. He does an excellent job presenting an unbiased point of view about the topic, often showing the perspective of factory farmers side-by-side with people opposed to the practice, including animal activists and members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Although I've consumed a lot of information on this topic and it's not the most exciting (or even palatable) thing to explore, I found Eating Animals to be a great read. Some of the most interesting facts that I learned include:

- The average distance that meat travels to arrive at your local supermarket is 1,500 miles.

- The percentage of meat that is factory-farmed is: 99.99% of chickens, 97% of eggs, 99% of turkeys, 95% of pigs, and 78% of cattle.

- Due to subsidization practices which harm the environment while lining the pockets of agribusinesses, during the last 50 years: the average cost of a new house increased almost 1,500% and new cars skyrocketed more than 1,400%. However, the price of milk is only up 350%, and eggs and chicken meat haven't even doubled. Adjusting for inflation, animal protein costs less today than at any time in history!

- 99% of all land animals that are killed for human consumption are farmed birds.

- There are literally not any turkeys for sale in a supermarket that could walk normally, much less jump or fly. They aren't even able to have sex. It doesn't matter if they are antibiotic-free, organic, or free-range—they all have the same genetics that have crippled their physical bodies over time solely for human pleasure.

- Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) kills its baby chicks at a mere 39 days-old.

- On average, Americans eat roughly 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime.

- Virtually all (up to 95% of) chickens become infected with E. coli and between 39-75% of chickens sold in retail stores are still infected with the disease.

- In fishing trawling operations, 80-90% of animals that are caught as "bycatch" are thrown overboard, dead. The least efficient operations throw more than 98% of captured sea animals back into the ocean. This practice is one of many involved with causing a truly tragic loss of aquatic life, which has a negative impact on land life as well.

- Victims of fishing operations universally experience suffering. Before the animals die, they are crushed together, gashed on corals, bashed on rocks—for hours—before being hauled from the water, causing excruciating decompression (which can often cause the animals' eyes and other internal organs to pop out). Whereas it is possible that some land animals can be killed in a way that will not cause suffering, all farmed fish have experienced tremendous suffering in their journey to your plate.

- By 2050, the world's farmed animals will eat as much food as four billion people.

Beyond all of the above facts (which are somewhat outdated now—the book was published in 2009, seven years ago) and the others included in the book, I found Eating Animals to be really thought-provoking with regard to the dilemma of eating animals. Foer does not attempt to present one side of an argument; rather, he presents multiple sides of a conversation, including a heavy dose of facts and figures throughout his work. This is not a book that is exclusively geared toward plant-based dieters—this is applicable to everyone willing to keep an open mind.

I think something that would enhance Foer's depiction of the devastating effects factory farming has on our world would be to highlight the nutritional effects of consuming animal products. Obviously, this book focuses mainly on the animal rights side of the plant-based diet perspective, but I believe that the nutritional component of plant-based eating greatly strengthens the overall argument, and I would have liked to see a bit more of that covered in the book.

Overall, Eating Animals is an excellent book, and I would definitely recommend it for everyone to read. Although it can be difficult for many people to meet their meat, avoiding the issue as a global society will continue to make many things difficult for all of us on the planet.

A difficult book to read, but one that everyone really should read. While I was aware of the horrific meat & egg production practices detailed in this book what I was not aware of was the prevalence of these practices. The statistic that Foer repeatedly quotes is that 99% of meat in this country is raised this way. The appallingly cruel and unhealthy treatment of these animals is beyond comprehension and the 99% statistic makes it VERY difficult to justify purchasing this product.
The move to this type of industrialized agriculture has really only taken place in the last generation. Perhaps there is some hope that we can turn back the clock.
Hopefully with the current movement towards healthier and more local eating we will see slow improvement and change. We, as consumers, need to be willing to pay the extra purchase price for healthy food and more humane treatment of agricultural animals.
It strikes me as incredibly hypocritical to so fervently uphold anti cruelty and abuse laws that pertain to our companion animals and yet allow our agricultural animals to live short lives of unrelenting misery followed by shockingly cruel and painful slaughter.

A quote from a one of the few remaining commercially viable humane meat producers: “I believe it is a noble thing to be raising animals for wholesome food – to provide an animal a life and joy and freedom from suffering. Their lives are taken for a purpose. And I think that’s essentially what all of us hope for: a good life and an easy death”.

This is the lesson that I see the local 4-H youth learning in their animal husbandry projects and I am so pleased that there are still kids being raised with this tradition. Let’s hope that they carry these skills and knowledge into and adulthood and maybe, if we’re lucky, a few of them will turn to a career in wholesome animal production.

I've never read Foer's novels, so I don't know how this compares, but I thought this was very enjoyable read--despite the subject matter. I've always been a proponent of eating outside of the industrial system of meat production in the United States, and I'm in the position he was before he decided to become a vegetarian: It's hard to eat meat and be outside of that system. It's a book that is careful not to damn anyone, or alienate meat-eaters--he gives the opinions and testimonies from people inside that industrial system, and he endorses systems that are human and sustainable--but it is also hard to not be horrified and disgusted by the way animals are treated to put meat on the table. Foer also does a good job of bringing light to the way that industrial fishing is destroying the oceans. Usually the topics of animals and fish are separate, but they shouldn't be, since they are part of the same inhumane capitalistic system.

“Farming by proxy,” a concept and phrase attributed to novelist and activist Wendell Berry, provides a philosophical anchor for Jonathan Safran Foer’s excellent book Eating Animals. Said another way, our choices matter. This sentiment girds the author’s quest to understand the implications – ethical, economic, environmental, cultural and personal – of one’s individual choice to eat, or not eat, meat. As readers, we follow along on his quest for knowledge and insight, and uncover information as he does.

An on-again-off-again vegetarian throughout much of his adult life, Foer is determined to commit one way or the other, motivated by the need to make a decision about how to nourish the body (and the development of an ethical framework) of his newborn son. Babies have a way of catalyzing reflection in their parents.

The book provides a candid, fact-based description of how animals are raised and slaughtered, as well as a discussion of the environmental toll of factory farming of cows, hogs, sheep, lambs, chickens and turkeys, and the methods underlying modern corporate cattle ranches. It is a harrowing description of the slaughter of 9 billion animals annually. Few will read it without it finding their perspectives in some way altered.

The author presents credible arguments to forego meat that include animal welfare and mitigation of climate change, while also acknowledging (albeit with less evidence) the systemic and humanistic changes that could be catalyzed if we as a society were to end our obsession with meat. For example, Foer notes that Tolstoy famously argued that the existence of slaughterhouses and battlefields is linked.

But what sets this book apart from a rapidly proliferating, frequently activist and occasionally strident canon on food, broadly, and vegetarianism, specifically, is the author’s thoughtful and nuanced consideration of the role that meat also plays in our social fabric and family histories. Giving up meat means giving up a way of life, it means declining dinner invitations, saying no to Grandma’s pot-roast, seeking out new restaurants and recipes, and it ruins Thanksgiving. In other words, it demands a new narrative that rejects many of the social acts for which meat is an integral element, and this is isolating. Yet, this isolation is not an uncommon outcome for people throughout history who are on the leading edge of major change. The slow and steady move away from meat is a social change of enormous consequence, as Foer chronicles.

Ultimately, the author weighs the evidence and concludes his journey by adopting a vegetarian lifestyle.

I highly recommend this book, however, I wish the author had made a clear distinction between vegetarianism (no meat) and veganism (no animal products). Adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is an important and laudable step, but by continuing to eat dairy and eggs, one continues to support animal cruelty and environmental degradation, given these products also must be produced at the massive scale that only the animal factory farm model can economically provide.

I enjoyed 'Eating Animals' very much, as to earn it my rarely given five-star rating.

First, the writing is great, being consistently witty, intelligent, reasonably objective, and even artistic, all without getting in the way of making the author's points. Throughout the read, I was regularly impressed by the overall quality of the book, both in literary- and factual terms. Second, the book is just as strong for its substance, which I found to be rich on several levels. Beneath its overt content (a young American parent's probe into all things meat-eating), which is substantial in itself, there is, really, a much broader study contained here, extending far beyond merely the carnivore question. All in all, 'Eating Animals' presents a study in just about everything, from psychology and perception, to philosophy and ethics, to health and nutrition, to age-old questions of personal choice, motivation, and, perhaps, spirituality -- the whole of the human experience, to one degree or another, all couched in the text's investigations into the meat industry and the forces which support it. Furthermore, the author's analyses of this intellectual cornucopia are, on the whole, refreshingly broad and perceptive, with an uncommonly rounded and forward-thinking reasoning in many instances. Additionally, the book is very well-researched, at times painstakingly so, "in the trenches" and spanning years, rather than a purely arm-chair approach -- the polar opposite of some books of this kind, in my experience. Likewise, the text's conclusions are thoroughly thought-out and well-argued. The author attempts to tackle the complex and multidimensional issue of meat-eating and animal rights, and the many cans of worms opened as a result -- and, in the end, the book succeeds in this respect, at least in some small way. Of course, no one book can totally sort out such a moral- and commercial quagmire; but, if nothing else, this one objectively presents some of meat-eating's many viewpoints and angles, each of which have their own respectively valid points (and no easy rebuttals).

What really sets this book apart from others, however, is the many questions and concerns it exposes by implication, many of them not at all animal-related. These concerns, hidden between the book's lines, are, in my opinion, the most significant and relevant in the scheme of things. Namely, we are shown a deep (and rarely exposed) condition that underlies much of the world's visible problems: a narrow-minded, appearance-driven mentality, that which focuses on short-term consequences and seems-to-be's rather than the big picture and the world's hugely complex physical and psychological ecology. Often, this mindset and its corrosive effects on perception and behavior result in a mental tunnel vision, one so severe and encompassing that it can persist even in the face of self-destruction -- a condition which applies universally, and in all areas of life, from commerce to government to one's daily conduct and affairs. As it were, 'Eating Animals' does a good job at illustrating this mentality and its disturbingly far-reaching effects (as well as its disturbing commonality in the modern world). Perhaps this was only incidental, rather than the author's intent; in any case, there it is, and I think we'd all do well to give it some thought.

My thanks goes out to this book's author, subjects, and publisher. I am grateful for, and have benefited from, your work and service.

Kudos to Jonathan Safran Foer for writing this important book on this important topic. I agree with many critics that Eating Animals could have been shorter and better written, but I give the book five stars because Safran Foer challenges us to choose our food responsibly and because he informs our choices. After reading the first 50 or so pages, I had prawns for dinner. After finishing the book and learning about the damage and suffering associated with prawn trawling, I seriously doubt I'll ever eat another prawn. Like many people, my commitment to vegetarianism has fluctuated, partly because of personal weakness and partly because of ignorance. Safran Foer has strengthened my resolve to omit meat and animal products from my diet.

Jonathan Safran Foer has also written Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Movie Tie-In): A Novel,Everything Is Illuminated, and Tree of Codes. He wrote in the first chapter of this 2009 book, "This story didn't begin as a book. I simply wanted to know... what meat IS... Where does it come from? How is it produced? How are animals treated... I came face-to-face with realities that as a citizen I couldn't ignore, and as a writer I couldn't keep to myself... [I] assumed that my book about eating animals would become a straightforward case for vegetarianism. It didn't. A straightforward case for vegetarianism is worth writing, but it's not what I have written here."

He dryly observes, "'Instinct' continues to be the explanation of choice whenever animal behavior implies too much intelligence ... Instinct, though, wouldn't go very far in explaining how pigeons use human transportation routes to navigate. Pigeons follow highways and take particular exits, likely following many of the same landmarks as the humans driving below." (Pg. 64)

He laments, "What does organic signify? ... a whole lot less than we give it credit for. For meat, milk, and eggs labeled organic, the USDA requires that animals must... have 'access to the outdoors.' The last criterion, sadly, has been rendered almost meaningless---in some cases 'access to the outdoors' can mean nothing more than having the opportunity to look outside through a screened window." (Pg. 70)

He is (perhaps surprisingly) critical of PETA: "PETA is sometimes accused of using cynical strategies for attention getting, which has some truth to it... PETA is pro-euthanasia: if the choice, for example, is between a dog living its life in a kennel or being euthanized, PETA not only opts for the latter, but advocates for it. They do oppose killing, but they oppose suffering more. People at PETA love their dogs and cats... but they are not especially motivated by a be-kind-to-dogs-and-cats ethic. They want a revolution. They call their revolution 'animal rights,' but the changes PETA has won for farmed animals (their biggest concern) ... are not victories for animal rights so much as for animal welfare..." (Pg. 72)

He points out, "if you know what to look for, the pathogen problem comes into terrifying focus. For example, the next time a friend has a sudden 'flu'... [ask] Was your friend's illness one of those 'twenty-four-hour flus' that come and go quickly... if the answer to this question is yes, your friend... was probably among the 76 million cases of food-borne illness the CDC estimates occur in America each year." (Pg. 139) He states, "A barrage of antibiotics, hormones, and other pharaceuticals in the animals' feed will keep most of them alive until slaughter ... Drugs are not for curing diseases, but substitutes for destroyed immune systems. Farmers do not produce healthy animals." (Pg. 188)

He admits, however, that "My decision not to eat animals is necessary for me, but it is also limited---and personal... For me to conclude firmly that I will not eat animals does not mean I oppose, or even have mixed feelings about, eating animals IN GENERAL... To decide for oneself and one's family is not to decide for the nation or the world." (Pg. 198-199)

This book will be of great interest to those interested in animal rights/welfare; to vegetarians/vegans; and to other progressives.

Jonathan Safran Foer has also written Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Movie Tie-In): A Novel,Everything Is Illuminated, and Tree of Codes. He wrote in the first chapter of this 2009 book, "This story didn't begin as a book. I simply wanted to know... what meat IS... Where does it come from? How is it produced? How are animals treated... I came face-to-face with realities that as a citizen I couldn't ignore, and as a writer I couldn't keep to myself... [I] assumed that my book about eating animals would become a straightforward case for vegetarianism. It didn't. A straightforward case for vegetarianism is worth writing, but it's not what I have written here."

He dryly observes, "'Instinct' continues to be the explanation of choice whenever animal behavior implies too much intelligence ... Instinct, though, wouldn't go very far in explaining how pigeons use human transportation routes to navigate. Pigeons follow highways and take particular exits, likely following many of the same landmarks as the humans driving below." (Pg. 64)

He laments, "What does organic signify? ... a whole lot less than we give it credit for. For meat, milk, and eggs labeled organic, the USDA requires that animals must... have 'access to the outdoors.' The last criterion, sadly, has been rendered almost meaningless---in some cases 'access to the outdoors' can mean nothing more than having the opportunity to look outside through a screened window." (Pg. 70)

He is (perhaps surprisingly) critical of PETA: "PETA is sometimes accused of using cynical strategies for attention getting, which has some truth to it... PETA is pro-euthanasia: if the choice, for example, is between a dog living its life in a kennel or being euthanized, PETA not only opts for the latter, but advocates for it. They do oppose killing, but they oppose suffering more. People at PETA love their dogs and cats... but they are not especially motivated by a be-kind-to-dogs-and-cats ethic. They want a revolution. They call their revolution 'animal rights,' but the changes PETA has won for farmed animals (their biggest concern) ... are not victories for animal rights so much as for animal welfare..." (Pg. 72)

He points out, "if you know what to look for, the pathogen problem comes into terrifying focus. For example, the next time a friend has a sudden 'flu'... [ask] Was your friend's illness one of those 'twenty-four-hour flus' that come and go quickly... if the answer to this question is yes, your friend... was probably among the 76 million cases of food-borne illness the CDC estimates occur in America each year." (Pg. 139) He states, "A barrage of antibiotics, hormones, and other pharaceuticals in the animals' feed will keep most of them alive until slaughter ... Drugs are not for curing diseases, but substitutes for destroyed immune systems. Farmers do not produce healthy animals." (Pg. 188)

He admits, however, that "My decision not to eat animals is necessary for me, but it is also limited---and personal... For me to conclude firmly that I will not eat animals does not mean I oppose, or even have mixed feelings about, eating animals IN GENERAL... To decide for oneself and one's family is not to decide for the nation or the world." (Pg. 198-199)

This book will be of great interest to those interested in animal rights/welfare; to vegetarians/vegans; and to other progressives.

Foer has a relaxed, conversational presentation, with dialogue wandering all over the cultural map. He meets with ranchers, slaughterhouse owners, animal rights activists and borderline vegetarians. Always he's talking with people rather than at them. It seems a bit indirect, but he's actually a relentlessly honest guy who won't duck an ethical issue. It's not that he's convinced he's right, it's just that he refuses to settle for amiable hypocrisies in his life. Not only does he breach the unstated rule against discussing what goes on in factory farms, he also violates the ag-gag rules against breaking into such facilities to see for himself. What his very thorough research shows is not pretty. We knew it wasn't. But this combination of mass imprisonment, genetic manipulation, systematic cruelty, and massive generation of toxic wastes with superpathogens just doesn't look healthy for any creature concerned.

Seldom does a writer handle such a painful, emotionally loaded topic so reasonably, with such a balance of respect and moral integrity.

I love meat. I have for over 40 years. I compete in BBQ competitions. Smoked brisket, pulled pork, chicken thighs, steak, hamburger, the occasional hot dog. I've been eating healthier in recent years, ordering more chicken and salmon, since they're better for you than beef and pork. Pretty self-satisfied with how things were going.

Until I read this amazing book.

Recommended to me by my friend and BBQ competition partner, who I rely on to know about best cuts of meat, how to carve, etc. I took a while to get into it. Once I did, I couldn't stop. This is one of the most interesting books I've ever read, coming at the topic from a variety of angles, and bringing in a number of voices from farmers, workers and others attempting to shape the food industry and farming methods. There are ethical discussions I'd never considered, horror show details I'd suspected but distanced myself from, and people with different points of view. All put together, it's a great episodic story, well told.

My net takeaway? Factory farms are not "farms" the way we've been raised to think about them. Their animals--the chickens I thought were a healthier eating option--are a freakshow science experiment, genetically modified over the past few decades, pumped with 10 times the antibiotics that people consume every year, just to keep them alive for a few weeks. Between that, the implications of these 'farms' being the sources of viruses like swine flu, bird flu, etc. and the unsanitary conditions that lead to all sorts of other bacteria on most meat sold in the grocery, I'm tapping out. I wish I could unlearn some of what I now know.

I can't say I won't ever eat meat again. I can say, if I do eat it, I'll think about that decision's ethics and know as much about the source as possible.

This book made me think back to grade school history when I first learned about journalist exposing the horrors of meat farming. Their works in the 1900s sparked mass concern, but not for the animals or for the workers -- for the safety of our food.

However, this book makes it impossible to ignore what happens to animals and workers in the advent of factory farming.

This book will open your eyes, whether you've never considered what happens before or you believe you eat humanely raised meat. This book is a must-read for anyone concerned for the health of our environment, the health of yourself/loved ones, animals rights or world food & health issues.

This book does not beat your head with a side you must "join". The author has a lot of sympathy towards meat eaters, but states he is vegetarian. The "answer" or solution the book poses is open ended and left for you to decide.

But, I must say -- I can't ever eat another strip of bacon again.

P.S. He doesn't talk about eating insects -- something I think would be an interesting (but less popular) read.

P.S.S. I did lose interest about 75% through the book. It starts to get repetitive like "Yah, I know now." It picks back up near the end, though.

Eating meat is a strange thing. We often think of issues like abortion, religion, and immigration as the most polarizing topics that cause people to forgo reason in order to hold the party line, but those pale in comparison to how we forgo logic and intellectual honesty when it comes to meat. We deride other cultures for eating dogs and cats, tear up when we see those Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercials with the cute animals that need homes, give our children stuffed toy pigs and cows with cute names, watch kids' movies that portray a farmer trying to kill an animal for meat as evil and the animal who survives as hero, while at the same time eating fried pig belly for breakfast, slices of a pig's butt and thighs for lunch. Even for those of us who are not vegetarians, it behooves a philosophical and introspective person to at least be aware of and reflect on this hypocrisy rather than shut it out and pretend there is no conflict.

One of the most memorable demonstrations of this conflict comes from an interview that Foer pulls from another book, Slaughterhouse. A worker on the kill floor describes a young pig nuzzling his leg like a puppy looking for attention and compassion. A few minutes later, the same worker beats the pig to death with a lead pipe. We tolerate an industry that kills animals with the same levels of intelligence and compassion as the pets we love and pamper not because we have to in order to survive, but because we like the way the pig's meat tastes, and because it's easy for us to forget the reality of where that stack of smoked pink flesh came from.

Foer takes a good look at why we find it easier to forget the reality of meat than change our eating habits. Many of us, myself included, can identify with his story at the outset of contemplating vegetarianism, but ultimately going back to meat as we forget and fall back into familiar habits and traditions. If the book has any flaws, it is that Foer becomes too passionate at times and loses the organizational flow, reiterating points he has already made in sections that do not fit or jumping to another idea for a single paragraph before continuing his train of thought, like a frenetic friend who is so excited about the conversation topic that he can't slow down and stay on track. At a few points he also takes unnecessary leaps of logic without adequate citation or proof, maybe relying on the fact that most of his readers will be the already-converted who will not question his analysis and conclusions. But by and large, his novel is well researched and supported, persuasively written, and fair. It is definitely worth a read.

Another reviewer put my experience very well: "This book was a catalyst where I wasn't looking for one. After the first 35 pages a light bulb started lighting up...and I feared my life was about to change."

I left for a weekend trip to Chicago a meat eater, reading a lot of the book on the flight out, thinking I largely had good defenses of my diet in light of the difficult questions. I had my last meat meal on that trip, a traditional style Chicago deep dish pizza at Gino's South Loop. Read the rest of the book on the flight home and I knew it was time. Omnivore's Dilemma brought food issues to the forefront of my mind and for years I've tried to be the ethical meat-eater. (Like many, I still don't think it's wrong in itself to raise an animal in an approximation of its natural habitat, kill it humanely, and eat it.) Unfortunately if food isn't your profession it just isn't practical in the world we've created. Even in the Bay Area a vanishingly small number of restaurants will help you fully understand the source of their meat, and in the supermarket (even the good ones), you could do a different doctoral dissertation on the supply chain of each piece of meat in the store trying to figure out whether the breeder, farm, transporters, and slaughterhouse were all ethically acceptable. I'm not the sort that holds animal suffering equal to human but if you wouldn't stomp a puppy for fun (or food for that matter) you can't possibly find the current state of the meat industry remotely acceptable. It is no less than institutionalized animal torture.

Eating Animals pushed me over the edge and so far it has been far easier and more exciting and rewarding than I could have expected. Losing the worst part of your diet frees you up to do a really great job with the rest of it! I'm just under 200lbs and actively athletic, a gearhead and an engineer -- perhaps not your stereotypical non-meat-eater -- so rest assured you won't find yourself transformed into a skinny-red-jeans-wearing anemic hipster! But most of all, shedding the guilt was an enormous weight off my shoulders that I didn't even fully realize was there. Read this book if you're ready. Read it if you're not!

Jonathan Safran Foer - the boy knows how to write! For serious! I'm sometimes skeptical when fiction authors I love wander into the realm of non-fiction, but with Foer's literary talent (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close AND Everything Is Illuminated = pure brilliance!) and subject matter, I didn't hesitate for a second to pick up (and then devour) "Eating Animals." I wasn't disappointed. Foer presented the truth of the horrors of the farming industry in the US (I don't even need to put factory beforehand, because I now know that factory farms are pretty much ALL there is) in such a way that is was actually ENJOYABLE to read. Sure, I was repulsed, I was disgusted, I had to stop several times to dry heave or to tell my boyfriend yet another horrifying fact, but it was still GOOD.

Early on, Foer states that he didn't set out to write a book trying to convince people to go vegetarian. And I believe him. Because that's not what this book was about. It was about his quest for himself to see what meat was all about. And the fact is, the facts he found are all he needs to try to convince people to become vegetarian. He showed absolutely EVERY possible side of the story, including from interviews with ranching vegetarians and slaughterhouse workers to sections written by hardcore vegans and slaughterhouse owners and factory farm owners, etc. . . If there is another side to the story, I haven't found it - what Foer gives are the cold, hard facts. And the facts are so horrible that, no matter how you present them, it sounds like you're trying to convince. And what can I say, if you know the facts, you're probably wanting to convince people to go veggie.

So even though he didn't "set out" to write a book trying to convince people to go vegetarian, this book tries to convince people to go vegetarian. Which is a GOOD THING! It makes the convincing all that much more real.

Honestly, I am a vegan. And this book made me gladder than ever to be a vegan. At the same time, in a weird way, it makes me wish that I hadn't been a vegan beforehand and that the book had turned me. Because it would make my pleadings for you to go out and read it hold so much more weight. I want to go out and buy a copy for every single person I know and sit with them and make them read it. But then, I'm afraid. Because what if they didn't stop eating animals afterward? How could I respect them then?

In the meantime, I can only hope that I remember all of the facts he has presented, and that, when discussing veganism, I find a way to present said facts in such a succint, interesting, knowledgable way as Foer has in this brilliant memoir. I can only hope that people will choose to stop living in denial and start learning the facts, even though they know that what they learn will be horrifying.

This book contains a staggering set of viewpoints regarding the consumption of animals by humans. It starts off with the author's vacillating experience with vegetarianism but it's obvious pretty early on that the author is not going back to eating meat ever again. Written in the context of having to explain to his newborn son why they eat meat, the author approaches the topic with wit and respect. As 5-year vegetarian, I was curious to see if the author would reach a definite conclusion, and if they would tread any new ground. I've read a lot on the topic of animal welfare (and I highly recommend "Thanking the Monkey" for not just a look at how we treat the animals that become our food, but those we use for show at zoos, circuses, and as pets). This was still a fresh enough approach to me to make this one of my favorite books of the past several years. I'll be recommending it to others readily. The teaser posted in the New York Times by him on October 7, 2009 is a great way to determine if you want to read the rest of this book.

The author really dug into this topic, too. Apparently, he's written quite a bit of fiction or semi-fictional novels, such as "Everything is Illuminated" (which eventually became a movie) but took a different turn in tackling a non-fiction topic. His writing style is quite accessible, and he's able to steer away from preaching for a good part of his writing. He does this by offering space to various animal ranchers and farmers in an effort to present some contrasting views. Their contributions appear as multi-page rebuttals or explanations in the final third of the book. He doesn't exactly have the "other side" fully represented in these cases, but in his defense he didn't get much of a response when he tried multiple times with a certain popular meat purveyor. What was especially impressive was that the last 40+ pages of the book are his reference notes. It's like a bibliography on steroids. Not only does he cite references, but he often elaborates on them with additional statistics or how he applied them to the book. I thought that this was going the extra mile in terms of research because he at least laid out his thinking behind his use of the information he'd gathered. At the very least, he's being more open than I've come to expect with respect to references.

The author seems to have done the legwork here in his investigation regarding animal welfare (which he leans towards using more than the typical "animal welfare" terminology thrown around). It's worthwhile to note that this book touches exclusively on the ethics behind the eating of animals, and does not relate in any way to any health-related aspects. (For that, I'd highly recommend reading "The China Study" or any of Dr. McDougall's online newsletters at [...]) I've actually just finished reading the book but I am going to take a second pass through it just to jot down so many of the great statistics that he gathered so that I always have them on hand. It's important to note that the author's viewpoint is largely influenced by the ethics of eating animals as they are raised and slaughtered today. That is, he's taking his stance mainly because of the fact that 99% of the meat we have access to is factory-farmed. While it's hard for me to review this with a perfectly open mind because I am already a vegetarian, I still think that if I were coming into this as the omnivore I used to be that it would actually be enough to get me to reduce or eliminate my meat consumption. Essentially, that's what Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" did for me.

I am nearly done with this book (I have about 30 pages left) and I would say it is generally a very good book. Whatever your motivation to not eat animals-global impact, environmentalism, health reasons, or humane issues, Jonathan touches on it and gives more than ample reasons why at the very least, meat consumption should be cut way down. Jonathan gives a good view of the (ugly) truth of factory farming and lets the readers know facts that are often gone to great lengths to have been hidden. For this fact alone, this book is a must read for anyone who eats meat, ever.
My only criticism is that the book, at times, seems to be disjointed; his thoughts and points do not always seem to follow a logical progression and sometimes it seems as if he has gone off on a tangent without telling the reader so. HOWEVER, that does not take away from the truths and facts of the book, it just makes it difficult at times to read. My other criticism is that a handful or less of the stories are overly graphic. I read one about pig abuses this morning and am still, 12 hours later, feeling sick to my stomach, ready to vomit as the image keeps coming back, uninvited, into my mind. If you are very sensitive, beware there are a few stories that will turn your stomach.

Overall, as stated before a good read and really a must read if you have ever or will ever consume meat.

I have read many books making compelling arguments against eating meat, but I have to say that this remarkable book has changed me for good. I recently read the China study and that too is a fabulous well researched book about how eating a whole food plant based diet is the best way to keep us healthy and living long. That book alone had already motivated me to eat a lot less meat and dairy but I was still getting tempted to eat the occasional piece of meat because it is so darn tasty! One of the most thought provoking questions that Jonathan writes in his book is this: What will you do when you know the truth about eating animals? Well, for me, there absolutely no way, that I could ever eat meat again. I cried through most of the book because of the clear factual descriptions of the process the animals go through for us to get our tasty hamburger. Now when I look at a chicken leg on someones plate, I can't help but think that it is tortured flesh. I was thinking that I was going to still eat dairy, but the animals that are producing the butter, cheese and milk that we want, will also eventually get slaughtered. So, in good conscious, I will no longer be able to eat those products as well. This is a well researched book that will change the way you think about food forever. Be warned, once you read this book, it is very unlikely you'll be able to eat any kind of animal or product that comes from an animal again.

Jonathan Safran Foer's new book, Eating Animals, presents a conversational approach to a topic in which we engage daily: eating. When his wife was pregnant with their first child, Foer decided to pay closer attention to food, having made eclectic food choices until that time, from vegetarian to omnivore. Trying to be a good parent, he wanted to make informed, thoughtful choices about food for his child. He spent 18 months visiting farms around the country, and the book gives ample space for farmers to describe how they do what they do, on our behalf and in response to what we desire. There are pages in Eating Animals that will take away your appetite, especially those that describe the practices of factory farming. As described in this book, factory farming is hard to defend. But Foer's writing style makes reading Eating Animals easy to swallow, but here's a warning: you may change what you eat after reading this book. Eating is cultural: we gather at table and tell our stories. Our favorite foods are often tied to our closest relationships. Foer makes that point strongly: food is culture, habit and identity. The lingering question is: should we change habits, especially when it comes to eating animals that come from factory farms? Read Eating Animals, and consider the question for you and your family.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)

A monumentally important book that really makes you think about the ethics of eating meats by telling you about factory farms and the production of chicken, pork, beef and even fish. It's not a rant, but an exploration by the author to learns about meat production not knowing what he wanted to do wrt eating meat. Really well written and captivating. This book is likely to have a profound effect on my eating habits. Should not be missed.

Every thing is just like OK and I wish to reach the minimum amount of words that are necessary to post a review, since I was asked to do so by e-mail. Also, I would like not to do any mistakes as I am a foreign reader.

Really insightful and mind opening. I was always on the edge of vegetarian/vegan, having tried on and off over the last ten years to be vegetarian. Over the last year, I started trying a plant based diet (vegan) for at least several meals a day and have transitioned to full vegan. I have never felt better or have had more energy.

This book convinced me even more that this is the way to go. I had no idea that factory farming was so devastating to the environment, and had no idea of the cruelty towards animals practiced on such a mass scale. I was a little hesitant in reading this book because I didn't want to read gruesome details about animal farming, but this was not the case - the writing was eloquent and thought provoking.

Anyone who is concerned about our environment, rapidly changing climate, or animals should read this book and learn about the realities of our food supply.

I saw this book on a shelf a couple weeks ago, and walked past it as I assumed it was, what I used to loosely semi-jokingly term "Nazi Vegan PETA Preachers". After all, I have been a proud omnivore my entire life and didn't feel like having someone else "preach" to me. This book was "staff recommended" and had a little blurb about "This book changed my life, etc etc". I skimmed over most of what they wrote (see my "proud omnivore" comment above), but was fixated on the very last line: "I dare you to read this book".

So what did I do? I walked away.

After a few moments, I walked back and stated reading the back of the cover.

Then I walked away ... again.

Then I walked back ... again. This time I chose to buy it. After all, what could it hurt to read a book, right?

To say this book altered the way I viewed my world was an understatement. The author was fantastic and I appreciated the fact that he kept his "preachiness" to a minimum, instead offering lots of data, first hand accounts, and lots of throught provoking questions.

I laughed, I cried, I was outraged, I was shocked, and I was shamed. Most of all, my eyes were opened. You see, I spent summers growing up on my grandparent's farm. I already "knew" what farming was about, or so I thought. However what "farming" is, and what "factory farming" is, are entirely different beasts. Our culture (and desires) have changed so radically that what I thought was normal was so far from the truth that I can't believe I was this clueless. Or maybe I just didn't want to think too hard about where my neat little packaged meat came from, how it was raised, slaughtered, and more importantly how it was processed.

When I turned the last page of this book, I made the conscious choice to never again be a willing participant to this kind of lifestyle "norm" again just for the sake of food, and I was reduced to 2 sentences that might sound eerily familiar:

"This book changed my life" and "I dare you to read this book".

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I identified with Foer as a person who really tries to eat ethically, but whose weaknesses often get the best of him. I've had strong intuitions that there is something wrong with Meat today, but, like Foer reports of his own journey, those intuitions have not been strong enough for me to really change what I eat. The woman in my life, by contrast, has been a vegetarian for over a decade and never wavers. Of the many changes I've made to accommodate our relationship, giving up meat was never one of them. I've generally let the smell of bacon silence any discomfort I had with meat. That is, until reading Eating Animals. Foer's personal narrative spoke to me more than any of the many exposes on factory farming slyly sent my way. At the same time, Eating Animals left me far more informed than I was before ... It's the standard cliché, but I really couldn't put the book down. In place of the didactic or moralistic, Foer welcomes the reader into his life and his story. Foer is his own main character, and his own self-examination inspires the same. You won't be the same after reading it.

Glad I got this out of the library instead of buying it. I think politics, religion or discussions on meat vs no meat diets are the hottest topics to discuss in a group. I read this book because a dear friend recommended it. While I agree wholeheartedly with the authors discussion about the abhorrence of factory farming there are much better books written and documentaries made on this topic that are less emotionally (and more factually) based. Just the facts themselves show the horror of factory farms without adding in any additional tidbits.
He does seem like a very kind and thoughtful person.

This book helped lure my teenaged son away from meat and fowl. At his school, he and his brother heard Foer speak at his school after last Thanksgiving, during his book tour. While my older son reverted to meat soon after, my wife and I have stuck with my younger son. We finally gave up chicken and turkey as we had gradually beef and pork.

I mention this as testament not to the message Foer promotes, for that's familiar. But he convinced my family of his thesis: "We need a better way to talk about animals." Like billions of consumers in cities, we ignore factory farms as "animal agriculture." This system comprises 99% of all meat which we buy as "processed." I use Foer's euphemism for the slaughtering and butchering methods that he, in a clandestine night visit to an enormous turkey "farm," compels us to witness. He relates what "rescue" means for one small bird, unforgettably.

That is, he does not sentimentalize, preach, or pander. He stays calm. "Just as nothing we do has the direct potential to cause nearly as much animal suffering as eating meat, no daily choice that we make has a greater impact on the environment." He integrates facts accessibly; the graphic presentation familiar from his novels here increases his data's power. 40% more of an impact on global warming than all of transport combined is due to animal agriculture. A KFC chicken (a drugged football with feet) lives 39 days and an "organic" one but 42. For all the fish discarded when serving a helping of sushi, the true haul of that catch would fill a plate five feet in diameter. Cattle now live only 12-15 months. On the slaughter line, cows may survive for seven minutes after they're supposedly stunned and bled.

He confronts how we get what's on our plates. He challenges us to engage in dialogue with our neighbors, and with our families. He visits the touted "natural" alternative of Niman Ranch; he learns that this once-idealistic business has just been sold to a factory farm. His interspersed accounts from a PETA activist, a family-based turkey rancher, and workers involved in the raising, care, and killing of animals enrich this narrative's depth.

Foer's grandmother during the Holocaust literally risked death rather than eating pork: such an example burrows deep into ancestral contentions where food and survival contend with conscience and commitment. His Judaism and its kosher tradition also deepen this tension. He faces disengaging from thousands of years of lamb-shanked Seders, and childhood Thanksgivings and barbecues. He examines how our "table fellowship" tests the bonds of family and friendship vs. those of individual ethics and global betterment.

At times, as with his musings on Judaism and his family, its organization jumps about, as his novels do. It can be diffused or contemplative. It also stays hard-hitting and open-minded. It's challenging now and then to figure out its direction. So, this narrative may confound those wanting a more disinterested arrangement of anecdotes, factoids, reporting, and reflection. But I was surprised how fast the pages flew, despite or because of its idiosyncratic pace and unflinching attention to quirky or grisly detail.

Foer spent three years researching this book. He wrote it to explain to his newborn son why his father chose not to eat any more animals. "Will he be among the first of a generation that doesn't crave meat because he never tasted it? Or will he crave it even more?"

As with my older son--who has chosen to not eat meat when at home--my family along with many readers may agree with Foer's pronouncement: "The justifications for eating animals and for not eating them are often identical: we are not them." Yet, we can not claim ignorance any longer. For, reading this, and honestly articulating the unease about our fried chicken, cheap burgers, and greasy drumsticks--and the fish that I admit I still eat, more guiltily than before--you will close this book more conscious, more humanly aware, of the choices we all make three times every day.

This is why, even as Foer remains a nuanced proponent of vegetarianism, he finds that compromise with organic this or free-range that sells short our potential to solve the dilemmas that factory farming presents as Third World demand increases the bargain-priced flesh. We eat 150 times more chicken than our families did 80 years ago. Until 50 years ago, small farms were where we got our beef and chicken. Now, rural alternatives barely exist; family farms continue to give in to the Combine, as has Niman Ranch.

"We perhaps know more than we care to admit, keeping it down in the dark places of our memory--disavowed. When we eat factory-farmed meat we live, literally, on tortured flesh. Increasingly, that tortured flesh is becoming our own." Suffering worsens; the climate warps. The money that feeds animal agriculture comes from our subsidies, our taxes, our pockets as we shell out for a Happy Meal or a filet mignon. Foer ends with the "question of eating animals" as "ultimately driven by our intuitions about what it means to reach an ideal we have named, perhaps incorrectly, 'being human.'"

I have been experimenting with vegetarianism over the last few years. I mainly started from a healthy-eating standpoint but this book points out some other aspects and also, I would say the author gives a very fair-minded treatment of the subject. Since finishing this book, I have been motivated to explore the whole subject in greater depth. I am not a vegetarian yet, but I have meatless days and I more often now select a meat-free option when eating out. Unfortunately I travel for work so I am often caught with having to eat in a hurry and I end up grabbing a turkey sandwich just because it seems like the best option at the time. I guess what I really took from reading this book was that there are a lot of reasons to not eat animals besides health reasons. We need to explore the morality of how our food gets to the table.

Eating Animals is a compelling book. It starts with a narrative about the beginning of a life, that of Foer's son, and how to relevantly capture the values surrounding our most important task to survive: to eat. Foer confronts the industrial food system, which has developed norms of its own, independent of our historical values surrounding eating. He pursues his thesis (that if his analysis of the production of meat in the US is accurate, then it is responsible to withhold from eating meat) not with philosophical method, but as a creative non-fiction work informed by his writing style from his fiction work. The book is steeped in rhetorical flourish and unconventional writing devices, which often serve in the place of strict premises for his argument.

There are a number of positive contributions in the book. Foer provides an up to date version of the harms surrounding the industrial production of meat. He relays this by weaving back and forth between a variety of writing styles. Among other things, he highlights the importance of personal cultural values around eating via stories of his grandmother and her past; he uses data and observations from factory farms, including interviews with a number of active participants in meat production; he highlights our varying reactions to the treatment of our pets instead of animals raised for food; and he provides a mini-dictionary of terms from the world of food and food production, which when juxtaposed, serve to challenge our standard thoughts on meat.

But there are too many things Foer doesn't address, unfortunately. The most glaring mistake was to overlook some of the more central figures from the animal rights literature, which would have provided more substance to his account. Not including a mention of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement (P.S.) or Tom Regan's The Case for Animal Rights: Updated with a New Preface in his investigation is too big an oversight, for me. For someone exploring the significance of animal mistreatment and spent significant time developing an argument against it, Foer missed the chance to further the debate.

Also, while his literary devices often power the book through this exploration, and provide strong rhetorical support for his narrative, Foer arrives at something resembling a thesis only in the last half of the last chapter, but it is muddled and unclear. He categorically states that each consumer possesses the ability to take part in direct action (by refusing to buy factory farmed meat). Within a few pages of this discussion, he states that individual consumers, although only representing one person, can influence the farming industry, via our connections and sway with other eaters, given that eating is such a social act.

However, he doesn't have anything resembling a strategy for improving animal welfare other than to not purchase them. This is a good preliminary strategy, but he doesn't address the obvious collective action problem: even if he stops, this doesn't entail that anyone else will, even with the influence of other vegetarians. Further, he neglects to discuss why it would be bad to try to reform the actions of participants in the food production chain when the greatest improvements to animal welfare might simply come from things like better slaughterhouses. A utilitarian like Singer would advocate for improving animal welfare standards for meat sold at Wal-mart, given that making such changes at one of the world's largest retailers would greatly reduce animal suffering in one fell swoop, even if he strongly supports Foer's main recommendation. Working with Wal-mart isn't a panacea for all that Foer describes, but might be one of the only means for implementation of better standards for animal care.

These problems unfortunately take away from what was a clearly a personal book, which provides enough of a positive account for vegetarianism that should compel you to find additional resources on animal suffering. However, the account serves more as a sidestep for a movement which has provided evidence similar to Foer's for nearly four decades, with stronger arguments to boot. A better book which surveys the issues, with interviews from a variety of consumers and presents a clearer set of questions and arguments, is Peter Singer and Jim Mason's The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter (Hardcover).

This book is a definite "must read" for any person who eats food (which, by my estimate, is all of us). The author has taken painstaking measures to document his work from factual, scientific and industry resources(there are almost 100 pages of citations and notes). He presents both sides of the argument (to eat animals or not to eat animals) and has valid, factual and philosophical views on both sides. At no point, does he preach. After being about 3/4 dones with this book, it has changed my life. Literally. I was a new vegetarian and finding it somewhat difficult at times, but this book has made me aware of so many things (yes, I verified much of the information) that I am completely turn me off from eating meat.....and not just for the animal rights and ethical reasons. I was so sick to my stomach while reading about how chickens are processed.

Ultimately, it is up to everyone to question where your food comes from. It is our obligation not only as Americans, but as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends....humans....to question what is it we buy and who we give our money to (ultimately, increasing their power and influence).

This book should not be your only source of information, but definitely should be a primary resource in your knowledge arsenal. I have purchased a few copies for friends--all have said it changed their life (and none of them were prior vegetarians with pre-existing opinions).

Fantastic book with critical information presented well. The author doesn't overload you with statistics and figures, and writes with a very easy to read style that flows well - resulting in retention of important facts that he uncovered in his research. Could you imagine a label on a pound of shrimp that says "26 pounds of other animals were killed for each pound of this shrimp"? That's a tremendous image.

His discussion of fish revealed a lot that I did not know about the industry - and added to my recently acquired information The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi recently. What was particularly highlighted to me was that there is absolutely no requirement for humane killing of fish.

There are also no standards for chickens, turkeys and pigs. The author uses great images to convey information about numbers of animals and their confinement.

As a vegan for 5 years, a vegetarian eating fish only occasionally to rarely for the previous 10, and only eating "white" meat when socially compelled or required by personal relationships for the previous 20 -- I rather thought I was doing my part. I write a food blog that provides recipes for friends and strangers, feed everyone I know, help provide information about how to eat compassionately and do what I can to support others in this choice. After reading this book, I am thinking that perhaps that isn't enough - though there are so many problems in the world, one might think that working to educate people about veganism is low on the list of priorities.

However, if you look at it like this - 1/3 of all available surface land on our planet is dedicated to animal agriculture, and 30% of global warming is due to animal agriculture. This doesn't even address issues of pollution & contamination caused by animal agriculture or the devastation of species diversity in the ocean.

If our increased demand for more & cheaper animal flesh as food products is one of the largest leading causes of the destruction of our planet - what sort of legacy is that for future generations? I think the future generations can live better without a steak, hamburger, ham or turkey if it means more equitably distributed nutrition and less disease - and a better, more well fed, happier & healthier planet - for all animals, including humans. Now I just have to figure out my role in all this better than just changing my own diet and encouraging folks in my limited sphere of influence.

There are no words to describe how grateful I am to Mr. Foer for writing this book. I read an op ed piece by Mr. Foer about his book on cnn.com and I immediately purchased the book. The book is masterfully well written and it is not preachy or elitist. It is simply written from the point of view of a father, who now in the position of making food choices for his child, wants to make the best choices possible. Eating Animals is extremely well researched and grounded in real, verifiable data. On top of all that it is a great read, with touches of humor and a really engaging personal story through out. I read it in 1 sitting in the course of an afternoon and from that moment on, I become a vegetarian. My husband read the book when I was done with it and now he is a vegetarian too. Mr. Foer writes about the act of purposeful forgetting and thanks to his important contribution, I will never allow myself to forget where food comes from. I frequently recommend this book to everyone who asks me why I decided to become a vegetarian and I highly recommend it in general.

Short of the Bible, it's hard to think of a book that has more profoundly affected me. I have eaten more than my fair share of animals for years, even counting the nearly eleven years I spent as a vegetarian in my youth. I don't know how I have lived with blinders on my eyes for so long, but once you know and understand the reality of factory farmed animals, it becomes impossible to live with yourself and continue consuming them.

I do not eat meat, but I am not vegetarian. I like the book and I really like the author’s intentions for the books. However, I think, his arguments were weak and not well structured to convince people to stop eating meat. I stopped eating meat because I watched videos of the factory farms and what animals go through. I think if I just read the book, I would not make a decision to stop eating meat. The author spent almost half of the book glamorizing family farms. I wish the author would focus more on operations of factory farms and health implications by eating their meat, I think his argument would be stronger and more convincing.

The consumption of flesh for food has always played a central role in a people's culinary heritage. For our ancestors, it not only supplied them with much needed nourishment, but also served as a cultural repository for the values they placed on food preparation, flavor, and community. For instance, when the Pilgrims first congregated for that landmark Thanksgiving dinner--served with a plethora of wild fowl, game, and grain--they partook of the American landscape's rich bounty that would provide them sustenance for those first, precarious years at the East Coast settlements. In 21st century, urban communities, most dinner parties would go amiss if a roasted animal, handsomely browned and splayed on a carving board, were absent from the menu.

However, the practice of eating meat has repeatedly and increasingly been a source of debate for vegetarians and animal activists, all of whom point out the practices of an industry that elevate profit above quality, animal welfare, and consumer health. Is it wrong to eat turkey if there exists its soy alternative, Tofurkey? For the conscientious omnivore, for whom battery farm chicken raises much contention, would it not be more prudent to favor its extravagantly priced yet humanely raised alternative, the mouthwatering Poulet Bresse (which costs around $21 a kilo)? If steaks from corn-fed, gridlocked cows offend the discerning epicure, why not buy beef sliced from the pampered, beer-inebriated animals of wagyu cattle breeders? Or, for the staunchest and most daring of us, why eat meat at all?

Jonathan Safran Foer, the critically acclaimed novelist of the widely loved Everything is Illuminated and the equally compelling Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, poses these important questions and challenges in Eating Animals--a postmodern memoir about vegetarianism furnished with his trademark narrative sparkle and a litter of philosophical patter from legendary non-carnivores like Franz Kafka and Jacques Derrida. For the adventurous cook, it also features a Filipino recipe for "Stewed Dog, Wedding Style."

It should be noted that Mr. Foer is hardly shy about donning his dietary preferences. In his debut novel, his self-named hero is offered an unending selection of meats by Alexander Perchov's grandfather, all of which he persistently refuses. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the main character Oskar Schell declares that he doesn't eat "anything with parents." Eating Animals, his premier work of nonfiction, is even more poised towards outlining his evolving stances on dietary views.

While this book revolves around the ethics of eating meat, Foer consciously tells us that this is not a "straightforward case for vegetarianism." Like most works of investigative journalism, it stands as a by-product of mountains of research, observations, and interviews, much of which feature here as honest essays and reportages from cattle and poultry farmers, animal rights activists, and vegetarians. But unlike most memoirs of this sort, it departs from convention by including evocative stories, myths, and folktales and lengthy philosophical discussions, much of which dwell on the visceral horrors of slaughterhouses and factory farming.

Mr. Foer writes that most chickens have been bioengineered to yield more meat in less time while living cooped up in the "grossly unnatural," cramped conditions of battery farms, leading not only to reduction in their bone density, but also to bacterial infection, lung and heart conditions, cancerous tumors, and skin diseases. He tells us that pigs are sardined in closed barns littered with "stillborn piglets, afterbirths, dead piglets, vomit, blood, urine, antibiotic syringes, broken bottles of insecticide, hair, pus, even body parts." He informs us that farmed fish like salmon are raised in filthy tanks infested with sea lice that gnaw their flesh to the bone. And he says that cattle, considered here as the most fortunate among livestock, run through most slaughterhouses being "bled, skinned, and dismembered while still conscious."

If that were not gruesome enough, he even suggests that industrial farming plays consumers into a deceptive game that, while copiously providing them with cheap meat, doubly compromises their health and the planet's ecology. By raising chickens in terrible conditions, farmers cross-contaminate flocks with deadly bacteria like salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli. Pigs don't fare much better on the ecological scale. Foer tells us that in communities built close to piggeries, where massive, noxious cesspools are reserved for storing livestock manure, people are constantly sick due to the toxins (transported through air or soil) contained in pig scat.

As a result of these inhumane farming practices, the animals are not only more prone to disease, but also develop certain, hybridized pathogens that have orchestrated several disastrous epidemics like SARS, MRSA, H5N1, and the more recent H1N1 flu. And when animal veterinarians administer medicine to weak battery farm animals, they are not only artificially prolonging their lives, but are also indirectly passing drugs that make our bodies vulnerable to bacteria evolved to bear the brunt of antibiotics.

Certainly, these facts are startling, and if they don't proselytize foodies into shunning meat, they at least inform the reader about the flaws of an order that disregards the consumer for the sake of profit. Readers will readily agree about the injustices of a system where "more than half a billion of our tax dollars are given to the dairy, beef, egg, and poultry industries" to provide food to children while "a modest $161 million is offered to buy fruits and vegetables that even the USDA admits we should eat more of." It is unnecessary to argue about such a case where externalized costs and unhealthy consequences impact society more heavily than the savings levied on our wallets. This isn't only an argument for vegetarianism, but moreover, an "argument for another, wise animal agriculture and more honorable omnivory."

Alas, like most books about vegetarianism, this sincerely written memoir is not without its share of sensationalized. off-putting statements that may distract readers from key points. Sentences like "KFC is arguably the company that has increased the sum total of suffering in the world more than any other in history" (his grandmother survived the Nazi onslaught) and comparisons of battery farming to heinous crimes like slavery and abortion definitely place into question Mr. Foer's sense of ethical priority. And while the unmistakably postmodern illustrations on the chapter openings challenge readers to ponder on their accompanying inscriptions, these cutesy effects skew the gravity of the subject and undermine the seriousness of his valid observations. At least those pages only number but a small fraction in this memoir.

Mr. Foer acknowledges that "nothing establishes friendship so forcefully as eating together," and even informs us that he, at one point, enjoyed the delights of sushi and steak with friends and family. He also realizes that "changing what we eat and letting tastes fade from memory create a kind of cultural loss, a forgetting." But he also recognizes that his conscious decision to jettison meat from his diet is a crucial manifesto on sustainability, on charitableness, and ultimately, on social responsibility. Although Eating Animals remains only a partially tenable argument against the intractable practice of consuming meat, it nonetheless reminds us about the importance of not letting our self-interests supplant the welfare of others, including animals.

Picked up book on CD at library after listening to "In Defense of Food". Wasn't sure what this was about, but I thought maybe it would tell me that eating animals / meat was OK and that my ancestors, cavemen, etc., have been eating animals for so many millennia that I should get over myself. Well maybe if we really were cavemen, eating caveman accessible meat. But not anymore!

This book was illuminating and, to me, a very important basis for some of my beliefs. I'm glad I'm a vegetarian, not just for health but for the sake of animal welfare and our environment (not that anyone cares about either of those things).

I was aware of the gruesome details of factory farming and tried to make myself watch Earth without passing out so this book isn't really groundbreaking. It does put a different spin on it because it raises the question of finding other sources of food beside the 'products' of factory farming. There were several times in the book where I did feel sick, especially when coming across a receipe that asks for a 'medium-size dog' and the unimaginable cruelty to animals at the hog farms. Those mental images will haunt me for some time. . .

What I really enjoyed about this is how Jonathan connects the dots of the spanish influenza, the avian and pig flu and the fact 1/3 of the land is occupied by factory farms, spewing deadly viruses into the environment. As well as learning that when you buy poultry up to 10% of it is actually water! I am allergic to chicken, and I can see clearly why my body is rejecting that source of food.

In a way its depressing reading about this subject, because you know how busy are those big-box grocery stores, that sell food raised that way. Will any of the people ever care to know about it? Will any of the people actually care, not only about their health but about how this whole crazy process is destroying the environment? I doubt it, most of the low-middle income shoppers the Buy-Low Foods wants food as cheap as possible.

I think Jonathan Foer is a brilliant writer, which is why I bought Eating Animals days after it came out. I knew of course that it had something to do with the title, but I had no idea the depth of Foer's research. And that's the oddest thing about this book: it's Foer's quirky insights, his humor and hipness, his personal relationship to the material as in his novels, but EA is factual, not fictional.

I am particularly impressed with the way Foer dials back to the most conservative data and refrains from preaching; he just tells the story, or I should say he tells many stories interwoven with credible research, and describes his own soul-searching on the topic of eating animals. He leaves it totally up to you what you want to do. Very cool. And powerful.

But Foer's real brilliance in this book lies in his unstated but palpable comparison between his grandmother's young life spent in running from capture by the Nazis' mechanized killing of the Jews and Factory Farming's mechanized killing of animals. His descriptions of animals crammed together, starved, tortured, terrified and transported to their deaths in tightly packed train cars evokes the horrendous images of concentration camp victims we have all seen. Perhaps this book is too her "revenge."

I love meat, and I will never eat it again. Or fowl, or fish.

Thank you for writing this book. I wish I'd read it decades ago.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a natural curiosity about where our food comes from, and to anyone with an open mind about the necessity (or lack thereof) of eating animals. It isn't preachy (though it's clearly filled with plenty of good arguments for being a vegetarian) and regardless of its author's vegetarian POV, it presents some uncomfortable facts about the horror show that is the factory farming industry. I understand those who think that whatever it takes to turn pigs and cows and chicken and fish into delicious food has to happen, but I don't see how anyone could argue that that should include unimaginable suffering, terror and pain. There is a big difference between old-school farming (my great-grandma used to kill chickens by swinging them over her head) and what passes for farming these days. Even as someone who loves meat, the facts are discouraging if well worth knowing. Best of all, the book is completely easy to, um, devour...the writing style is personal and accessible. Really a brilliant work.

I stumbled upon this read by chance. Having gone "pescatarian" roughly six months ago and loving the way my mind and body have felt ever since, I thought this would be something I could delve into once in a blue moon while taking a break from whatever book I happened to be seriously reading at the time. As it played out, I was hooked within 10 minutes and read the entire book in two evenings after my daughters were sound asleep. I suppose I was a bit cautious in the sense that I was anticipating something I could read half-heartedly about how horrible of a person you must be if you eat meat. If that was what I would find, I would have laughed hysterically because the people who tell you you're wrong because you do things differently than them really just irk me, plain and simple.

This book reads so incredibly well. The writing alone was fantastic, but the content and the manner in which the content was presented was charming, full of anecdotes and a smooth language. Not once did I feel as though Foer was accusing people who eat meat of being bad human beings. More impressively, not once did I feel like he was taking cheap shots at factory farmers. In a word, his approach to the subject was FAIR. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things you'll read in this book that may make you cringe at the smell of smoke churning from your neighbors grill this weekend, but it's based off of cold hard facts. He presents everything as it is, in fact giving family farmers and factory farmers alike an opportunity to present the story in their own words. In doing so, Foer succeeds in giving legitimacy to his tale. While the book reads like a memoir and is enjoyable, it's so refreshing to be able to learn more about such a heavy and important topic as this without the dull and boring fact spewing that is so common.

I don't view this book as propaganda to be used to convince somebody to become a vegetarian and to stop eating meat. I don't view this as any sort of a tool to persuade people that eating animals is cruel, etc. I view this book as one man's fascinating research and discoveries about the world of meat production, and I applaud his reasons for writing the book (as I stated, father of two girls). Again, while the book gives plenty of reasons and substantial backbone to my decision to stop eating meat, there is so much more to "Eating Animals" than that.

Five stars because that's the maximum I can give it. I will certainly read it again as I found myself constantly highlighting portions while reading it on my Kindle.

Surprising balanced and objective considering it was written by a vegetarian with an agenda. Cleary well studied and considered, although there are places where his statements are biased (but within the normal range of scientific opinion). If it convinces anyone to not eat factory farmed animals, or to demand more humane conditions for them, it's well worth it. Factory farming is a moral disgrace for everyone in this country; for those who eat the results and for those who "stand by" and allow it to happen. Alas, not the only moral disgrace in our food system, but I digress.

He does have some convoluted logic and seems to sometimes step on his on points by later points. And he clearly hasn't actually raised chicks or turkeys. In general, I'd say Omnivore's Dilmena is the better, less biased book. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to either a vegetarian or carnivore as an engaging way to understand the ugly meat industry.

The material is mostly well known and there doesn't seem much really new since the 90s. But I did learn something: just how much bycatch waste there is in fish and seafood industry.

Disclosure: I was an lacto-ovo-sometime pescatarian/vegetarian for 8 years (healthy and happy) until we started eating meat we raised ourselves (10 years ago). We don't eat a whole lot of meat, but I believe meat/eggs/dairy to be healthy if not essential foods.

For author Jonathan Foer, the imminent birth of his son forced him to rethink food on a fundamental level. Parents always want they best for their children, and for Foer it led to a three year journey into the philosophical, environmental, and health ramifications of eating animals. The result was 'Eating Animals', a highly relevant and accessible book, illuminating the the truth about animal agriculture and its effects on Western Civilization.

'Eating Animals' begins with an articulate and thought-provoking deconstruction of our relationship with animals. It invites us to examine the stories and assumptions we hold about animals meanwhile show us the way most of these ideas actual play out in the world, namely, through exploitation. The proceeding chapters take the reader on an in-depth journey into the world of factory farming and its subsequent ramifications in public heath, the economy, the environment, science, and human rights. Included are interviews with farmers and activists, sharing their experience, insight, and hope for a radical transformation of systematic meat production.

Foer's writing style is both casual and engaging, filled with personal anecdotes and reflections of his own journey into vegetarianism. In fact, it is this quality that made 'Eating Animals' such a pleasure to read. The book reads more like a novel or personal memoir than an educational text. Its engaging and actually enjoyable to read, while also providing sound information on factory farming.

'Eating Animals' should be required reading to all in the Western World. It's an important book, challenging the dominant paradigm we hold about animals and how we ethically ought to treat them. More over, 'Eating Animals' spans a wide spectrum of important information in a manner that is comprehensive and approachable. Read it and be transformed!

I am so glad that I stumbled upon this book. It changed my eating habit and my life. I have been a vegetarian (I have stopped eating all meats and most dairy products. I will stop eat egg white and cheese soon) for the last four months with the full intention transition into a vegan in the next few months. I am doing this slowly so it can be a sustainable lifestyle change for me.

Most of us sort of already aware about these compelling issues (animal suffering, personal health and environmental concerns) why we should not eat meat. Like most Americans, I did not wish to face it. I was in DENIAL.

This book made me take a much closer look of myself and helped me to discover my inner compassion for the animals. It brought tears in my eyes and made me mad as hell! It changed me from being part of the problem and empowered me to be part of "solution" by "opt out" of mainstream, big corporate food systems. If you have an ounce of compassion for the animals we eat; an interest about your personal and your family health; and a slight concern about saving our environment, read this book and then your heart will direct you to do the "right thing"!

I'd never considered becoming vegetarian, but Eating Animals has made me consider my usual food shopping decisions. In the book, Jonathan Safran Foer analyzes the production and consumption of animals on several different levels, each of which are disturbing.

He points out that much of the food that we buy in the supermarkets that we presume are healthy, such as turkey, fish and chicken, are not what we'd expect. Much of the turkey and chicken available in the grocery stores have been bred for human consumption -- the fowl that we find are bred to grow fast, to have large breast sections (because US consumers prefer the white meat). The animals themselves are so altered from their original species that they aren't expected to be able to survive in the wild. Having been bred for consumption, these animals are dependent upon the feed, antibiotics, vitamins, etc. from the poultry farms in order to survive. It's disturbing that the animals are so different from the original animals. How healthy can it be for us to consume an animal that was fed so much hormones, antibiotics and vitamins?

Foer describes his underground visits to poultry farms and to slaughter houses. His account doesn't become excessively emotional but the details are disturbing. Learning exactly how the animals are raised and cared for, imagining the pain and knowing the various attrition rates paints a disturbing picture and once imagined is hard to dismiss. While I had expected the description of slaughterhouses would be disturbing, the degree of unnecessary cruelty that many animals suffer at the time of their death -- hurting for sport --and the absence of any effective supervision over the care of the animals is worse than anything I could have imagined.

I guess Eating Animals has made me realize that I can't just ignore the impact of my food choices. While I haven't become vegetarian, it's hard to enjoy meat the same way. Eating Animals has gotten me to make more careful choices. Have you read Eating Animals? If so, has it changed how decide what to eat?

ISBN-10: 0316069884 - Trade Paperback [...]

Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 2010), 368 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

I know -- great title right: "Fantastic Book." Well, it's all that I can think of because, well, it is.

Reading this book, it is clear that it shares a line of commentary -- and even anecdotes -- similar to that of Omnivore's Delimma and Food, Inc. Regardless of its duplicity, it is a very engaging book. I sat down and read it all on a Sunday, which is really not something I typically do.

This book focused much more on the slaughter and physical treatment of livestock and poultry rather than on their feeding and the health impact of such feeding on humans. There was virtually zero discussion on the negative impact of Swift, Tyson, et al has on independent farmers.

The book was chock full of anecdotes. Safran-Foer really took the time to experience how meat gets from farm to table. Who knew that baby chicks were sent from breeders to farmers via the US Mail? Can you imagine?

I thought this book was fascinating, I had a hard time putting it down! It should be required reading for everyone who eats meat. Jonathan provides a gruesome look into the realities of factory farming, how this impacts the health of the animals, which in turn influences our health and the health of our environment. Too many people are willing to turn a blind eye to the realities of how our food arrives in the supermarket and what chemicals, pharmecutical drugs and foodborne illnesses we are consuming as a result of the factory farming industry.

To his credit, he does not condemn meat eaters entirely and tries to give stories from people who are involved with humane and sustainable farming. These smaller farms give us a glimmer of hope that we can change things, but we have to be willing to pay attention and to pay more for a healthier and more humane product if we do choose to eat meat. Or we could cut down our consumption, or choose to abstain from eating meat entirely.

We should rightly consider the intelligence and social structure of fish, chickens, pigs and cows, and realize they are not any different from the family pets which inhabit our own homes. Farm animals should not be subject to acts of monstrous cruelty.

It's up to us now - we need to be willing to face the facts and change!

"Eating Animals" explores a subject that's nagged at me for my entire life. As an animal lover, I find the killing of animals disturbing, so the detached anti-septic presentation of meats at the grocery store provided the disassociation I needed to eat them. This book and a look at [...] quickly bring back the cognitive dissonance.

Foer is particularly effective because he transcends the PETA-inspired manifesto. "Eating Animals" argues against factory farms not just because it is a miserable life for the animals, but also because of the risks to the consumers' health and the far reaching effects on the environment.

"Eating Animals" is scattered in its presentation. Yet that allows it to be conversational and easy to read, which is necessary because it is not a "feel good" book.

This book along with last year's documentary "Food, Inc." does a great job of beginning to expose the hidden world of factory farming. I've read some objections that it doesn't contain anything "new", but that seems to me irrelevant, since Foer doesn't present the book as groundbreaking. What he learned is merely new to him. And to many others, due to the secrecy of these horrific practices. Which are kept out of the public eye for good reason--public awareness would be bad for business.

The value of the book then isn't in its presentation of new material, but rather in its timeliness and accessibility. It's an easy, straightforward, and compelling read.

I have also seen objections that Foer doesn't talk about this or that--dairy and eggs for example. This doesn't matter I think--no book can cover all these topics. Having said that however I wish he had shined more light on the alternative. A final chapter containing specific advice about how, once having made the decision, his family was actually able to move to a plant-based diet, would have helped. Cold turkey as it were, gradually cutting down? Is there an addictive component? Did he experience meat "withdrawal"? What were the easiest and most difficult parts of the change for his family. How much effort did it take to expand their culinary repertoire to replace the meat. Or did they. I've seen some vegetarians, particularly teenagers, who have terrible diets--relying on mac and cheese etc. I presume Foers are doing better than that. Many people I think approve of the notion in the abstract, but lack signposts guiding them to the new path. And since he had readers in hand at book's end anyway, it was an opportunity, in addition to leading away "from", to point the way "to" the alternative.

There are no words to describe how grateful I am to Mr. Foer for writing this book. I read an op ed piece by Mr. Foer about his book on cnn.com and I immediately purchased the book. The book is masterfully well written and it is not preachy or elitist. It is simply written from the point of view of a father, who now in the position of making food choices for his child, wants to make the best choices possible. Eating Animals is extremely well researched and grounded in real, verifiable data. On top of all that it is a great read, with touches of humor and a really engaging personal story through out. I read it in 1 sitting in the course of an afternoon and from that moment on, I become a vegetarian. My husband read the book when I was done with it and now he is a vegetarian too. Mr. Foer writes about the act of purposeful forgetting and thanks to his important contribution, I will never allow myself to forget where food comes from. I frequently recommend this book to everyone who asks me why I decided to become a vegetarian and I highly recommend it in general.

Short of the Bible, it's hard to think of a book that has more profoundly affected me. I have eaten more than my fair share of animals for years, even counting the nearly eleven years I spent as a vegetarian in my youth. I don't know how I have lived with blinders on my eyes for so long, but once you know and understand the reality of factory farmed animals, it becomes impossible to live with yourself and continue consuming them.

I do not eat meat, but I am not vegetarian. I like the book and I really like the author’s intentions for the books. However, I think, his arguments were weak and not well structured to convince people to stop eating meat. I stopped eating meat because I watched videos of the factory farms and what animals go through. I think if I just read the book, I would not make a decision to stop eating meat. The author spent almost half of the book glamorizing family farms. I wish the author would focus more on operations of factory farms and health implications by eating their meat, I think his argument would be stronger and more convincing.

The consumption of flesh for food has always played a central role in a people's culinary heritage. For our ancestors, it not only supplied them with much needed nourishment, but also served as a cultural repository for the values they placed on food preparation, flavor, and community. For instance, when the Pilgrims first congregated for that landmark Thanksgiving dinner--served with a plethora of wild fowl, game, and grain--they partook of the American landscape's rich bounty that would provide them sustenance for those first, precarious years at the East Coast settlements. In 21st century, urban communities, most dinner parties would go amiss if a roasted animal, handsomely browned and splayed on a carving board, were absent from the menu.

However, the practice of eating meat has repeatedly and increasingly been a source of debate for vegetarians and animal activists, all of whom point out the practices of an industry that elevate profit above quality, animal welfare, and consumer health. Is it wrong to eat turkey if there exists its soy alternative, Tofurkey? For the conscientious omnivore, for whom battery farm chicken raises much contention, would it not be more prudent to favor its extravagantly priced yet humanely raised alternative, the mouthwatering Poulet Bresse (which costs around $21 a kilo)? If steaks from corn-fed, gridlocked cows offend the discerning epicure, why not buy beef sliced from the pampered, beer-inebriated animals of wagyu cattle breeders? Or, for the staunchest and most daring of us, why eat meat at all?

Jonathan Safran Foer, the critically acclaimed novelist of the widely loved Everything is Illuminated and the equally compelling Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, poses these important questions and challenges in Eating Animals--a postmodern memoir about vegetarianism furnished with his trademark narrative sparkle and a litter of philosophical patter from legendary non-carnivores like Franz Kafka and Jacques Derrida. For the adventurous cook, it also features a Filipino recipe for "Stewed Dog, Wedding Style."

It should be noted that Mr. Foer is hardly shy about donning his dietary preferences. In his debut novel, his self-named hero is offered an unending selection of meats by Alexander Perchov's grandfather, all of which he persistently refuses. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the main character Oskar Schell declares that he doesn't eat "anything with parents." Eating Animals, his premier work of nonfiction, is even more poised towards outlining his evolving stances on dietary views.

While this book revolves around the ethics of eating meat, Foer consciously tells us that this is not a "straightforward case for vegetarianism." Like most works of investigative journalism, it stands as a by-product of mountains of research, observations, and interviews, much of which feature here as honest essays and reportages from cattle and poultry farmers, animal rights activists, and vegetarians. But unlike most memoirs of this sort, it departs from convention by including evocative stories, myths, and folktales and lengthy philosophical discussions, much of which dwell on the visceral horrors of slaughterhouses and factory farming.

Mr. Foer writes that most chickens have been bioengineered to yield more meat in less time while living cooped up in the "grossly unnatural," cramped conditions of battery farms, leading not only to reduction in their bone density, but also to bacterial infection, lung and heart conditions, cancerous tumors, and skin diseases. He tells us that pigs are sardined in closed barns littered with "stillborn piglets, afterbirths, dead piglets, vomit, blood, urine, antibiotic syringes, broken bottles of insecticide, hair, pus, even body parts." He informs us that farmed fish like salmon are raised in filthy tanks infested with sea lice that gnaw their flesh to the bone. And he says that cattle, considered here as the most fortunate among livestock, run through most slaughterhouses being "bled, skinned, and dismembered while still conscious."

If that were not gruesome enough, he even suggests that industrial farming plays consumers into a deceptive game that, while copiously providing them with cheap meat, doubly compromises their health and the planet's ecology. By raising chickens in terrible conditions, farmers cross-contaminate flocks with deadly bacteria like salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli. Pigs don't fare much better on the ecological scale. Foer tells us that in communities built close to piggeries, where massive, noxious cesspools are reserved for storing livestock manure, people are constantly sick due to the toxins (transported through air or soil) contained in pig scat.

As a result of these inhumane farming practices, the animals are not only more prone to disease, but also develop certain, hybridized pathogens that have orchestrated several disastrous epidemics like SARS, MRSA, H5N1, and the more recent H1N1 flu. And when animal veterinarians administer medicine to weak battery farm animals, they are not only artificially prolonging their lives, but are also indirectly passing drugs that make our bodies vulnerable to bacteria evolved to bear the brunt of antibiotics.

Certainly, these facts are startling, and if they don't proselytize foodies into shunning meat, they at least inform the reader about the flaws of an order that disregards the consumer for the sake of profit. Readers will readily agree about the injustices of a system where "more than half a billion of our tax dollars are given to the dairy, beef, egg, and poultry industries" to provide food to children while "a modest $161 million is offered to buy fruits and vegetables that even the USDA admits we should eat more of." It is unnecessary to argue about such a case where externalized costs and unhealthy consequences impact society more heavily than the savings levied on our wallets. This isn't only an argument for vegetarianism, but moreover, an "argument for another, wise animal agriculture and more honorable omnivory."

Alas, like most books about vegetarianism, this sincerely written memoir is not without its share of sensationalized. off-putting statements that may distract readers from key points. Sentences like "KFC is arguably the company that has increased the sum total of suffering in the world more than any other in history" (his grandmother survived the Nazi onslaught) and comparisons of battery farming to heinous crimes like slavery and abortion definitely place into question Mr. Foer's sense of ethical priority. And while the unmistakably postmodern illustrations on the chapter openings challenge readers to ponder on their accompanying inscriptions, these cutesy effects skew the gravity of the subject and undermine the seriousness of his valid observations. At least those pages only number but a small fraction in this memoir.

Mr. Foer acknowledges that "nothing establishes friendship so forcefully as eating together," and even informs us that he, at one point, enjoyed the delights of sushi and steak with friends and family. He also realizes that "changing what we eat and letting tastes fade from memory create a kind of cultural loss, a forgetting." But he also recognizes that his conscious decision to jettison meat from his diet is a crucial manifesto on sustainability, on charitableness, and ultimately, on social responsibility. Although Eating Animals remains only a partially tenable argument against the intractable practice of consuming meat, it nonetheless reminds us about the importance of not letting our self-interests supplant the welfare of others, including animals.

Picked up book on CD at library after listening to "In Defense of Food". Wasn't sure what this was about, but I thought maybe it would tell me that eating animals / meat was OK and that my ancestors, cavemen, etc., have been eating animals for so many millennia that I should get over myself. Well maybe if we really were cavemen, eating caveman accessible meat. But not anymore!

This book was illuminating and, to me, a very important basis for some of my beliefs. I'm glad I'm a vegetarian, not just for health but for the sake of animal welfare and our environment (not that anyone cares about either of those things).

I was aware of the gruesome details of factory farming and tried to make myself watch Earth without passing out so this book isn't really groundbreaking. It does put a different spin on it because it raises the question of finding other sources of food beside the 'products' of factory farming. There were several times in the book where I did feel sick, especially when coming across a receipe that asks for a 'medium-size dog' and the unimaginable cruelty to animals at the hog farms. Those mental images will haunt me for some time. . .

What I really enjoyed about this is how Jonathan connects the dots of the spanish influenza, the avian and pig flu and the fact 1/3 of the land is occupied by factory farms, spewing deadly viruses into the environment. As well as learning that when you buy poultry up to 10% of it is actually water! I am allergic to chicken, and I can see clearly why my body is rejecting that source of food.

In a way its depressing reading about this subject, because you know how busy are those big-box grocery stores, that sell food raised that way. Will any of the people ever care to know about it? Will any of the people actually care, not only about their health but about how this whole crazy process is destroying the environment? I doubt it, most of the low-middle income shoppers the Buy-Low Foods wants food as cheap as possible.

I think Jonathan Foer is a brilliant writer, which is why I bought Eating Animals days after it came out. I knew of course that it had something to do with the title, but I had no idea the depth of Foer's research. And that's the oddest thing about this book: it's Foer's quirky insights, his humor and hipness, his personal relationship to the material as in his novels, but EA is factual, not fictional.

I am particularly impressed with the way Foer dials back to the most conservative data and refrains from preaching; he just tells the story, or I should say he tells many stories interwoven with credible research, and describes his own soul-searching on the topic of eating animals. He leaves it totally up to you what you want to do. Very cool. And powerful.

But Foer's real brilliance in this book lies in his unstated but palpable comparison between his grandmother's young life spent in running from capture by the Nazis' mechanized killing of the Jews and Factory Farming's mechanized killing of animals. His descriptions of animals crammed together, starved, tortured, terrified and transported to their deaths in tightly packed train cars evokes the horrendous images of concentration camp victims we have all seen. Perhaps this book is too her "revenge."

I love meat, and I will never eat it again. Or fowl, or fish.

Thank you for writing this book. I wish I'd read it decades ago.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a natural curiosity about where our food comes from, and to anyone with an open mind about the necessity (or lack thereof) of eating animals. It isn't preachy (though it's clearly filled with plenty of good arguments for being a vegetarian) and regardless of its author's vegetarian POV, it presents some uncomfortable facts about the horror show that is the factory farming industry. I understand those who think that whatever it takes to turn pigs and cows and chicken and fish into delicious food has to happen, but I don't see how anyone could argue that that should include unimaginable suffering, terror and pain. There is a big difference between old-school farming (my great-grandma used to kill chickens by swinging them over her head) and what passes for farming these days. Even as someone who loves meat, the facts are discouraging if well worth knowing. Best of all, the book is completely easy to, um, devour...the writing style is personal and accessible. Really a brilliant work.

I stumbled upon this read by chance. Having gone "pescatarian" roughly six months ago and loving the way my mind and body have felt ever since, I thought this would be something I could delve into once in a blue moon while taking a break from whatever book I happened to be seriously reading at the time. As it played out, I was hooked within 10 minutes and read the entire book in two evenings after my daughters were sound asleep. I suppose I was a bit cautious in the sense that I was anticipating something I could read half-heartedly about how horrible of a person you must be if you eat meat. If that was what I would find, I would have laughed hysterically because the people who tell you you're wrong because you do things differently than them really just irk me, plain and simple.

This book reads so incredibly well. The writing alone was fantastic, but the content and the manner in which the content was presented was charming, full of anecdotes and a smooth language. Not once did I feel as though Foer was accusing people who eat meat of being bad human beings. More impressively, not once did I feel like he was taking cheap shots at factory farmers. In a word, his approach to the subject was FAIR. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things you'll read in this book that may make you cringe at the smell of smoke churning from your neighbors grill this weekend, but it's based off of cold hard facts. He presents everything as it is, in fact giving family farmers and factory farmers alike an opportunity to present the story in their own words. In doing so, Foer succeeds in giving legitimacy to his tale. While the book reads like a memoir and is enjoyable, it's so refreshing to be able to learn more about such a heavy and important topic as this without the dull and boring fact spewing that is so common.

I don't view this book as propaganda to be used to convince somebody to become a vegetarian and to stop eating meat. I don't view this as any sort of a tool to persuade people that eating animals is cruel, etc. I view this book as one man's fascinating research and discoveries about the world of meat production, and I applaud his reasons for writing the book (as I stated, father of two girls). Again, while the book gives plenty of reasons and substantial backbone to my decision to stop eating meat, there is so much more to "Eating Animals" than that.

Five stars because that's the maximum I can give it. I will certainly read it again as I found myself constantly highlighting portions while reading it on my Kindle.

Surprising balanced and objective considering it was written by a vegetarian with an agenda. Cleary well studied and considered, although there are places where his statements are biased (but within the normal range of scientific opinion). If it convinces anyone to not eat factory farmed animals, or to demand more humane conditions for them, it's well worth it. Factory farming is a moral disgrace for everyone in this country; for those who eat the results and for those who "stand by" and allow it to happen. Alas, not the only moral disgrace in our food system, but I digress.

He does have some convoluted logic and seems to sometimes step on his on points by later points. And he clearly hasn't actually raised chicks or turkeys. In general, I'd say Omnivore's Dilmena is the better, less biased book. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to either a vegetarian or carnivore as an engaging way to understand the ugly meat industry.

The material is mostly well known and there doesn't seem much really new since the 90s. But I did learn something: just how much bycatch waste there is in fish and seafood industry.

Disclosure: I was an lacto-ovo-sometime pescatarian/vegetarian for 8 years (healthy and happy) until we started eating meat we raised ourselves (10 years ago). We don't eat a whole lot of meat, but I believe meat/eggs/dairy to be healthy if not essential foods.

For author Jonathan Foer, the imminent birth of his son forced him to rethink food on a fundamental level. Parents always want they best for their children, and for Foer it led to a three year journey into the philosophical, environmental, and health ramifications of eating animals. The result was 'Eating Animals', a highly relevant and accessible book, illuminating the the truth about animal agriculture and its effects on Western Civilization.

'Eating Animals' begins with an articulate and thought-provoking deconstruction of our relationship with animals. It invites us to examine the stories and assumptions we hold about animals meanwhile show us the way most of these ideas actual play out in the world, namely, through exploitation. The proceeding chapters take the reader on an in-depth journey into the world of factory farming and its subsequent ramifications in public heath, the economy, the environment, science, and human rights. Included are interviews with farmers and activists, sharing their experience, insight, and hope for a radical transformation of systematic meat production.

Foer's writing style is both casual and engaging, filled with personal anecdotes and reflections of his own journey into vegetarianism. In fact, it is this quality that made 'Eating Animals' such a pleasure to read. The book reads more like a novel or personal memoir than an educational text. Its engaging and actually enjoyable to read, while also providing sound information on factory farming.

'Eating Animals' should be required reading to all in the Western World. It's an important book, challenging the dominant paradigm we hold about animals and how we ethically ought to treat them. More over, 'Eating Animals' spans a wide spectrum of important information in a manner that is comprehensive and approachable. Read it and be transformed!

I am so glad that I stumbled upon this book. It changed my eating habit and my life. I have been a vegetarian (I have stopped eating all meats and most dairy products. I will stop eat egg white and cheese soon) for the last four months with the full intention transition into a vegan in the next few months. I am doing this slowly so it can be a sustainable lifestyle change for me.

Most of us sort of already aware about these compelling issues (animal suffering, personal health and environmental concerns) why we should not eat meat. Like most Americans, I did not wish to face it. I was in DENIAL.

This book made me take a much closer look of myself and helped me to discover my inner compassion for the animals. It brought tears in my eyes and made me mad as hell! It changed me from being part of the problem and empowered me to be part of "solution" by "opt out" of mainstream, big corporate food systems. If you have an ounce of compassion for the animals we eat; an interest about your personal and your family health; and a slight concern about saving our environment, read this book and then your heart will direct you to do the "right thing"!

I'd never considered becoming vegetarian, but Eating Animals has made me consider my usual food shopping decisions. In the book, Jonathan Safran Foer analyzes the production and consumption of animals on several different levels, each of which are disturbing.

He points out that much of the food that we buy in the supermarkets that we presume are healthy, such as turkey, fish and chicken, are not what we'd expect. Much of the turkey and chicken available in the grocery stores have been bred for human consumption -- the fowl that we find are bred to grow fast, to have large breast sections (because US consumers prefer the white meat). The animals themselves are so altered from their original species that they aren't expected to be able to survive in the wild. Having been bred for consumption, these animals are dependent upon the feed, antibiotics, vitamins, etc. from the poultry farms in order to survive. It's disturbing that the animals are so different from the original animals. How healthy can it be for us to consume an animal that was fed so much hormones, antibiotics and vitamins?

Foer describes his underground visits to poultry farms and to slaughter houses. His account doesn't become excessively emotional but the details are disturbing. Learning exactly how the animals are raised and cared for, imagining the pain and knowing the various attrition rates paints a disturbing picture and once imagined is hard to dismiss. While I had expected the description of slaughterhouses would be disturbing, the degree of unnecessary cruelty that many animals suffer at the time of their death -- hurting for sport --and the absence of any effective supervision over the care of the animals is worse than anything I could have imagined.

I guess Eating Animals has made me realize that I can't just ignore the impact of my food choices. While I haven't become vegetarian, it's hard to enjoy meat the same way. Eating Animals has gotten me to make more careful choices. Have you read Eating Animals? If so, has it changed how decide what to eat?

ISBN-10: 0316069884 - Trade Paperback [...]

Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 2010), 368 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

I know -- great title right: "Fantastic Book." Well, it's all that I can think of because, well, it is.

Reading this book, it is clear that it shares a line of commentary -- and even anecdotes -- similar to that of Omnivore's Delimma and Food, Inc. Regardless of its duplicity, it is a very engaging book. I sat down and read it all on a Sunday, which is really not something I typically do.

This book focused much more on the slaughter and physical treatment of livestock and poultry rather than on their feeding and the health impact of such feeding on humans. There was virtually zero discussion on the negative impact of Swift, Tyson, et al has on independent farmers.

The book was chock full of anecdotes. Safran-Foer really took the time to experience how meat gets from farm to table. Who knew that baby chicks were sent from breeders to farmers via the US Mail? Can you imagine?

I thought this book was fascinating, I had a hard time putting it down! It should be required reading for everyone who eats meat. Jonathan provides a gruesome look into the realities of factory farming, how this impacts the health of the animals, which in turn influences our health and the health of our environment. Too many people are willing to turn a blind eye to the realities of how our food arrives in the supermarket and what chemicals, pharmecutical drugs and foodborne illnesses we are consuming as a result of the factory farming industry.

To his credit, he does not condemn meat eaters entirely and tries to give stories from people who are involved with humane and sustainable farming. These smaller farms give us a glimmer of hope that we can change things, but we have to be willing to pay attention and to pay more for a healthier and more humane product if we do choose to eat meat. Or we could cut down our consumption, or choose to abstain from eating meat entirely.

We should rightly consider the intelligence and social structure of fish, chickens, pigs and cows, and realize they are not any different from the family pets which inhabit our own homes. Farm animals should not be subject to acts of monstrous cruelty.

It's up to us now - we need to be willing to face the facts and change!

"Eating Animals" explores a subject that's nagged at me for my entire life. As an animal lover, I find the killing of animals disturbing, so the detached anti-septic presentation of meats at the grocery store provided the disassociation I needed to eat them. This book and a look at [...] quickly bring back the cognitive dissonance.

Foer is particularly effective because he transcends the PETA-inspired manifesto. "Eating Animals" argues against factory farms not just because it is a miserable life for the animals, but also because of the risks to the consumers' health and the far reaching effects on the environment.

"Eating Animals" is scattered in its presentation. Yet that allows it to be conversational and easy to read, which is necessary because it is not a "feel good" book.

This book along with last year's documentary "Food, Inc." does a great job of beginning to expose the hidden world of factory farming. I've read some objections that it doesn't contain anything "new", but that seems to me irrelevant, since Foer doesn't present the book as groundbreaking. What he learned is merely new to him. And to many others, due to the secrecy of these horrific practices. Which are kept out of the public eye for good reason--public awareness would be bad for business.

The value of the book then isn't in its presentation of new material, but rather in its timeliness and accessibility. It's an easy, straightforward, and compelling read.

I have also seen objections that Foer doesn't talk about this or that--dairy and eggs for example. This doesn't matter I think--no book can cover all these topics. Having said that however I wish he had shined more light on the alternative. A final chapter containing specific advice about how, once having made the decision, his family was actually able to move to a plant-based diet, would have helped. Cold turkey as it were, gradually cutting down? Is there an addictive component? Did he experience meat "withdrawal"? What were the easiest and most difficult parts of the change for his family. How much effort did it take to expand their culinary repertoire to replace the meat. Or did they. I've seen some vegetarians, particularly teenagers, who have terrible diets--relying on mac and cheese etc. I presume Foers are doing better than that. Many people I think approve of the notion in the abstract, but lack signposts guiding them to the new path. And since he had readers in hand at book's end anyway, it was an opportunity, in addition to leading away "from", to point the way "to" the alternative.

This book is dangerous in the best possible way - it is wonderfully written (I'd read anything Mr. Foer wrote at this point, he writes so well), and clearly an act of love, daring and courage. I can only imagine that the factory farming industry is freaking out over this one. I've read Michael Pollan's books (am a big fan) and quite a few others about organic food and sources of food, but this is another thing entirely - Mr. Foer describes what happens so the facts are right out there and it's hard to look away. He opens the curtain wide on practices that are abhorrent and makes even avowed meat eaters like me consider that they should change their ways and either become vegetarian or seriously consider changing their buying and eating practices to avoid factory farmed meat. I suspect this book shows the tip of the iceberg, since Mr. Foer doesn't get into practices of making eggs and cheese that are probably also problematic. It's sometimes a hard read since there's no sugar coating the practices he describes, and it's very upsetting. It's also very important. This should be required reading for all meat eaters, so at least they know what they are dealing with. Kudos to Mr. Foer, I hope this sparks some kind of revolution - both in terms of the society at large and in each person who reads it, to finally make a change.

Franzen's book is vivid and contains a slew of reasons to avoid factory farm meat, poultry, and fish. It is true that the facts vary in reliability (Franzen is upfront about this; the farming/fishing industries unsurprisingly do not want to share too much about their practices and investigative work can only uncover so much that isn't merely anecdotal), and that the arguments also vary in strength, but the overall message is powerful: factory farming is bad not just for animals, but for humans.

The book brings up questions such as:

1) Ethical treatment of animals:
a) is it ethical to eat animals?
b) why is it only ethical to eat some animals and not others?
c) since humans (and other animals) are omnivores, eating animals isn't necessarily wrong; however, abusive, inhumane conditions are wrong...where do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable conditions for farmed animals (he has a few examples of appalling cases of animal abuse, possibly brought on in part by the poor, stressful conditions of the industrialized slaughterhouse)?

2) Societal impact/externalities (environmental and health costs to society):
a) Pollution
i) Greenhouse gases produced by the animals (they are forced to eat foods they are not adapted to eat, including but not limited to government subsidized (and thus, artificially cheap) corn, their own species, etc.) and farming techniques - these costs are not borne by the industry, but by society (global warming, etc.)
ii) Similarly, the animals produce vast amounts of manure that contain pollutants since they're eating food they're not adapted to eat. These wastes are rarely disposed of properly and often contain hazardous substances that increase morbidity in populations of nearby towns and seep into water supplies, which has killed off entire fish populations of nearby lakes
b) Rampant use of antibiotics - antibiotics, instead being used to treat illness, are used preventatively, which causes antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases, thus putting
c) Increased risk of pandemics: Crowded conditions and animals being fed members of their own species (and other species that may have diseases that can infect them) increase the risk of the rise of dangerous strains of diseases: avian flu, swine flu, mad cow disease, etc.
d) Feeding the world's population
i) Inefficient food energy conversion - each calorie of animal flesh requires the animal to eat many times that amount of calories (estimates vary from 4 to 75 times)
ii) Growing food for animals is water-intensive: "One pound of beef requires an input of approximately 2500 gallons of water, whereas a pound of soy requires 250 gallons of water and a pound of wheat only 25 gallons." (about.com)
iii) We cannot support the rise in meat demand (as countries like China and India grow and their populations get richer and will consume more meat as a whole) with our current technologies
iv) The increase in demand in meat (and thus its production) will thus increase cost of grains, making food less affordable for the poorest (similarly for clean water)

Other: Franzen doesn't go much into detail about dairy farming conditions.

Bottom line is that based on the available information, factory farmed meat is inefficient, polluting, and inhumane. Personally, I believe that the broader impacts (inefficiency, pollution, antibiotic abuse, unsanitary conditions, etc.) mean that factory farming has to change--too much is at stake. The book isn't trying to convince the reader that eating meat is evil--but that we, the consumer, cannot support a system that does not pay for its negative impacts on our planet.

I think most people know they have a problem with how our food gets to us (if not concerns with whether it's ethical to eaten certain kinds of it at all). But we do our best to push it from the front of our minds - we know about but never watch those horrific slaughterhouse abuse videos, we roll up the window when we pass massive pig and cattle farms - because we'd rather not deal with consequences of examining those feelings.

Foer's book on factory farming and the larger issue of eating meat took me almost a month to make sense of my choices after reading. When I finished thinking, I gave up eating factory-farmed meat entirely. The only meat I consume comes from Frank Reese's heritage turkeys and chickens (featured in the book) and Niman Ranch (you can also track down Niman's new farm, BN Ranch but I haven't yet). I think what I liked about Foer is his ability to articulate the nuance of an issue but still be blunt and honest enough to dismiss those details as irrelevant in the face of larger issues. To me, that issue is whether you can be aware and proud of the decisions you make about something like food or eating meat. And then it's important that you move on and address and improve another area of your life.

Eating Animals has become one of my favorite reads, no I am not a vegetarian nor do I plan to be. I love to eat meat and always will. This book is just very well written and simple to understand, it is very educational and informing. Foer does an excellent job us helping us understand the language of factory farming and commercial fishing. Though I may not agree with the way they treat the animals on these farms it is something that we all need to be educated on. This book made leaning what happens on these farms very easy. The organization of the book is what makes this so simple. Foer put the chapters into sections which I really enjoyed, it made understanding the language of the industry that much easier.
Foer does a fair job in writing this book; to me he was not trying to convert the reader into a vegetarian just simply informing us. He himself would even eat meat from time to time. He wanted us to see what happens in these factory farms so we can make the decision ourselves if we want to eat these animals that are being treated this way. The methods that are used behind the walls of these farms are sick. They should not be done but I can confidently say that after reading this book I still love meat as much as I did before, this book has just opened my eyes and allowed me to see what happens to my food before it reaches my plate.

This book was very eye opening and was written in a way that was very accessible and interesting. I haven't eaten pork, beef or lamb in 12 years. I thought, in part, that I was eating the lesser of the "evils", but this book opened my eyes to how the treatment of poultry and fish are just as bad if not much worse than the other animals we consume.

I was hoping that the author would talk about how he and his family switched to being vegetarians, but I understand that one book can only cover so much.

Put this book at the top of your "to read" list ASAP!

I ordered "Eating Animals" on a whim. I had never heard of the book before, but something had tugged inside about eating animals, especially the fact that we as consumers are so removed from the process of farming and meat preparation. I was curious what someone had to say on the topic.
I was a little skeptical when first starting to read this book, but through the book I learned so many things about the horrible reality of animal farming that I've decided to become a vegan, whereas before I was blissfully and ignorantly enjoying my bacon and chicken nuggets. Despite my occasional indulgence in fatty meats, I value nutrition and human health. So when I discovered that our current farming system is not only extremely cruel to animals (you don't have to be an animal right's activist to see that what is going on is wrong) AND detrimental to human health, I had to change my lifestyle. I believe everyone should read this book.

I chose to read this book basically because I think I would read anything by Foer, after loving both of his first two novels.

It begins with Foer explaining that he has recently become a father, and giving a brief history of his family (notably, he is a practicing Jew, which plays into his personal decisions and explanations) and their eating habits, he expresses a struggle deciding basically how to bring up his son in relation to eating. Sounds silly or minuscule in importance? Bare with me.

The next chapter is an interesting comparison and bringing-to-light of the fact that pigs are startlingly similar to dogs; in personality, intelligence, 'personability,' life-span, and character. He then lays out how many breeds of dogs are just as safely, nutritiously edible as pigs, and gives examples of how many countries and people-groups throughout history (and even currently) immensely enjoyed dog as a major food. Basically, pigs could make just as good of a pet as a dog, and dogs could be just as good as food as pigs, but here's his point: We, Americans, don't see it that way do we? For some reason, dogs are the ones we've domesticated in our minds and homes, and God forbid we ever eat one, that'd be gross, inhumane, etc. Likewise, pigs are dirty, and stupid, and are fat worthless animals God intended us to just eat anyway, right? This chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Without going into too much detail or ruining things you could read for yourself, the book is basically about this: the meat industry is incredibly rich (a multi-billion dollar industry with profound government influence), and corrupt beyond belief. The book is not simply a pro-vegetarian plea, nor is it just a gross-out, shock value book trying to scare people out of eating meat. It is smart, well-researched, loaded with facts and statistics, and interviews with workers inside and out of the industry. The meat industry affects our world in far more, and far greater ways than I had ever realized.

I could go much farther into this but will leave you with a few thoughts:

I am convinced that nearly all meat comes from absolutely tortured animals who are genetic mutants brought up in disgusting and painful environments and abused throughout their lives until a (most times) excruciating death.

I am convinced that because of the antibiotics, steroids, chemicals and feed given to these animals that meat is incredibly unhealthy for us to eat (in a way that it didn't used to be).

I am however also convinced that I, as an individual, changing my diet alone, even if I were never to eat meat again for the rest of my life, would not change the industry's power one iota.

I am also convinced that becoming a fanatic and intense advocate of this would be a waste of my time and energy, as suffering animals is infinitely less important than human souls dying to an eternity without Christ, which is what I believe, in this life, is my focus and 'calling.'

I have yet to make a personal decision of where to go from here, but this is one of the most interesting books I have ever read, and I do absolutely think you should give it a shot.

Listening to the audioversion of this book was not always easy. It made me quesy to hear what animals are subjected to. Besides an expose of mans brutality, which paralells bubbis story from WW2, it laid the groundwork for the pressing matter of what we are doing to this earth, to the other inhabitants of this planet and how we plan to survive on it. Moreover it poses the question of what effect our choices of what we put on our tables have not only on the planet, the animals but on ourselves, as such horrific acts that are being comitted every day harms not only the poor animal but the person perpetrating these acts. Needless to say, after listening to this I cut my meat/fowl/fish consumption to almost nil. Besides not wanting to contribute to the cruelty towards animals - who would want to eat these conventionally produced products?!?!

Before I ever picked up this book, I had heard enough about it to know that it is life changing. After reading it, I know this to be true. I had been dabbling with vegetarianism before I read it. I had watched some of the documentaries on netflix, like hungry for change, but nothing affected me like this book did. Well researched, well written and compassionate. Foer writes in a thought provoking manner, that can't help but make you want to change your lifestyle. My husband is now terrified that I will try to get him to go vegetarian and you know what? After reading this book I will. Get it and be ready to cry and be so angry you want to explode. The truth is out there if you're prepared to open your eyes.

This is the first book review I have posted on the store. I just finished reading Eating Animals and felt I had to share my experience.

In my teens and early 20's, I was a vegetarian and even a vegan. Nothing Jonathan presented was new information to me. And yet, at some point in my 20's I became a "selective omnivore" and gradually began eating more meat. I am guilty of occasionally, no, semi-regularly, eating factory farmed meat.

This book felt like a reawakening. I have been gradually sliding down a slippery slope. I started off believing that locally raised meat is morally ok because I had talked to the person who raised the animal. But the problem is that eventually I started to believe that organic meat was ok. And then even occasionally, natural meat (which we all know is meaningless). In this way, I found his argument about the need to 'draw a line in the sand' was very compelling. It is hard to eat meat occasionally because without the cover of a fixed rule, there are just too many times when an exception seems appropriate.

The fact is, I am ashamed at my complacency over these last ten years. I have a young son too, and when he asks me someday what I did when I learned what people do to factory farmed animals, I want to look him in the eye and say that I stopped eating them.

I also think that Jonathan makes an essential point that being a vegetarian is not enough. We cannot sit quietly by as animals are tortured and feel good about our own decision not to eat them. As a teenager, I spoke out about this issue, even when it made my friends and family uncomfortable. I want to do more than be a vegetarian. I guess this post is my first step.

Jonathan is smart and profound and he articulates complex moral dilemmas in a refreshingly simple way. I agree with all the other reviewers that Jonathan is not preachy and his book is approachable and interesting. His notes are meticulously presented and, although I wish that some of the stories he tells were made up, I believe they were all absolutely truthful. This is a must read book for everyone. I hope you will give it a try.

I've been a vegetarian for about 16 years so I went into this book thinking, "I've heard it all before." I loved Foer's other books though, so I figured even if I was being told information I'd heard before, I would still like it. I was definitely wrong.

Foer presented a case for vegetarianism (though, he provides that this was not his goal) and/or ethical eating that was new to me. He doesn't rely on the traditional methods such as detailing the violence experienced by farmed animals, though the book does not lack in descriptions of it. More, he tells the story of "farms" through an ecological lens, detailing how factory farming affects humans in more ways than just digesting in their stomachs. There was a lot of information new to me such as the amount of antibiotics forced upon animals (17.5 million pounds annually) compared to the amount used by humans (3 million pounds annually), the fact that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the agriculture industry is 40% higher than the entire transportation sector, and the root causes of pandemic viruses. Very eye opening! If I were not already a vegetarian, I definitely would be one after reading this book!

Overall, I loved that this book did not push anything in your face and he spoke so warmly about the traditional farmers he met along the way. I appreciated that this was his personal story he was sharing and not an attempt to sway public opinion; as a vegetarian, I'm often accused of trying to convince others to give up meat just by my very existence. I'm very persistent in saying that vegetarianism is a personal choice. Do I think more people should give up meat? Of course. Is that my choice to make? No. This book uses this premise to tell its story, making it informative without being aggressive. I think non-vegetarians will not be threatened by it, allowing them to be informed and thus make better decisions about how and what to eat.

This is an excellent book. I just read the review in the New York Times and was disappointed by the last paragraph which stated that readers wondered how Foer could expend so much energy and caring on the fate of pigs and chickens when he should be more concerned
about the death of 1 million children caused by malaria, and atrocities in the Congo caused by conflicts.
This argument implies that:
1. we should not be humane towards animals while malaria exists,
2. as soon as malaria is cured, then we can take care of animals. Yeh, right, like that ever happened after we eradicated any disease....
3. And just when have we ever ended a war somewhere and then moved on to help the animals who suffered there?
It's a cheap argument... and unfortunately, one which is commonly used. Isaac Bashevis Singer said that for animals, every day was an Auschwitz.
The pain of animals is as real as the pain of people. So why does it drive some people mad when we compare the two?
Why don't they use that anger to fight against all suffering...
We have only one heart. It's the same heart which we use to help people, as well as animals. When will people stop repeating that we cannot do one until we have settled the other? And isn't that a catch 22? People hurt animals yet we should not help animals until we have helped every person.....

This book is extremely profound. My husband has read Jonathan's fiction novels and enjoyed his style of writing. He came home with this book as a gift for me since he knows I like to have a connection to where my food comes from. Little did I know what I was getting myself in to when I opened this book. It took a few chapters, but I don't think I will ever look at a living animal the same again. This book brings the reality of factory farming in to clear view. Eating meat may be a natural human instinct but eating deformed animals that can't even reproduce on their own or survive on their own is the furthest thing from natural. Eating animals that are tortured and suffered horribly beyond your worst nightmare might make you think differently next time you cook up that chicken from a factory farm. There are ways we can take part in not supporting the horrible treatment of these innocent animals. We need to support the farms that humanely treat their animals. Read this book and open your eyes to the world of processed packaged animals we call meat.

This book was an absolute life-changer. I first heard of this book when Jonathan Foer was on the Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart. I had never heard of him before but was intrigued by his book and the discussion between him and Jon Stewart. I had always been a HUGE animal lover but still ate chicken/beef/fish etc. After reading this book and watching Food INC (by a different person), I am never ever going to eat animals again. I LOVE the taste of it but my appetite is not more important than the suffering of animals. PLEASE take a look at this book. Even if you don't buy it, try to find it at your local library. I wish everyone could get their hands on this book and just read it once. Thank you Jonathan for your wonderful, eye-opening book.

We all have to eat, but the way we choose to eat and what we put in our bodies is a very powerful position to be in.
Author Safran argues the right and wrong of animal processing and what you as a consumer can do to make intelligent choices to what goes on your plate at every meal, every day. This book was very insightful and as a reader you come out with a much better understanding of what takes place to bringing food to the table rather than an after thought many of us do when we decide to eat. Highly recommended.

This book uses solidly researched facts, great prose, moving stories, and the occasional witty post-modern flourish to make it impossible to deny the implications of eating any animal. (What happens when you know that fish recognize each other as individuals and have distinct preferences and dislikes for other fish? What happens when you discover that even crabs seem to not only feel, but remember, pain?)

A little internet research reveals just how bad living conditions are for most dairy cows and almost all of the chickens who produce "free range" eggs. If you've decided to try to cut suffering in life as much as possible, it's also hard to shut out the fates of the unwanted male calves/older cows. And then there's the question of sustainability. (What happens when you realize that animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined?)

So what if you should happen to read Jonathan Safran Foer's terrific book and wind up as a vegan? Here are a few cookbook recommendations:

anything by Robin Robertson (Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World,1,000 Vegan Recipes,Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are); Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero (Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook,Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock,Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For-From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes); and Terry Walters (Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You).

Many vegans have made it off cheese with the help of Jo Stepaniak's brilliant The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes(the Parmezano Sprinkles, Crock Cheez, and Gooey Grilled Cheez" are especially great).

Others, who initially floundered a little in figuring out nutrition or how to keep their energy levels high, have done well with the information in Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet.

Of course it's impossible to avoid causing any harm (we still haven't figured out, for example, what to do about war and torture and world hunger!) But we do have a choice about what we put on our plates; we can eat in ways that release resources for those who don't have them, protect the planet, and reduce unnecessary suffering for those creatures who (unlike, say, Brussels sprouts) have nervous systems and pain avoidance mechanisms.

This book should be required reading for anyone who decides they want to eat meat during their lifetime. If you know the truth, you can make a better informed decision, and I think the problem is that people just don't know about what goes on. I found this book horrifying in some parts, and was astounded at what can and does go on when it comes to the treatment and death of animals all because we feel like eating some chicken nuggets that day. He writes in a way that is not some empty, factual, industrial exploration. It is actually interesting and he draws you in with his narrative, correctly and meaningful connecting eating meat and it's implications and influences on a human beings life, which I believe was the point of the book; Connecting what it means to eat animals with your own life. I have read Michael Pollan's book, and very much enjoyed it. But I read this book after Omnivore's Delimma, and was blown away by how much more impact and meaning it had for me than Pollan's. And while I still like his book tremendously, I see how Foer's book really made me want to 'do something'...while Pollan's just made me think about it.

Also, after reading this book, in regards to the facts and truth he reveals, it made Ominvore's Delimma feel like a high school course in factory farming. Perhaps that is because he was willing to go all the way, show us the disgusting dirty truth, because he isn't going to turn around and eat meat later. Pollan still eats meat, so I wonder if that has anything to do with how his book actually treads lightly in regards to slaughter and inhumane issues. He covers them, for sure, but not as in depth as Foer did. And that makes me curious.

Overall, I wish I could convince everyone to read this book. It is so important. Not only to animals, but to people and their environment they are choosing to destroy in the name of profit.

I was introduced to this book by a campus food activist group. They said it was a great response to Michael Pollan's 'The Omnivore's Dilemma'. Having been moved and engaged by Pollan's book, I wanted to see the 'other' side. This book doesn't specifically refute Pollan in my opinion, which isn't the author's fault (it was the campus group that claimed this). However after having read other books such as Fast Food Nation and the Omnivore's Dilemma and then having watched Food Inc., Super Size Me, etc. I just didn't find myself learning anything substantially new from this book.

On a more positive note, this book does a great job of sensitizing you to animal rights and welfare. I think its useful to read for that purpose even if you're not vegetarian(or thinking of becoming one). I did learn some disturbing information about fish farming which will certainly alter my fish eating habits.

Overall, the writing style was a bit choppy and not engaging for me. I couldn't make it through the whole book. This review is only for the first part of the book.

This book is a valued addition to my library. It has a thoroughly researched look into the future of farming animals the American way while not resorting to PETA's militant entrail-tossing methods of vegetarian conversion which are so appalling. As a vegetarian, I would feel comfortable giving this book to my meat-eating friends if they were interested to learn why I chose a vegetarian path.

Foer's book has a lighthearted beginning, getting its start by a mock-argument(albeit a well-researched one)for eating dog. This passage introduces readers to evaluate at why we as a culture eat some animals and not others. Where does our sentimentality begin and our desire for meat with every vegetable end? The book aims to open thoughts and dialog as well as provide facts of the current state of meat farming in the USA.

The importance of this book isn't the potential of converting people over to vegetarianism or veganism, but it makes a compelling argument for how imperative it is ecologically and socially to get away from the factory methods of farming currently used in nearly ALL of America's meat industries. While the book largely does focus on animal suffering under the current factory model, it also highlights facts about how factory farms keep meat prices artificially deflated, and the health impacts of workers and residents.

This book is an engaging read, supported by facts, but not drowning in footnotes. It inspired some good peaceful conversations among my omnivorous family and myself as to why I have made the choices that I have.

No one who picks up 'Eating Animals' will enjoy what they read; several people close to me have told me they're afraid to read it because they know they'd either have to change their eating habits or feel guilty when they ate.

For those whose ethics forgo efforts to emulate the ostrich, this book is a must. What we do to animals in the name of our taste buds is appalling. Also horrifying is the concept of what you're actually putting in your mouth, if you still eat meat: diseased mutant animals are the rule, not the exception.

We often wonder how those who stood nearby as injustice occured could have tolerated it; we sneer at their claims of "not knowing." If you read "Eating Animals" and fail to act - or avoid the book because you like a good burger - than you have lost your right to judge others along those lines.

Reading this riveting, distressing piece of non-fiction provided me with a "Soylent Green is people" moment I have not been able to shake since closing the book. We were already vegetarians, though we had thought it safe to buy "cage-free" eggs, not realizing that the term is a marketing ploy, not a promise of cruelty-free products (the opposite, actually). And I had no idea how truly and routinely cruel the life of a factory farmed animal is. Lifelong torture of chickens, turkeys, fish, pigs and cows is - again - the rule, not the exception.

Bravo to Jonathan Safran Foer for carrying the fight against factory farming to us in a way that makes us truly understand what a humanitarian, health and environmental horror story it is.

I've been trying to be vegetarian for a while now, and this book is what I needed. There are a number of annoying typos/misspellings throughout the book, but I still highly recommend. I think this book is an interesting read for anyone, regardless of if you are a vegetarian, contemplating going vegetarian, or an omnivore.

Imagine enjoying a pleasant picnic with a group of close friends. With a large variety of food provided--fried chicken, potato salad, fruits, biscuits, etc.-- plenty is available for even the pickiest eater. You grab a drumstick and are about to dig your teeth into its meaty flesh when suddenly, your best friend blurts out,
"You aren't really going to eat that, are you?" she asks.
And with that one, simple question, you have a choice. You could have a life changing experience, realizing that the meat you are about to consume used to be an animal that had feelings and emotions, or you could simply shrug your shoulders and continue to eat the meat without another thought.
According to Jonathan Foer, author of Eating Animals, pointing out the realities of meat-eating to as many people as possible is the ethical thing to do. And taking into account the horrors of slaughterhouses that Foer has seen firsthand, this opinion, though possibly seen as rude to many, isn't so radical. In Eating Animals, Foer offers upfront information regarding the realities that these animals face for their entire life. From the birth of these farm animals (that can occur only because of artificial insemination and genetic modification,) to their ultimate death in the slaughterhouse, the facts about the torture of farm animals are enough to make any reader stop and think about what they are eating.
Eating Animals is the perfect book for anyone who wants blunt, upfront information regarding the lives of the animals we eat. Uncensored and gruesomely honest, Foer offers the facts, hoping that you will choose the ethical decision and feel enough passion for animals to persuade others to do the same. Ultimately, Foer makes it clear through a variety of personal anecdotes, facts about slaughterhouses, and an array of first person opinions that no matter whether you decide to continue eating the fried chicken you picked up, or to choose potato salad instead, eating food is an entirely ethical decision.

With his unique voice, Foer’s account of the animal agriculture industry is excellent for those taking their first steps towards understanding the eating of animals. His accessible tone coupled with his fairly balanced overview of factory farming, animal rights, eating practices, and possible solutions serves as an engaging call to action. Eating Animals is not a traditionally academic attempt to bring clarity to animal agriculture. It bounces from one topic to another, loosely tying everything together. Yet, Foer’s work opens the door for casually concerned readers, inviting them to a feast of inquiry and reflection. Having filled them with science, philosophy, stories, and conviction, he leaves readers craving an end to cruelty and unsustainable eating.

I chose to read this book basically because I think I would read anything by Foer, after loving both of his first two novels.

It begins with Foer explaining that he has recently become a father, and giving a brief history of his family (notably, he is a practicing Jew, which plays into his personal decisions and explanations) and their eating habits, he expresses a struggle deciding basically how to bring up his son in relation to eating. Sounds silly or minuscule in importance? Bare with me.

The next chapter is an interesting comparison and bringing-to-light of the fact that pigs are startlingly similar to dogs; in personality, intelligence, 'personability,' life-span, and character. He then lays out how many breeds of dogs are just as safely, nutritiously edible as pigs, and gives examples of how many countries and people-groups throughout history (and even currently) immensely enjoyed dog as a major food. Basically, pigs could make just as good of a pet as a dog, and dogs could be just as good as food as pigs, but here's his point: We, Americans, don't see it that way do we? For some reason, dogs are the ones we've domesticated in our minds and homes, and God forbid we ever eat one, that'd be gross, inhumane, etc. Likewise, pigs are dirty, and stupid, and are fat worthless animals God intended us to just eat anyway, right? This chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Without going into too much detail or ruining things you could read for yourself, the book is basically about this: the meat industry is incredibly rich (a multi-billion dollar industry with profound government influence), and corrupt beyond belief. The book is not simply a pro-vegetarian plea, nor is it just a gross-out, shock value book trying to scare people out of eating meat. It is smart, well-researched, loaded with facts and statistics, and interviews with workers inside and out of the industry. The meat industry affects our world in far more, and far greater ways than I had ever realized.

I could go much farther into this but will leave you with a few thoughts:

I am convinced that nearly all meat comes from absolutely tortured animals who are genetic mutants brought up in disgusting and painful environments and abused throughout their lives until a (most times) excruciating death.

I am convinced that because of the antibiotics, steroids, chemicals and feed given to these animals that meat is incredibly unhealthy for us to eat (in a way that it didn't used to be).

I am however also convinced that I, as an individual, changing my diet alone, even if I were never to eat meat again for the rest of my life, would not change the industry's power one iota.

I am also convinced that becoming a fanatic and intense advocate of this would be a waste of my time and energy, as suffering animals is infinitely less important than human souls dying to an eternity without Christ, which is what I believe, in this life, is my focus and 'calling.'

I have yet to make a personal decision of where to go from here, but this is one of the most interesting books I have ever read, and I do absolutely think you should give it a shot.

Listening to the audioversion of this book was not always easy. It made me quesy to hear what animals are subjected to. Besides an expose of mans brutality, which paralells bubbis story from WW2, it laid the groundwork for the pressing matter of what we are doing to this earth, to the other inhabitants of this planet and how we plan to survive on it. Moreover it poses the question of what effect our choices of what we put on our tables have not only on the planet, the animals but on ourselves, as such horrific acts that are being comitted every day harms not only the poor animal but the person perpetrating these acts. Needless to say, after listening to this I cut my meat/fowl/fish consumption to almost nil. Besides not wanting to contribute to the cruelty towards animals - who would want to eat these conventionally produced products?!?!

Before I ever picked up this book, I had heard enough about it to know that it is life changing. After reading it, I know this to be true. I had been dabbling with vegetarianism before I read it. I had watched some of the documentaries on netflix, like hungry for change, but nothing affected me like this book did. Well researched, well written and compassionate. Foer writes in a thought provoking manner, that can't help but make you want to change your lifestyle. My husband is now terrified that I will try to get him to go vegetarian and you know what? After reading this book I will. Get it and be ready to cry and be so angry you want to explode. The truth is out there if you're prepared to open your eyes.

This is the first book review I have posted on the store. I just finished reading Eating Animals and felt I had to share my experience.

In my teens and early 20's, I was a vegetarian and even a vegan. Nothing Jonathan presented was new information to me. And yet, at some point in my 20's I became a "selective omnivore" and gradually began eating more meat. I am guilty of occasionally, no, semi-regularly, eating factory farmed meat.

This book felt like a reawakening. I have been gradually sliding down a slippery slope. I started off believing that locally raised meat is morally ok because I had talked to the person who raised the animal. But the problem is that eventually I started to believe that organic meat was ok. And then even occasionally, natural meat (which we all know is meaningless). In this way, I found his argument about the need to 'draw a line in the sand' was very compelling. It is hard to eat meat occasionally because without the cover of a fixed rule, there are just too many times when an exception seems appropriate.

The fact is, I am ashamed at my complacency over these last ten years. I have a young son too, and when he asks me someday what I did when I learned what people do to factory farmed animals, I want to look him in the eye and say that I stopped eating them.

I also think that Jonathan makes an essential point that being a vegetarian is not enough. We cannot sit quietly by as animals are tortured and feel good about our own decision not to eat them. As a teenager, I spoke out about this issue, even when it made my friends and family uncomfortable. I want to do more than be a vegetarian. I guess this post is my first step.

Jonathan is smart and profound and he articulates complex moral dilemmas in a refreshingly simple way. I agree with all the other reviewers that Jonathan is not preachy and his book is approachable and interesting. His notes are meticulously presented and, although I wish that some of the stories he tells were made up, I believe they were all absolutely truthful. This is a must read book for everyone. I hope you will give it a try.

I've been a vegetarian for about 16 years so I went into this book thinking, "I've heard it all before." I loved Foer's other books though, so I figured even if I was being told information I'd heard before, I would still like it. I was definitely wrong.

Foer presented a case for vegetarianism (though, he provides that this was not his goal) and/or ethical eating that was new to me. He doesn't rely on the traditional methods such as detailing the violence experienced by farmed animals, though the book does not lack in descriptions of it. More, he tells the story of "farms" through an ecological lens, detailing how factory farming affects humans in more ways than just digesting in their stomachs. There was a lot of information new to me such as the amount of antibiotics forced upon animals (17.5 million pounds annually) compared to the amount used by humans (3 million pounds annually), the fact that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the agriculture industry is 40% higher than the entire transportation sector, and the root causes of pandemic viruses. Very eye opening! If I were not already a vegetarian, I definitely would be one after reading this book!

Overall, I loved that this book did not push anything in your face and he spoke so warmly about the traditional farmers he met along the way. I appreciated that this was his personal story he was sharing and not an attempt to sway public opinion; as a vegetarian, I'm often accused of trying to convince others to give up meat just by my very existence. I'm very persistent in saying that vegetarianism is a personal choice. Do I think more people should give up meat? Of course. Is that my choice to make? No. This book uses this premise to tell its story, making it informative without being aggressive. I think non-vegetarians will not be threatened by it, allowing them to be informed and thus make better decisions about how and what to eat.

This is an excellent book. I just read the review in the New York Times and was disappointed by the last paragraph which stated that readers wondered how Foer could expend so much energy and caring on the fate of pigs and chickens when he should be more concerned
about the death of 1 million children caused by malaria, and atrocities in the Congo caused by conflicts.
This argument implies that:
1. we should not be humane towards animals while malaria exists,
2. as soon as malaria is cured, then we can take care of animals. Yeh, right, like that ever happened after we eradicated any disease....
3. And just when have we ever ended a war somewhere and then moved on to help the animals who suffered there?
It's a cheap argument... and unfortunately, one which is commonly used. Isaac Bashevis Singer said that for animals, every day was an Auschwitz.
The pain of animals is as real as the pain of people. So why does it drive some people mad when we compare the two?
Why don't they use that anger to fight against all suffering...
We have only one heart. It's the same heart which we use to help people, as well as animals. When will people stop repeating that we cannot do one until we have settled the other? And isn't that a catch 22? People hurt animals yet we should not help animals until we have helped every person.....

This book is extremely profound. My husband has read Jonathan's fiction novels and enjoyed his style of writing. He came home with this book as a gift for me since he knows I like to have a connection to where my food comes from. Little did I know what I was getting myself in to when I opened this book. It took a few chapters, but I don't think I will ever look at a living animal the same again. This book brings the reality of factory farming in to clear view. Eating meat may be a natural human instinct but eating deformed animals that can't even reproduce on their own or survive on their own is the furthest thing from natural. Eating animals that are tortured and suffered horribly beyond your worst nightmare might make you think differently next time you cook up that chicken from a factory farm. There are ways we can take part in not supporting the horrible treatment of these innocent animals. We need to support the farms that humanely treat their animals. Read this book and open your eyes to the world of processed packaged animals we call meat.

This book was an absolute life-changer. I first heard of this book when Jonathan Foer was on the Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart. I had never heard of him before but was intrigued by his book and the discussion between him and Jon Stewart. I had always been a HUGE animal lover but still ate chicken/beef/fish etc. After reading this book and watching Food INC (by a different person), I am never ever going to eat animals again. I LOVE the taste of it but my appetite is not more important than the suffering of animals. PLEASE take a look at this book. Even if you don't buy it, try to find it at your local library. I wish everyone could get their hands on this book and just read it once. Thank you Jonathan for your wonderful, eye-opening book.

We all have to eat, but the way we choose to eat and what we put in our bodies is a very powerful position to be in.
Author Safran argues the right and wrong of animal processing and what you as a consumer can do to make intelligent choices to what goes on your plate at every meal, every day. This book was very insightful and as a reader you come out with a much better understanding of what takes place to bringing food to the table rather than an after thought many of us do when we decide to eat. Highly recommended.

This book uses solidly researched facts, great prose, moving stories, and the occasional witty post-modern flourish to make it impossible to deny the implications of eating any animal. (What happens when you know that fish recognize each other as individuals and have distinct preferences and dislikes for other fish? What happens when you discover that even crabs seem to not only feel, but remember, pain?)

A little internet research reveals just how bad living conditions are for most dairy cows and almost all of the chickens who produce "free range" eggs. If you've decided to try to cut suffering in life as much as possible, it's also hard to shut out the fates of the unwanted male calves/older cows. And then there's the question of sustainability. (What happens when you realize that animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined?)

So what if you should happen to read Jonathan Safran Foer's terrific book and wind up as a vegan? Here are a few cookbook recommendations:

anything by Robin Robertson (Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World,1,000 Vegan Recipes,Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are); Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero (Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook,Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock,Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For-From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes); and Terry Walters (Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You).

Many vegans have made it off cheese with the help of Jo Stepaniak's brilliant The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes(the Parmezano Sprinkles, Crock Cheez, and Gooey Grilled Cheez" are especially great).

Others, who initially floundered a little in figuring out nutrition or how to keep their energy levels high, have done well with the information in Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet.

Of course it's impossible to avoid causing any harm (we still haven't figured out, for example, what to do about war and torture and world hunger!) But we do have a choice about what we put on our plates; we can eat in ways that release resources for those who don't have them, protect the planet, and reduce unnecessary suffering for those creatures who (unlike, say, Brussels sprouts) have nervous systems and pain avoidance mechanisms.

This book should be required reading for anyone who decides they want to eat meat during their lifetime. If you know the truth, you can make a better informed decision, and I think the problem is that people just don't know about what goes on. I found this book horrifying in some parts, and was astounded at what can and does go on when it comes to the treatment and death of animals all because we feel like eating some chicken nuggets that day. He writes in a way that is not some empty, factual, industrial exploration. It is actually interesting and he draws you in with his narrative, correctly and meaningful connecting eating meat and it's implications and influences on a human beings life, which I believe was the point of the book; Connecting what it means to eat animals with your own life. I have read Michael Pollan's book, and very much enjoyed it. But I read this book after Omnivore's Delimma, and was blown away by how much more impact and meaning it had for me than Pollan's. And while I still like his book tremendously, I see how Foer's book really made me want to 'do something'...while Pollan's just made me think about it.

Also, after reading this book, in regards to the facts and truth he reveals, it made Ominvore's Delimma feel like a high school course in factory farming. Perhaps that is because he was willing to go all the way, show us the disgusting dirty truth, because he isn't going to turn around and eat meat later. Pollan still eats meat, so I wonder if that has anything to do with how his book actually treads lightly in regards to slaughter and inhumane issues. He covers them, for sure, but not as in depth as Foer did. And that makes me curious.

Overall, I wish I could convince everyone to read this book. It is so important. Not only to animals, but to people and their environment they are choosing to destroy in the name of profit.

I was introduced to this book by a campus food activist group. They said it was a great response to Michael Pollan's 'The Omnivore's Dilemma'. Having been moved and engaged by Pollan's book, I wanted to see the 'other' side. This book doesn't specifically refute Pollan in my opinion, which isn't the author's fault (it was the campus group that claimed this). However after having read other books such as Fast Food Nation and the Omnivore's Dilemma and then having watched Food Inc., Super Size Me, etc. I just didn't find myself learning anything substantially new from this book.

On a more positive note, this book does a great job of sensitizing you to animal rights and welfare. I think its useful to read for that purpose even if you're not vegetarian(or thinking of becoming one). I did learn some disturbing information about fish farming which will certainly alter my fish eating habits.

Overall, the writing style was a bit choppy and not engaging for me. I couldn't make it through the whole book. This review is only for the first part of the book.

This book is a valued addition to my library. It has a thoroughly researched look into the future of farming animals the American way while not resorting to PETA's militant entrail-tossing methods of vegetarian conversion which are so appalling. As a vegetarian, I would feel comfortable giving this book to my meat-eating friends if they were interested to learn why I chose a vegetarian path.

Foer's book has a lighthearted beginning, getting its start by a mock-argument(albeit a well-researched one)for eating dog. This passage introduces readers to evaluate at why we as a culture eat some animals and not others. Where does our sentimentality begin and our desire for meat with every vegetable end? The book aims to open thoughts and dialog as well as provide facts of the current state of meat farming in the USA.

The importance of this book isn't the potential of converting people over to vegetarianism or veganism, but it makes a compelling argument for how imperative it is ecologically and socially to get away from the factory methods of farming currently used in nearly ALL of America's meat industries. While the book largely does focus on animal suffering under the current factory model, it also highlights facts about how factory farms keep meat prices artificially deflated, and the health impacts of workers and residents.

This book is an engaging read, supported by facts, but not drowning in footnotes. It inspired some good peaceful conversations among my omnivorous family and myself as to why I have made the choices that I have.

No one who picks up 'Eating Animals' will enjoy what they read; several people close to me have told me they're afraid to read it because they know they'd either have to change their eating habits or feel guilty when they ate.

For those whose ethics forgo efforts to emulate the ostrich, this book is a must. What we do to animals in the name of our taste buds is appalling. Also horrifying is the concept of what you're actually putting in your mouth, if you still eat meat: diseased mutant animals are the rule, not the exception.

We often wonder how those who stood nearby as injustice occured could have tolerated it; we sneer at their claims of "not knowing." If you read "Eating Animals" and fail to act - or avoid the book because you like a good burger - than you have lost your right to judge others along those lines.

Reading this riveting, distressing piece of non-fiction provided me with a "Soylent Green is people" moment I have not been able to shake since closing the book. We were already vegetarians, though we had thought it safe to buy "cage-free" eggs, not realizing that the term is a marketing ploy, not a promise of cruelty-free products (the opposite, actually). And I had no idea how truly and routinely cruel the life of a factory farmed animal is. Lifelong torture of chickens, turkeys, fish, pigs and cows is - again - the rule, not the exception.

Bravo to Jonathan Safran Foer for carrying the fight against factory farming to us in a way that makes us truly understand what a humanitarian, health and environmental horror story it is.

I've been trying to be vegetarian for a while now, and this book is what I needed. There are a number of annoying typos/misspellings throughout the book, but I still highly recommend. I think this book is an interesting read for anyone, regardless of if you are a vegetarian, contemplating going vegetarian, or an omnivore.

Imagine enjoying a pleasant picnic with a group of close friends. With a large variety of food provided--fried chicken, potato salad, fruits, biscuits, etc.-- plenty is available for even the pickiest eater. You grab a drumstick and are about to dig your teeth into its meaty flesh when suddenly, your best friend blurts out,
"You aren't really going to eat that, are you?" she asks.
And with that one, simple question, you have a choice. You could have a life changing experience, realizing that the meat you are about to consume used to be an animal that had feelings and emotions, or you could simply shrug your shoulders and continue to eat the meat without another thought.
According to Jonathan Foer, author of Eating Animals, pointing out the realities of meat-eating to as many people as possible is the ethical thing to do. And taking into account the horrors of slaughterhouses that Foer has seen firsthand, this opinion, though possibly seen as rude to many, isn't so radical. In Eating Animals, Foer offers upfront information regarding the realities that these animals face for their entire life. From the birth of these farm animals (that can occur only because of artificial insemination and genetic modification,) to their ultimate death in the slaughterhouse, the facts about the torture of farm animals are enough to make any reader stop and think about what they are eating.
Eating Animals is the perfect book for anyone who wants blunt, upfront information regarding the lives of the animals we eat. Uncensored and gruesomely honest, Foer offers the facts, hoping that you will choose the ethical decision and feel enough passion for animals to persuade others to do the same. Ultimately, Foer makes it clear through a variety of personal anecdotes, facts about slaughterhouses, and an array of first person opinions that no matter whether you decide to continue eating the fried chicken you picked up, or to choose potato salad instead, eating food is an entirely ethical decision.

With his unique voice, Foer’s account of the animal agriculture industry is excellent for those taking their first steps towards understanding the eating of animals. His accessible tone coupled with his fairly balanced overview of factory farming, animal rights, eating practices, and possible solutions serves as an engaging call to action. Eating Animals is not a traditionally academic attempt to bring clarity to animal agriculture. It bounces from one topic to another, loosely tying everything together. Yet, Foer’s work opens the door for casually concerned readers, inviting them to a feast of inquiry and reflection. Having filled them with science, philosophy, stories, and conviction, he leaves readers craving an end to cruelty and unsustainable eating.

I became a vegetarian as a young child out of a black and white moral view of the world - causing pain was bad and how could eating an animal not be bad? I have recently been questioning whether or not eating eat was right for me. I no longer believe that animals straight up should never die to be eaten. After all, everything dies. But there are still the moral questions of whether or not they should die for human consumption when we can fairly easily survive eating things other than meat. And of course the environmental impact of raising so many animals for the increasing human population. Of course I think about the question of how these animals are raised and if it is in complete misery then of course I think they shouldn't be alive at all - afterall, most everyone believes in humane euthanasia. After struggling with these questions among others I bought "Eating Animals" on a whim at an airport one day and I am so glad I did. Jonathan Foer intelligently discusses (from a lay person's point of view) the moral dilemmas that arise from eating meat and whether or not they should stop us from doing so. The book provided me with researched answers to the questions I had been wondering about myself for some time. I thought this book was great and highly recommend it to anyone who just doesn't really know on which side of the fence they should fall.

This is a startling book from a talented author. We shall see in which direction the world goes as more and more people see the environmental and economic impact of eating just veggies, or just grains, or just fish from the sea or animals from the land. Can the earth can support "all organic" gardening/farming? If pesticides, herbicides, and engineered seed can triple or quadruple yields (and feed four times as many people), how do we balance organic and green farming with population growth?

My wife recommended this book to me. At the outset, I was skeptical of his reasons for not eating meat, and outright scoffed at the notion that we shouldn't eat meat because of the unethical way that we treat animals. When I was done with the book, I came to the conclusion that the way we treat animals is perhaps the best reason to avoid meat. I am not a vegetarian, but I eat a lot less meat now, and I try to look for meats that come from farms that treat the animals appropriately. Seemed like a silly notion before I read the book . . . .

The rise in consumer awareness of what we eat is to be encouraged and celebrated. In this book Jonathan Safran Foer presents his personal journey through the US meat industry. The vivid pictures he paints of farms and slaughter houses are deeply disturbing and depressing, although, perhaps most sadly of all, not surprising.

The author calls upon witnesses from all corners of the industry who hold a broad spectrum of views. These observers, disarming in their honesty, provide humor, pathos and add depth of feeling to a subject most of us would frankly rather ignore. The book is well written, moving the reader deftly from the traditions of his grandmother's kitchen to sadism in the modern slaughterhouse.

On occasion, Safran Foer references The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan which covers aspects of the same subject. These are critical in nature and unfortunately not always strictly relevant or necessary, somewhat diminishing the force of Safran Foer's arguments.

More problematically, however, Safran Foer fails to take his arguments to their logical conclusion: he advocates vegetarianism due to the tragic life and death of nearly all animals in the meat industry. Many points he raises (admittedly not all, but the author repeatedly tries to avoid drawing arbitrary lines) apply equally to the dairy and egg-laying industries. Therefore, veganism would be the most ethically coherent rejection of this system. However, one suspects that a call to veganism would not resonate nearly as much with the book-buying public.

This last point notwithstanding, knowledge of what we eat and what it means to us both personally and globally is to be strived for: "Eating Animals" is thought-provoking and a worthy addition to the body of work assessing the modern food industry.

. . . in terms of becoming a classic commentary on animals, factory farming, and the complex systems that have brought us to this point in our culture.

This is a fantastic book. It's eminently readable, completely heartbreaking, and painstakingly researched. I'm already a committed vegan, so this book is not going to change how I feel about meat, but still, a lot of the information in it is new and will help me to get this compelling message across.

Anyone who has given this a one or two star review either does not like the message or the messenger, but what's in the book is true, it's important, and I believe one of the moral imperatives of our time. We are lucky to have such a passionate and articulate spokesman.

I normally don't make product reviews but was so affected by this book that I felt compelled to add my review. I am a life long vegetarian so always had a "clear conscience" about my food choices. However, reading this book has forced me to eliminate eggs from my diet as well...It is impossible to turn your head to the terrifying reality of what factory farming is doing to our bodies, our environment, and gentle, defenseless animals.

Do not turn your head the other way - read this book - it will change your life.

The buzz about this book was so incredible I had to get my hands on an advanced copy. The book is like nothing else ever written on the food industry. It reads like a novel, is funny, incredibly well documented, and lets factory farmers and animal activists speak in their own words. I've read a lot of books on the food industry and this is by far the best. It makes other writers, even Michael Pollan, look a bit timid. Foer never preaches. He shares his own beliefs and asks us to live by our own standards, not his. Foer reveals a lot of personal information here and, since this is his first nonfiction book, it its especially interesting for readers of his previous books to see some of the fact behind his fiction. The material about his grandmother and how she survived the holocaust is really powerful. The stuff about his dog George (Foer makes a mock case for eating dogs) is hilarious. His storytelling is so compelling that you hardly realize how much information he's conveying (there are 60 pages of notes documenting his sources, but the text itself is uncluttered by footnotes). Another unique thing about this book is that Foer actually sneaks into a factory farm in the middle of the night... Eating Animals is a serious book that could change the way you live. But what's most impressive about it is that it is also fun to read, which is exactly what we need on a hot button topic like the contemporary food industry.

Foer's blending of his personal story and connection to food with facts and testimonials helps to make this not just a book that spews facts about factory farming but a book that helps the reader in analyzing their own personal connection to the food they choose to eat

In `Eating Animals' Jonathan Safran Foer analyzes the current state of agribusiness and advocates a vegetarian diet. He uses personal narratives of his family, farms, and society to explain why "factory farming" is wrong. Although interesting, the book falls far short of proving why vegetarianism is the "right" choice.

Foer openly declares he began his research expecting to advance vegetarianism. He uses analogies between pets and farm animals. Though he can't explain why we love dogs we should give other animals the same humane treatment. Here's the problem: Foer never explains why animals should be treated humanely and what distinctions should be given between animals. Whenever confronted with hard rules he shies away from the question with, "I don't know..." Most of his musings sounds like half-baked thought experiments rather than rigorous philosophy.

Where Foer hits the mark is when he talks about agribusiness and global warming. Raised animals, overwhelmingly factory farmed, are the largest cause of global warming. This wouldn't be such a problem if people paid the true cost of their meat. The problem is agribusiness is heavily subsidized by the gov't and causes massive pollution. The cost to producers, and price for consumers, has been externalized. The price of meat no longer reflects its true societal cost and a deadweightloss occurs. We need to reform agribusiness.

Yet Foer is unwilling to compromise. If meat cannot be made outside of agribusiness no one should eat it (allusions to the holocaust are omniprevalent.) This notion is absurd. Factory farming is clearly a more efficient system of production. Should the price of meat increase to internalize the true cost of production? Yes, the price of meat should be 2-3X the current cost (or more.) However, that doesn't mean the system should be abandoned. By abandoning agribusiness the price of meat will become astronomical and vegetarianism will become a financial necessity for most people.

Foer's analysis is intriguing but completely unrealistic. He needs to review his assumptions before enforcing such a significant sacrifice on the vast majority.

This is tough stuff. It is by no means easy to read about the cruelty that is inflicted on animals within food factories. And as hard as it is to read about, it's important that this information be made public, and something is done about it. The book is presented in a somewhat unconventional structure, and the most compelling section is the story of going undercover into the factory. Strong research.
The section on turkeys right before Thanksgiving was devastating. The part that hit me hardest was the sadism of some of the workers, particularly with pigs.
On another note: Foer starts the book with the words "When I was young..." which was interesting, because, in many eyes, he's Still young. Not that that means anything in the case of the book-- it just seemed an interesting comment, especially from someone lambasted in the past for "being young."
That aside: the book is recommended. Although there are some funny moments, some is really hard to 'look at'. but hopefully it will help to change people's behavior and buying habits with food (even if you don't go vegetarian, but can be aware of who and what you're supporting), and help change a most important and often overlooked avenue of industry, life, and suffering.

This book reads extremely well, but is not always a fun read. Foer's research on the abuse and cruelty in the factory farm is eye-opening, shocking, and highly disturbing. It is also critical that his message reaches the popular masses. How much longer can we, as a society, continue abusing animals? Moreover, how much longer until we change the inefficient and wasteful factory farm? We cannot deny this massive elephant in the room any longer. I hope other readers see it with the glaring spotlight Foer shines on it and we can create change.

I read pollan's book and appreciated the insight and research into what it takes to get food on our plates. But foer does a better job inspiring change, giving reasonable rationale for his dietary choices. One has to wonder if it was an easier decision for him being Jewish and growing up knowing what kosher means. I think that's the cog in the vegan movement machine - modeling ethical behavior for the next generation. If your kids see you do it, see your ease at doing it, hear your reasons for doing it, they are more informed and therefore can accept it easier. It will not be an irrational behavior.
Well done.

Great book as to why vegetarianism is absolutely necessary in this day and age! Jonathan Safran Foer does a good job of statistics that are impactful but not too heavy handed. More importantly though, he provides the emotional appeal for this information to really stick. He does a great job of showing the humanity (or lack thereof) behind our current situation!

I've read & respected both Michael Pollen & Barbara Kingsolver's books & thought this book might just rehash what I already knew, not so! The author touches on other important issues such as antibiotic resistance/new pathogens emerging & the global significance of meat consumption. He fairly explores both side of the issues. I've always been interested in animal welfare (as well as my own) & was surprised how much this book has already changed my life.

It is slowly becoming common knowledge that factory farming is disgusting and pathetic from start to finish. But most people continue to eat factory-farmed meat. Before reading this book, I knew, at an intellectual level, that factory farming was inhumane in the most extreme sense of the word, but I also continued to eat factory-farmed meat, uncomfortably managing to put some psychological distance between myself and the animal nightmare that I was helping to sustain. This book is ideal for people like me, people who are at least somewhat familiar with the facts, but haven't completely internalized them at an emotional level. Committed meat-eaters will probably find Foer sanctimonious and use this perceived sanctimoniousness as an excuse to avoid thinking further about the "unpleasant" realities of factory farming. And people who are already committed vegans for ethical reasons will probably not find anything in this book that they didn't already know or feel. But to those of you who are on the fence about eating factory-farmed meat, this book is for you. Buy it, read it, talk about it, and give it to others on the fence who need a nudge in the right direction.

This is not a call for vegetarian lifestyle, but rather an attempt to open the eyes of the reader to the unhealthy practices and unethical treatments of animals in the meat industry. Even omnivores such as myself can walk away from this with a better knowledge and understanding of how to make choices that are healthier for myself and my family in terms of food choices and cooking. The biggest lesson here is to eat local, fresh, and organic whenever possible.

Eating Animals was first written in 2009 by Jonathan Safran Foer. It was his third novel and extremely successful. Foer's motivation to uncover the truth about meat is commendable and puts his work above the peachiness of novels that are more "anti-meat" and pushing the vegetarian realm. In Storytelling, when Foer first mentions that his book is not a classic vegetarian novel. The reader is left with the question "well, then what is it?" and this drives the reader forward through the novel's first chapter to uncover this mystery. Foer emphasizes a deep-rooted point that has been mentioned in other material throughout the semester. This point focuses on advocating a philosophy or belief through the food that we eat. Forks over Knives emphasizes the individual health benefits and political realm of each bite of food, while Fast Food Nation says the people have the opportunity to vote with their forks. However, Foer is unique in the sense that he pushes morality over other material that has been covered thus far. He states "not responding is a response--we are equally responsible for what we don't do. In the case of animal slaughter, to throw your hands in the air is to wrap your fingers around a knife handle." However, throughout the novel his tone is personal, relatable and less than preachy. He covers some of the biggest problems right off the bat - waste management, superbugs, and animal suffering.
One of the ways he accomplishes this tone is through storytelling rather than blatant regurgitation of facts. In one section, he blatantly exposes the animal associated waste problem. He talks about the holding ponds or "lagoons" that hold excrement and compares it to humans, saying the CAFO situation was as "if every man, woman, and child in every city and town in all of California and Texas crapped and pissed in a huge open-air pit...all year round." America is drowning in feces. It is paying a high toll for the animals that are eaten. The lack of a basic large scale animal sanitation system is compromising our own systems. The blow is only made worse by Foer's news of the EPA reporting over thirty-five thousand miles of waterways contaminated by this inadequacy, and essentially driven by our insatiable indifference for meat. Through this excerpts language and tone alone, Foer highlights his role as a messenger and concerned friend. He tells the story as a neighbor would tell a neighbor. A politician would not say pissed or crapped, but the reader welcomes the honesty behind the message, an honesty that has not been expressed by the news, government, or food organizations. No wonder Foer decided to write a book about the findings of as a concerned father, the results are horrifying.
While he covers excrement in great detail, Foer brings it a step further with his story focusing on the molecular biology and pharmaceuticals of agriculture. While this was touched on in some detail in other course material, Foer highlights the scope of animal's antibiotic demand. Livestock demand nine times more antibiotics than humans, twenty-eight million pounds versus three million pounds. No wonder America is experiencing high rates of superbugs. It is almost as if we are purposefully breeding them though our animal system. He talks about how the case of fluoroquinolone use in chickens opened a can of worms that has led to fluoroquinolone resistance. What is the most frustrating part of all this? The fact that we have the evidence and the tools for change, yet inaction overwhelms. America's animal consumption system is broken, but it does not seem broken enough to initiate national dramatic change. What has to happen before the government and corporations decided to do something about this crisis? Does an animal-based flu epidemic have to come around and wipe out thousands of innocent people? Does a majority of the waterways have to become contaminated? If there was a number or percentage that could predict when an issue was deemed "important enough" for action, it would be nice to know it.
Foer's moral emphasis on suffering was what really made his book stand out from Fast Food Nation, Omnivore's Dilemma, Diet for a Hot Planet, and others. His focus is strong, the message clear. Either you don't eat meat, or you support a lot of animal pain and suffering. He offers little wiggle room. It seems that this fierce (however unobtrusively delivered) stance, is what causes him to make Michael Pollan an antagonist in the book, right alongside corporate giants Tyson and Smithfield. Michael Pollan's view is mild in the sense that he qualifies eating meat. He believes, like many others, that if a farmer has raised a chicken in an ethical manner, than the act of eating the animal is the natural order of the food chain. This is a view I have held for most of my life. Why? It is easy and it assuages our conscience enough to make eating meat acceptable. Foer brings to light an interesting point in terms of sustainable meat farms, like Frank Reese's turkey farm. He promotes the work of this miniscule one percent of the meat industry, however with everything he says Foer goes against all meat consumption. Therefore, it is interesting to note the difficulty that these "ethical" meat farms face. On one hand there are huge corporate farms appealing to the indifference of the masses, on the other there is an extremely conscientious and ethical way of living that argues a vegetarian diet. It seems that the vegan and vegetarian movements are the extreme side of a debate that has little room for the middle man. He is somewhat contradictory when he states in reference to Frank's heritage turkey farm "my wager [is] on a vegetarian diet...and [I] support their kind of farming." It is not the best solution since small farms like Frank's could in no way replace the commercial system now instilled. Plus, how are the meat factories going to become more sustainable if most of the people who would otherwise stand up for animals are not eating meat at all? This applicable to the real world situation is where I think Michael Pollan's view has some traction.
The moral component of Foer's book showcases two situations. The section where Foer proposes eating dogs as a sustainable meat source provides compelling moral ground against all meat consumption. He writes "no reader of this book would tolerate someone swinging a pickax at a dog's face." This imagery makes the connection between the animals a family knows and loves and the animals that are hidden in the food system. It is not hard to realize that the people and animals that humans form a connection with on daily basis are those that are treated with morality and care. Someone could form the parallel between our families and people dying from AIDS in third world countries. If those afflicted people were in the backyard or living nearby, they suddenly become real and demand a better treatment. This same situation applies to animals. Thereby, it is extremely affective for Foer to take what is familiar to the typical American and then to inject the meat industry's morality (or lack thereof). He highlights that it is indifference that drives the meat industry. American society is okay to have its dirty work done by others in order to keep the personal conscience clean. Why do we treat our pets with such care and love but not our meat sources? Foer does a good job of emphasizing the point that is not in the way we raise our meat but in the end result. Our choices need to be about what actually happens to the animal. His connection between household pets and cows makes me realize the severity of our moral decisions regarding meat consumption. The reality that cows are bled, dismembered, and skinned while conscious is inexcusable.
Foer goes into detail about the conditions and execution of pigs, fish, and cows. There is a complete lack of respect and morality that follows them into death. The section where Foer sneaks into a California turkey farm with the animal rights activist reveals these conditions. This tale-telling section is one of the most important parts of the book in terms of Foer's relationship with his readers. In this section, Foer gives readers something that most news sources lack. He reveals truth. He puts the reader and himself on the same side of the divide and draws the line. I like that Foer also is able to connect the choice of the non-meat eater to the common suggestion that vegetarianism reflects an ultimate sentimentality or child-like innocence. When he brings up the two friends ordering lunch, this does a good job demonstrating that the non-meat eater is actually portraying a responsibility to his planet and the environment that the meat eater disregards on impulse. This made me see vegetarians in a new light and with more respect.
One unique aspect of Foer's novel is choice that he has made regarding his format in presenting the situation. In a way, he talks about very serious issues yet brings to the table a fun and playful attitude with them. This is appealing to the readers in the sense that no one wants to be depressed or made to feel guilty. They want an entertaining trustful friend to lay down the views. Foer accomplishes that with his story-telling and constantly shifting writing style. I think it is interesting that Foer never talks about dairy and eggs as part of his animal-advocate stance. It seems that would be an important topic in talking about the ethics of animal treatment, as it happens that many animals are made to produce milk their whole lives by being made consistently pregnant.
Foer's heart is in the right place with this novel. He seeks to be a good father for his children and to reveal some aspects of the agricultural world. I like that he ends with a turkey-less Thanksgiving and brings it all back to the theme with his grandmother. The story that she was able to survive of the scrapes of others in Europe is an extremely compelling way to start and end the novel. Foer's stance that we are defined by what we are willing to do without is important but I do not know if it includes many things. What is the willingness to exercise on a daily basis? That is not the action of doing without something but rather adopting a new behavior. I would argue 'doing without' is in fact taking action--one of the most powerful ones that a person of affluence in a western society can accomplish. I feel a major emphasize of this course is our willingness to abstain from excess and live towards a simple more earth-friendly way of living through our daily actions. It is indeed an exciting journey that Foer has helped through his contribution, Eating Animals.

Eating Animals is an excellent book for those who are curious about our food system and it's sustainability. Foer presents a solid condemnation of factory farms from a moral and environmental perspective.

Foer appeals to a moral sensibility throughout the entire book, which I felt uncompelled by. However, he never points out that even vegetarianism can support animal cruelty and even factory farming, through the purchase of eggs and dairy products.

I find this particularly frustrating because throughout the book Foer weighs the attrocities of factory farming with the reader's desire to eat meat. Meat is easy to see, and easy to refuse. There are usually obvious vegetarian options available, but what about butter, milk or eggs. In most cases, animals had to suffer to produce those too, but Foer never once assesses the difficulties of being vegan. It's not easy to know whether something has been cooked with dairy. It's not obvious, and that makes dining with others hugely difficult.

The other reason this ommission infuriates me is that Foer acts as though, by being vegetarian, he has spared himself any moral responsibility for animal cruelty.

Other than that, this book is great. It's a fast read and very informative. I highly recommend it.

A great book detailing the ugly truths about the factory farming of animals-chickens, pigs, cattle, and fish. He doesn't overtly push vegetarianism, which he now practices, but does explain why he believes in it near the end of the book. This book is one that has definitely make me think twice about eating animals and animal products.

A well balanced read with great insight, although it was tough to read the animal cruelty parts.
We need to be more aware of factory farming and this book did a good job shedding light on this despicable issue.

The amazing thing about this book is the fact that it's such an open discussion of the subject. It is anything but a lecture on how the author believes people should live or behave. Jonathan Safran Foer includes interviews of people on all sides of the issue to give a well-rounded view to the reader. It is a juicy, surprising, and eye-opening read. I would recommend it to anyone - carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore.

I enjoyed reading this eyeopening book. Reading "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer has made think twice of what I am (really) eating. Due to the name of the title, I thought this book was written to convert "carnivores" into vegetarians. Do not judge the book by its cover. This book was not written to convert people into vegetarians. It was written to educate us on how our food produced by factory farms has negatively affected our environment, humans, and animals. I read this book for my English 3 class.

. . . in terms of becoming a classic commentary on animals, factory farming, and the complex systems that have brought us to this point in our culture.

This is a fantastic book. It's eminently readable, completely heartbreaking, and painstakingly researched. I'm already a committed vegan, so this book is not going to change how I feel about meat, but still, a lot of the information in it is new and will help me to get this compelling message across.

Anyone who has given this a one or two star review either does not like the message or the messenger, but what's in the book is true, it's important, and I believe one of the moral imperatives of our time. We are lucky to have such a passionate and articulate spokesman.

I normally don't make product reviews but was so affected by this book that I felt compelled to add my review. I am a life long vegetarian so always had a "clear conscience" about my food choices. However, reading this book has forced me to eliminate eggs from my diet as well...It is impossible to turn your head to the terrifying reality of what factory farming is doing to our bodies, our environment, and gentle, defenseless animals.

Do not turn your head the other way - read this book - it will change your life.

The buzz about this book was so incredible I had to get my hands on an advanced copy. The book is like nothing else ever written on the food industry. It reads like a novel, is funny, incredibly well documented, and lets factory farmers and animal activists speak in their own words. I've read a lot of books on the food industry and this is by far the best. It makes other writers, even Michael Pollan, look a bit timid. Foer never preaches. He shares his own beliefs and asks us to live by our own standards, not his. Foer reveals a lot of personal information here and, since this is his first nonfiction book, it its especially interesting for readers of his previous books to see some of the fact behind his fiction. The material about his grandmother and how she survived the holocaust is really powerful. The stuff about his dog George (Foer makes a mock case for eating dogs) is hilarious. His storytelling is so compelling that you hardly realize how much information he's conveying (there are 60 pages of notes documenting his sources, but the text itself is uncluttered by footnotes). Another unique thing about this book is that Foer actually sneaks into a factory farm in the middle of the night... Eating Animals is a serious book that could change the way you live. But what's most impressive about it is that it is also fun to read, which is exactly what we need on a hot button topic like the contemporary food industry.

Foer's blending of his personal story and connection to food with facts and testimonials helps to make this not just a book that spews facts about factory farming but a book that helps the reader in analyzing their own personal connection to the food they choose to eat

In `Eating Animals' Jonathan Safran Foer analyzes the current state of agribusiness and advocates a vegetarian diet. He uses personal narratives of his family, farms, and society to explain why "factory farming" is wrong. Although interesting, the book falls far short of proving why vegetarianism is the "right" choice.

Foer openly declares he began his research expecting to advance vegetarianism. He uses analogies between pets and farm animals. Though he can't explain why we love dogs we should give other animals the same humane treatment. Here's the problem: Foer never explains why animals should be treated humanely and what distinctions should be given between animals. Whenever confronted with hard rules he shies away from the question with, "I don't know..." Most of his musings sounds like half-baked thought experiments rather than rigorous philosophy.

Where Foer hits the mark is when he talks about agribusiness and global warming. Raised animals, overwhelmingly factory farmed, are the largest cause of global warming. This wouldn't be such a problem if people paid the true cost of their meat. The problem is agribusiness is heavily subsidized by the gov't and causes massive pollution. The cost to producers, and price for consumers, has been externalized. The price of meat no longer reflects its true societal cost and a deadweightloss occurs. We need to reform agribusiness.

Yet Foer is unwilling to compromise. If meat cannot be made outside of agribusiness no one should eat it (allusions to the holocaust are omniprevalent.) This notion is absurd. Factory farming is clearly a more efficient system of production. Should the price of meat increase to internalize the true cost of production? Yes, the price of meat should be 2-3X the current cost (or more.) However, that doesn't mean the system should be abandoned. By abandoning agribusiness the price of meat will become astronomical and vegetarianism will become a financial necessity for most people.

Foer's analysis is intriguing but completely unrealistic. He needs to review his assumptions before enforcing such a significant sacrifice on the vast majority.

This is tough stuff. It is by no means easy to read about the cruelty that is inflicted on animals within food factories. And as hard as it is to read about, it's important that this information be made public, and something is done about it. The book is presented in a somewhat unconventional structure, and the most compelling section is the story of going undercover into the factory. Strong research.
The section on turkeys right before Thanksgiving was devastating. The part that hit me hardest was the sadism of some of the workers, particularly with pigs.
On another note: Foer starts the book with the words "When I was young..." which was interesting, because, in many eyes, he's Still young. Not that that means anything in the case of the book-- it just seemed an interesting comment, especially from someone lambasted in the past for "being young."
That aside: the book is recommended. Although there are some funny moments, some is really hard to 'look at'. but hopefully it will help to change people's behavior and buying habits with food (even if you don't go vegetarian, but can be aware of who and what you're supporting), and help change a most important and often overlooked avenue of industry, life, and suffering.

This book reads extremely well, but is not always a fun read. Foer's research on the abuse and cruelty in the factory farm is eye-opening, shocking, and highly disturbing. It is also critical that his message reaches the popular masses. How much longer can we, as a society, continue abusing animals? Moreover, how much longer until we change the inefficient and wasteful factory farm? We cannot deny this massive elephant in the room any longer. I hope other readers see it with the glaring spotlight Foer shines on it and we can create change.

I read pollan's book and appreciated the insight and research into what it takes to get food on our plates. But foer does a better job inspiring change, giving reasonable rationale for his dietary choices. One has to wonder if it was an easier decision for him being Jewish and growing up knowing what kosher means. I think that's the cog in the vegan movement machine - modeling ethical behavior for the next generation. If your kids see you do it, see your ease at doing it, hear your reasons for doing it, they are more informed and therefore can accept it easier. It will not be an irrational behavior.
Well done.

Great book as to why vegetarianism is absolutely necessary in this day and age! Jonathan Safran Foer does a good job of statistics that are impactful but not too heavy handed. More importantly though, he provides the emotional appeal for this information to really stick. He does a great job of showing the humanity (or lack thereof) behind our current situation!

I've read & respected both Michael Pollen & Barbara Kingsolver's books & thought this book might just rehash what I already knew, not so! The author touches on other important issues such as antibiotic resistance/new pathogens emerging & the global significance of meat consumption. He fairly explores both side of the issues. I've always been interested in animal welfare (as well as my own) & was surprised how much this book has already changed my life.

It is slowly becoming common knowledge that factory farming is disgusting and pathetic from start to finish. But most people continue to eat factory-farmed meat. Before reading this book, I knew, at an intellectual level, that factory farming was inhumane in the most extreme sense of the word, but I also continued to eat factory-farmed meat, uncomfortably managing to put some psychological distance between myself and the animal nightmare that I was helping to sustain. This book is ideal for people like me, people who are at least somewhat familiar with the facts, but haven't completely internalized them at an emotional level. Committed meat-eaters will probably find Foer sanctimonious and use this perceived sanctimoniousness as an excuse to avoid thinking further about the "unpleasant" realities of factory farming. And people who are already committed vegans for ethical reasons will probably not find anything in this book that they didn't already know or feel. But to those of you who are on the fence about eating factory-farmed meat, this book is for you. Buy it, read it, talk about it, and give it to others on the fence who need a nudge in the right direction.

This is not a call for vegetarian lifestyle, but rather an attempt to open the eyes of the reader to the unhealthy practices and unethical treatments of animals in the meat industry. Even omnivores such as myself can walk away from this with a better knowledge and understanding of how to make choices that are healthier for myself and my family in terms of food choices and cooking. The biggest lesson here is to eat local, fresh, and organic whenever possible.

Eating Animals was first written in 2009 by Jonathan Safran Foer. It was his third novel and extremely successful. Foer's motivation to uncover the truth about meat is commendable and puts his work above the peachiness of novels that are more "anti-meat" and pushing the vegetarian realm. In Storytelling, when Foer first mentions that his book is not a classic vegetarian novel. The reader is left with the question "well, then what is it?" and this drives the reader forward through the novel's first chapter to uncover this mystery. Foer emphasizes a deep-rooted point that has been mentioned in other material throughout the semester. This point focuses on advocating a philosophy or belief through the food that we eat. Forks over Knives emphasizes the individual health benefits and political realm of each bite of food, while Fast Food Nation says the people have the opportunity to vote with their forks. However, Foer is unique in the sense that he pushes morality over other material that has been covered thus far. He states "not responding is a response--we are equally responsible for what we don't do. In the case of animal slaughter, to throw your hands in the air is to wrap your fingers around a knife handle." However, throughout the novel his tone is personal, relatable and less than preachy. He covers some of the biggest problems right off the bat - waste management, superbugs, and animal suffering.
One of the ways he accomplishes this tone is through storytelling rather than blatant regurgitation of facts. In one section, he blatantly exposes the animal associated waste problem. He talks about the holding ponds or "lagoons" that hold excrement and compares it to humans, saying the CAFO situation was as "if every man, woman, and child in every city and town in all of California and Texas crapped and pissed in a huge open-air pit...all year round." America is drowning in feces. It is paying a high toll for the animals that are eaten. The lack of a basic large scale animal sanitation system is compromising our own systems. The blow is only made worse by Foer's news of the EPA reporting over thirty-five thousand miles of waterways contaminated by this inadequacy, and essentially driven by our insatiable indifference for meat. Through this excerpts language and tone alone, Foer highlights his role as a messenger and concerned friend. He tells the story as a neighbor would tell a neighbor. A politician would not say pissed or crapped, but the reader welcomes the honesty behind the message, an honesty that has not been expressed by the news, government, or food organizations. No wonder Foer decided to write a book about the findings of as a concerned father, the results are horrifying.
While he covers excrement in great detail, Foer brings it a step further with his story focusing on the molecular biology and pharmaceuticals of agriculture. While this was touched on in some detail in other course material, Foer highlights the scope of animal's antibiotic demand. Livestock demand nine times more antibiotics than humans, twenty-eight million pounds versus three million pounds. No wonder America is experiencing high rates of superbugs. It is almost as if we are purposefully breeding them though our animal system. He talks about how the case of fluoroquinolone use in chickens opened a can of worms that has led to fluoroquinolone resistance. What is the most frustrating part of all this? The fact that we have the evidence and the tools for change, yet inaction overwhelms. America's animal consumption system is broken, but it does not seem broken enough to initiate national dramatic change. What has to happen before the government and corporations decided to do something about this crisis? Does an animal-based flu epidemic have to come around and wipe out thousands of innocent people? Does a majority of the waterways have to become contaminated? If there was a number or percentage that could predict when an issue was deemed "important enough" for action, it would be nice to know it.
Foer's moral emphasis on suffering was what really made his book stand out from Fast Food Nation, Omnivore's Dilemma, Diet for a Hot Planet, and others. His focus is strong, the message clear. Either you don't eat meat, or you support a lot of animal pain and suffering. He offers little wiggle room. It seems that this fierce (however unobtrusively delivered) stance, is what causes him to make Michael Pollan an antagonist in the book, right alongside corporate giants Tyson and Smithfield. Michael Pollan's view is mild in the sense that he qualifies eating meat. He believes, like many others, that if a farmer has raised a chicken in an ethical manner, than the act of eating the animal is the natural order of the food chain. This is a view I have held for most of my life. Why? It is easy and it assuages our conscience enough to make eating meat acceptable. Foer brings to light an interesting point in terms of sustainable meat farms, like Frank Reese's turkey farm. He promotes the work of this miniscule one percent of the meat industry, however with everything he says Foer goes against all meat consumption. Therefore, it is interesting to note the difficulty that these "ethical" meat farms face. On one hand there are huge corporate farms appealing to the indifference of the masses, on the other there is an extremely conscientious and ethical way of living that argues a vegetarian diet. It seems that the vegan and vegetarian movements are the extreme side of a debate that has little room for the middle man. He is somewhat contradictory when he states in reference to Frank's heritage turkey farm "my wager [is] on a vegetarian diet...and [I] support their kind of farming." It is not the best solution since small farms like Frank's could in no way replace the commercial system now instilled. Plus, how are the meat factories going to become more sustainable if most of the people who would otherwise stand up for animals are not eating meat at all? This applicable to the real world situation is where I think Michael Pollan's view has some traction.
The moral component of Foer's book showcases two situations. The section where Foer proposes eating dogs as a sustainable meat source provides compelling moral ground against all meat consumption. He writes "no reader of this book would tolerate someone swinging a pickax at a dog's face." This imagery makes the connection between the animals a family knows and loves and the animals that are hidden in the food system. It is not hard to realize that the people and animals that humans form a connection with on daily basis are those that are treated with morality and care. Someone could form the parallel between our families and people dying from AIDS in third world countries. If those afflicted people were in the backyard or living nearby, they suddenly become real and demand a better treatment. This same situation applies to animals. Thereby, it is extremely affective for Foer to take what is familiar to the typical American and then to inject the meat industry's morality (or lack thereof). He highlights that it is indifference that drives the meat industry. American society is okay to have its dirty work done by others in order to keep the personal conscience clean. Why do we treat our pets with such care and love but not our meat sources? Foer does a good job of emphasizing the point that is not in the way we raise our meat but in the end result. Our choices need to be about what actually happens to the animal. His connection between household pets and cows makes me realize the severity of our moral decisions regarding meat consumption. The reality that cows are bled, dismembered, and skinned while conscious is inexcusable.
Foer goes into detail about the conditions and execution of pigs, fish, and cows. There is a complete lack of respect and morality that follows them into death. The section where Foer sneaks into a California turkey farm with the animal rights activist reveals these conditions. This tale-telling section is one of the most important parts of the book in terms of Foer's relationship with his readers. In this section, Foer gives readers something that most news sources lack. He reveals truth. He puts the reader and himself on the same side of the divide and draws the line. I like that Foer also is able to connect the choice of the non-meat eater to the common suggestion that vegetarianism reflects an ultimate sentimentality or child-like innocence. When he brings up the two friends ordering lunch, this does a good job demonstrating that the non-meat eater is actually portraying a responsibility to his planet and the environment that the meat eater disregards on impulse. This made me see vegetarians in a new light and with more respect.
One unique aspect of Foer's novel is choice that he has made regarding his format in presenting the situation. In a way, he talks about very serious issues yet brings to the table a fun and playful attitude with them. This is appealing to the readers in the sense that no one wants to be depressed or made to feel guilty. They want an entertaining trustful friend to lay down the views. Foer accomplishes that with his story-telling and constantly shifting writing style. I think it is interesting that Foer never talks about dairy and eggs as part of his animal-advocate stance. It seems that would be an important topic in talking about the ethics of animal treatment, as it happens that many animals are made to produce milk their whole lives by being made consistently pregnant.
Foer's heart is in the right place with this novel. He seeks to be a good father for his children and to reveal some aspects of the agricultural world. I like that he ends with a turkey-less Thanksgiving and brings it all back to the theme with his grandmother. The story that she was able to survive of the scrapes of others in Europe is an extremely compelling way to start and end the novel. Foer's stance that we are defined by what we are willing to do without is important but I do not know if it includes many things. What is the willingness to exercise on a daily basis? That is not the action of doing without something but rather adopting a new behavior. I would argue 'doing without' is in fact taking action--one of the most powerful ones that a person of affluence in a western society can accomplish. I feel a major emphasize of this course is our willingness to abstain from excess and live towards a simple more earth-friendly way of living through our daily actions. It is indeed an exciting journey that Foer has helped through his contribution, Eating Animals.

Eating Animals is an excellent book for those who are curious about our food system and it's sustainability. Foer presents a solid condemnation of factory farms from a moral and environmental perspective.

Foer appeals to a moral sensibility throughout the entire book, which I felt uncompelled by. However, he never points out that even vegetarianism can support animal cruelty and even factory farming, through the purchase of eggs and dairy products.

I find this particularly frustrating because throughout the book Foer weighs the attrocities of factory farming with the reader's desire to eat meat. Meat is easy to see, and easy to refuse. There are usually obvious vegetarian options available, but what about butter, milk or eggs. In most cases, animals had to suffer to produce those too, but Foer never once assesses the difficulties of being vegan. It's not easy to know whether something has been cooked with dairy. It's not obvious, and that makes dining with others hugely difficult.

The other reason this ommission infuriates me is that Foer acts as though, by being vegetarian, he has spared himself any moral responsibility for animal cruelty.

Other than that, this book is great. It's a fast read and very informative. I highly recommend it.

A great book detailing the ugly truths about the factory farming of animals-chickens, pigs, cattle, and fish. He doesn't overtly push vegetarianism, which he now practices, but does explain why he believes in it near the end of the book. This book is one that has definitely make me think twice about eating animals and animal products.

A well balanced read with great insight, although it was tough to read the animal cruelty parts.
We need to be more aware of factory farming and this book did a good job shedding light on this despicable issue.

I am sure no other book I have read in the last decade has impacted me as much as this book. I am forever changed as a human and consumer of meats. I thought his book was insightful, honest and detailed. I did not think it was overly biased, as I can imagine a book on this topic could be, but so well written it was beyond persuasive. I knew some of this information before from other books, but for some reason this book hit home.

The amazing thing about this book is the fact that it's such an open discussion of the subject. It is anything but a lecture on how the author believes people should live or behave. Jonathan Safran Foer includes interviews of people on all sides of the issue to give a well-rounded view to the reader. It is a juicy, surprising, and eye-opening read. I would recommend it to anyone - carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore.

I enjoyed reading this eyeopening book. Reading "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer has made think twice of what I am (really) eating. Due to the name of the title, I thought this book was written to convert "carnivores" into vegetarians. Do not judge the book by its cover. This book was not written to convert people into vegetarians. It was written to educate us on how our food produced by factory farms has negatively affected our environment, humans, and animals. I read this book for my English 3 class.

I knew before I opened the book that it was going to be a case for vegetarianism, but what I never could have guessed is that he would back down for the humane agriculture. That made me respect Foer because he still finished his book as a vegetarian, and gave people like me an option. Even though I don't plan to quit eating meat entirely, I do have the knowledge now to think about what I'm putting into my mouth and to make wiser decisions about the meat I buy. Loretta from an English 3 class

For the last two weeks I have been enjoying life meat free. I never thought that was possible. Here's why I no longer eat animals from America's factory farms.

This review originally appeared on The Englewood Review of Books website.

"99% of the meat sold in the United States today comes from a factory farm."

In the 1970s, my missionary parents uprooted us from the barefoot paradise of Papua New Guinea and planted us in Southern California. My mother, suffering a bizarre set of health issues, began looking for answers in healthy eating practices. While other kids ate Twinkies and Ding Dongs, Mother read Adelle Davis books on nutrition and force-fed us cod liver oil.

Perhaps because of this, my need to fit in urged me to become a steak-loving "normal" person. Food, for me, was always more than mere sustenance; it was a visceral, beautiful, even creative thing. But as far being a political statement or a critical health issue, well that was strictly for the weirdoes.

Reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals was the first time that I seriously considered that the Chicken Parmesan in front of me or the meat neatly stacked in my refrigerator was once a living thing. And confronted by the horrors of modern animal farming, as recounted in shocking detail by Foer, I had to face certain facts: factory farms are disgusting and dangerous for our health.

Foer made a three-year investigation into the sickening story that is American meat, describing with ghastly precision the disease, deformity and eventual mutilation of animals that defines factory farming today. I was filled with revulsion as Foer chronicled his grisly experience and quickly came to understand why Ellen DeGeneres has called Eating Animals "one of the most important books [she's] ever read."

The story is heart-wrenching, repulsive and barbaric. One learns that the idyllic family farms we picture in our minds (think Charlotte`s Web) have been transformed into secretive, highly secured factories lined with rows of "confinement pens" where animals languish, never seeing real daylight. Foer admits to clandestinely breaking into a turkey farm to discover locked pen doors, gas masks on the walls, chicks with blackened beaks, and both dead and living birds matted with blood and covered in sores. He details dozens of eerily similar stories indicting the farming of pigs, chickens, cows and even fish:

"The power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on consumers not being able to see (or hear about) what they do."

In a riveting (if also occasionally, rambling) narrative, Foer contends the meat industry is corrupt, with structures supporting the consumer-driven "need" for cheap meat. Foer notes that prices haven't substantially increased since the mid-fifties, and that the "efficiencies" of the factory system are the source of this "benefit." I was stunned to learn that only 1% of the meat we consume comes from family-run old-fashioned farms. The rest is from factories where biodiversity is replaced by genetic uniformity, and the antibiotic-laced animals may be contributing to strange flu like symptoms ravaging millions of Americans.

With gritty specifics, allowing for many perspectives, Foer draws personal conclusions, while making it clear that our collective actions can change these practices. But only by agreeing individually to stop purchasing factory farmed meat.

In this philosophical horror story, I was confronted with my "need" and realized I can no longer be a part of supporting this corrupt system. A "normal" evangelical Mom, I am choosing to no longer eat animals unless they come locally and humanely from a farm.

We the collective consumer must make conscious choices, even sacrifices. Foer says it well, "We are defined not just by what we do. We are defined by what we are willing to do without." We need to put meat in the middle of the plate of our public discourse.

Melody
[...]

This book had me really intrigued from the preface, which was tenderly written and promised a neutral, non-moralizing look at the topic at hand.
I went into Chapter One excited to get a balanced and interesting look at the many-faceted history of humans eating animals.
Instead, I got exactly what he promised he wouldn't give me in the preface: A preachy, sarcastic, and severe lecture on how "wrong" it is to eat meat.
If you are already a vegetarian and want to be congratulated for being so, you will probably love this book.
For anyone else, it's irritating at best and alienating at worst.

im 14, so obviously for me to read a book like this, it wasn't boring. it was incredible, its better then any documentury i've ever watched. the author paints a picture in his writing, so you can basically see what he's writing (but not too grotesque like it would seem), the author connects what he's describing to his life (like what food can mean to people) and he has an etremely interesting life. Foer asks the questions: what is suffering? and what is pain? and why is it ok to eat a pig and not a dog? and unlike what you would expect, he is completely objective (but obviously not so much that it is boring). this book is one of the best i've ever read, and yes it turned me into a vegetarian. some of my friends were scared to read it because they were scared it would make them vegetarians, and they wanted to continue eating meat in their ignorence, which is basically like thinking "if i stay not knowing im doing something wrong, im not doing anything wrong," which obviously is a dumb way of thinking. so unless you're a pussy, or you don't like great books, get this book. ;D

I was required to read this book for my English 3 class. I enjoyed this book very much although I found it very depressing at times. Foer provides readers with eyeopening and truthful facts that make me glad I am a vegetarian. He did a wonderful job providing facts to back up his arguments. The book might make you think twice before you eat another piece of meat. I would definitely recommend this to a friend who wants to be educated about what they are truly eating.

This book was assigned as one of my readings for my English 3 class. Jonathan Foer shares his personal experiences with eating meat and what lead him to change his ways of eating. This book is an interesting read because it does make you think and question the food we eat. I think that Foer did a good job writing this book but I feel he could have used more factual information to back up his arguments.

What? You want ME to read that book?

Nah! I don't need no stinkin' Vegetarian horror stories ...

Chances are, that - if you always, regularly or sometimes eat meat - you are right within the target group for this book ... but you are most likely not going to read it.

There are many reasons for that ... You do not want to spoil your appetite with new horror stories. After all, you know that if you look closely at how meat is made, you expect that you will not find much there that is pleasant.

But, what I found most interesting about the book, is, that - if you DO eat meat - then you will find a lot of very useful information why you should at least avoid some kinds of meat (not because your heart bleeds because of animals suffering, but rather because you value your personal health)

So, you might find the book very interesting reading...

Best regards,
Andy

“Eating Animals” is Jonathan Safran Foer’s entry into the crowded non-fiction food book market. To start, Foer explains the motivation for writing his book: the birth of his son, and the desire to explore and understand what his son should eat. He notes this story is not an appeal to vegetarianism, but a self-directed journey learning about meat. This family-focus is coupled with a portrait of Foer’s grandmother: a Holocaust survivor who promoted drinking pop and eating animals. He finishes the introduction noting, “While this book is the product of an enormous amount of research, and is as objective as any work of journalism can be – I used the most conservative statistics available… -- I think of it as a story. There’s plenty of data to be found, but it is often thin and malleable.” (Loc 200).

Let’s dig in.
The first chapter is captivating. I enjoyed the family aspect of the story; in browsing other food books, “The Botany of Desire” and parts of other Michael Pollan, authors omit the crucial role of family and family food culture in shaping an individual’s diet. In addition, Foer’s reason for becoming vegetarian eloquently explained my rationale, though I have a hard time formulating or admitting it:
“In high school I became vegetarian more times than I can now remember, most often as an effort to claim some identity in a world of people whose identities seemed to come effortlessly.” (Loc 94).
Foer is a creative writer, and showcases his skills early, leaning on alliteration and parallel construction. About his grandmother, “And so she never cared if I colored outside the lines, as long as I cut coupons along the dashes.” (Loc 33) Noting animals in media he writes, “Children’s books are constellated with rabbits and mice and bears and caterpillars, not to mention spiders, crickets, and alligators.” (Loc 270).
The ensuing thought exercise about eating dogs exhibits a perfect stand-alone polemic essay. I found myself repeating this exercise to friends and family: why don’t we eat dogs? Why do we spend money to keep dogs as pets? Moreover, the writing here is powerful, strong, and the authenticity of arguments for eating dogs relentless. In the book’s most memorable paragraph, Foer writes about his family dog, George:
“She… backs her flatulent ass into the least interested person in the room, digs up the freshly planted, scratches the newly bought, licks the about-to-be-served, and occasionally exacts revenge (for what?) by s***ting in the house.” (Loc 289).

Let’s continue digging in (spoilers ahead).
After the dog polemic, the story moves downhill. Next is an odd “dictionary” (Words / Meaning), which blends sarcastic definitions with serious, ironic anecdotes with historical statistics. Non-fiction books benefit from having a strong appendix or glossary, but this one feels like a flimsy rhetorical device to provide credibility. There is little consistency, and certain words seem irrelevant or superfluous.
“Desperation” recounts a funny anecdote about Foer’s grandmother buying flour, but the word appears only once in the remaining text (and the word used is “desperate”). The entry for “Species Barrier” is two pages about Knut, a polar bear born at the Berlin zoo, and ends (pithily? humorously? sarcastically?) with: “This is the species barrier.” (Loc 1022).
The definition for “suffering” is particularly confusing. The end: “What is suffering? I’m not sure what it is, but I know that suffering is the name we give to the origin of all the sighs, screams, and groans – small and large, crude and multifaceted – that concern us. The word defines our gaze even more than what we are looking at.” (Loc 1045). Rather than attempt to give a moral or philosophical working definition of suffering, Foer says he doesn’t know what it means, and resorts to using wordy, overwrought emotional appeals.

The next chapter, titled “Hiding / Seeking” again utilizes confusing formatting. Each section in the chapter starts “I’m ...” The first is written by Foer, called “I’m Not the Kind of Person Who Finds Himself on a Stranger’s Farm in the Middle of the Night,” and it documents his excursion onto a turkey factory farm at night, with “C”, an animal activist guide.
During this section, it’s difficult to locate Foer’s role as writer and author. He says: “ – but what the hell have I gotten myself into? I am not a journalist, activist, veterinarian, lawyer, or philosopher – as, to my knowledge, have been the others who have made such a trip.” (Loc 1088). Yes, he’s just the lowly millionaire author of two New York Times Bestsellers, both with film adaptations. This comment starts the barrage of self-centered writing, and doesn’t fit with his statement that the book is “as objective as any work of journalism can be.”
Next, we hear from “C.” This section is called “I Am the Kind of Person Who Finds Herself on a Stranger’s Farm in the Middle of the Night.” The origin of the text is never explained: is it a letter or email correspondence, written by “C”? Is it Foer interviewing her? Is it Foer completely fictionalizing her life? Is it Foer piecing together bits of interviews and emails to create succinct, clear paragraphs written in “C’s” voice? The text is written in italics, while normal interviews are traditionally quoted elsewhere in the book. The next section, “I Am a Factory Farmer,” is similar. This style is later referenced as “the voice,” and is explained in the Notes section as: “This monologue is derived from the statements of more than one factory farmer interviewed for this book.” (Loc 2956, 4121).

The next chapter, “Influence / Speechlessness” starts of with a graphic symbol used too frequently by Foer. There are five pages of the words “Influence / Speechlessness” and nothing else. The reader gets to the end and learns: “On average, Americans eat the equivalent of 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime—one animal for every letter on the last five pages.” (Loc 1598).
Huh? It’s an interesting statistic – 21,000 animals eaten in a lifetime. But what’s the point of putting just that many letters on the last 5 pages? Again, it seems like a gimmick, a superficial trick to fill fast pages and keep the reader engaged.

The next chapter is called “Slices of Paradise/Pieces of S***.” The first half of the chapter paints a rosy, glowing picture of Paradise Locker Meats, in northwestern Missouri, and its owner Mario Fantasma. There’s description about the raising, killing, and shipping of pigs. The business is “…one of the last bastions of independent slaughtering in the Midwest and is a godsend for the local farming community.” (Loc 2011). There's another glossy, romantic picture of a farm, this time Paul Willis’s hog farm in Thortonville, Iowa. Mr. Willis reminisces about the olden days of farming, and being raised in the same house he lives in today.
The next section is fairly predictable: “Pieces of S***.” Here we go back into the factory farm for at least the third time in the book, with a focus this time on animal feces. We see more of Foer’s silly comparisons, coming this time in rapid fire.

On a fine levied on Smithfield, a large pork producer: “… but this is a pathetically small amount to a company that now grosses $12.6 million every ten hours.” (Loc 2386).
On Smithfield’s production: “Today, Smithfield is so large that is slaughters one of every four pigs sold commercially in the nation.” (Loc 2396).
On the contamination of a river from farm feces: “…thirteen million fish were literally poisoned by s*** – if set head to tail fin, these victims would stretch the length of the entire Pacific coast from Seattle to the Mexican border.” (Loc 2396-2406).
On the former Smithfield CEO’s worth and name: “Joseph Luter III’s stock in Smithfield was recently valued at $138 million. His last name is pronounced “looter.”” (Loc 2426)

Now we’re back to the central discussion on eating meat. Get ready for sentimentality:
“Changing what we eat and letting tastes fade from memory create a kind of cultural loss, a forgetting. But perhaps this kind of forgetfulness is worth accepting – even worth cultivating (forgetting, too, can be cultivated). To remember animals and my concern for their well-being, I may need to lose certain tastes and find other handles for the memories they once helped me carry.
Remembering and forgetting are part of the same mental process. To write down one detail of an event is to not write down another (unless you keep writing forever). To remember one thing is to let another slip from remembrance (unless you keep recalling forever). … So the question is not whether we forget but what, or whom, we forget – not whether our diets change, but how.”
I don’t eat meat. And I don’t understand one bit of those paragraphs. Foer is cultivating a forgetting by not eating meat? He’s finding “other handles” to hold on to his memories involving meat? What? Let me go back to that definition he wrote for bull….

Finally, we see another trip on the overwrought personal narrative road. He writes, “This is nontrivial, but it’s the main reason that I wouldn’t eat pigs from Paul Willis’s farm or chickens from Frank Reese’s – something that is hard to write knowing that Paul and Frank, now friends of mine, will read these words.” (Loc 2642).
This meta-biography, the writer going through so much suffering because his two “friends” will read these word, is nauseating.

“Eating Animals” tries to be a daring, muckraking piece of journalism, but comes off like a “New Yorker” article gone wrong. The engaging start, family history combined with economics of pets, is quickly lost with the book’s complex structuring and unclear voices. It’s overly sentimental, with constant appeals to emotion, and gaudy in style, using rhetorical devices to count and explain. It's an attempt at non-fiction, but Jonathon Safran Foer’s talents are best left in the world of fiction.

Foer is doing the work of written activism, plain and clear, advocating, mostly, from a utilitarian perspective, a case for vegetarianism. It really is surprising that he doesn't mention Peter Singer since I would conceive of Foer's argument as utilitarian because he's concerned with the pain and suffering of animals forced, and born, into factory farms and his real struggle seems to be with not being able to say directly that eating animals is "wrong" while at the same time having complicated reactions to their death, even if they are not factory farmed. Re-direct me if I'm incorrect here, but Foer's book straddles the line between a utilitarian argument (Singer's, essentially) and a less-developed argument about the significance of remembering and forgetting:

- "To remember animals and my concern for their well-being, I may need to lose certain tastes and find other handles for the memories that they once helped me carry" (194)

- "...I simply cannot feel whole when so knowingly, so deliberately, forgetting" (198)

- Also, of note: "The meat industry has tried to paint people who take this two-fold stance as absolutist vegetarians hiding a radicalized agenda. But ranchers can be vegetarians, vegans can build slaughterhouses, and I can be a vegetarian who supports the best of animal agriculture" (242)

Foer may be using pathos to elicit reader participation, but his argument, even if he does not acknowledge it overtly by mentioning Singer or other utilitarian philosophers, is utilitarian. It is based on increasing pleasure and reducing pain.

Foer goes through the motions: The factory farm model is exceptionally painful and violent; the small animal farm is exceptionally rare and an improvement in animal welfare but still brands and castrates its bulls and cows and is still involved in a constant, forced reproduction cycle of the (female) cows (in order to produce milk, which is meant for the calf), and who knows what happens to the calves (they may either be sold and tethered for veal, or kept on the farm to grow up into bulls or adolescents that too will eventually be slaughtered); and then there is always the slaughter, the end of living either in pain or pleasure or both.

It is obvious to a humane reader that the struggles Foer is grappling with are ones that are complicated, multi-faceted, layered, and I would argue inseparable from other systemic forms of violence and oppression, though Foer does not go there, which is a shame. He certainly makes use of facts, but he limits his interpretation of those facts.

So, for instance, I borrow from animal rights literature and feminist philosophy when I say that the quintessentially exploited farmed animal is female. We saw, as depicted in the book, the egregious treatment of (female) sows and (female) egg-laying hens. (We don't have the depiction of (female) "milk-producing" cows, which is also egregious.) In all of these instances, female reproductive systems are exploited to unfathomable reaches. Thus, the female animal bears the brunt (and, to be clever, the runt) of the systemic exploitation of animals. Without the female animal body, there would cease to be any more animal bodies, female or male, and yet, it is only through the forced seizure of the female animal body that exploitation becomes possible, and where it begins.

A well-known writer (I apologize that I forget his name now), when asked why he was vegetarian, said, "I do not eat anything with a mother." This may sound cheesy or lovey-dovey at first read, but upon closer analysis it becomes obvious that it is the mother, or the female, that is first and foremost exploited. First, with the forced insemination, second with the painful process of reproduction or the giving birth coupled with the seizure of the newborn at a painfully tender age, and, finally, after years of such "labor," the transport and slaughter of the female animal.

My criticism of the book is that it mostly recapitulates information about the violence of contemporary animal agriculture in the United States. Yet the book is doing important work by bringing the limelight on the "locked doors" of factory farms and I see this as an important project of the book.

Even more important than criticism though for an author and an invested reader dealing with a tremendous moral issue of our time is the fear of inaction. The fear that we will simply sigh and say, "People are done consuming this book. The process is over in a matter of minutes."

Eating Animals is a very good book. It's well-researched and is an accessible read for most people. I've been vegan since reading Skinny Bitch and Omnivore's Dilemma. Skinny Bitch suffers from being over the top, while Omnivore's Dilemma is too dry or technical for many. This is based on my interactions with family and friends. Everyone will getting Foer's book from me this Christmas! Everyone needs to be aware of the ethical, environmental, and health issues posed by our current food system. While many folks will not convert to veganism after reading this book, at least they will be compelled to reduce their animal product consumption.

I have been a vegetarian for many years but still found this book to be very powerful and have learned a lot about the process involved in factory farming. I have also bought this book for family members and friends because I think it is critical that we educate ourselves and others on what we eat and where it comes from. I have read most of Michael Pollan's books and enjoyed them but feel this gives a deeper explanation into the actual industry and the ways in which animals are treated/mistreated by factory farms. I recommend it to meat eaters as well as vegetarians and vegans.

Very thought provoking book. More than thought provoking, if you are an omnivore it is very likely to result in provoking a change in behavior. Foer does a good job with a very difficult and important subject.

It's OK to eat meat; what's not OK is to ignore the implications and consequences of that decision. The easiest way to express concern for animal welfare and the environment is to be a vegetarian. Foer's book points out that if you're not going to be a vegetarian, there is still a lot you can do to minimize the harm your eating habits have on the environment and on your fellow living creatures.

I absolutely loved this book. It is well written & gives a transparent view into our current food systems. I appreciated the differing points of views while the author allowed the reader the ability to come to their own decision on the choice to remain an omnivore, or become vegetarian or vegan. Worth reading.

I have been eating mostly vegetarian since I read this book. I have been very careful to eat meat from responsible farms since reading this book. I understand that there are two sides to every story, but this book really spoke to me and I have changed my life because of it. I am so grateful to Jonathan Safran Foer for writing this book.

As someone who loves Foer's previous work, but isn't usually interested in non-fiction, I wasn't sure what to expect from Eating Animals. I got so much more than I ever bargained for. Eating Animals made me laugh, and cry, and think. Seriously think. The horrors Foer depicts are as impossible to ignore as is the fact that this book goes far beyond a simple journalistic consideration of the issue. It's a non-fiction book like no non-fiction book I've ever read.

Foer's point is simple: Virtually all of the animal products we consume come from factory farms. Regardless of where each of us ultimately land on the larger philosophical questions about meat, we have no choice but to recognize that factory farming is utterly reprehensible. And, whether we like it or not, we can't avoid making decisions about what practices we are going to support. Foer reminds us that we need to make those choices deliberately without assuming that farming practices haven't changed since biblical days. He asks us to ask ourselves what kind of "eating animals" we want to be.

Foer helps us remember that our food choices mean more to us than simply taste; the food we spend our lives eating is a meaningful part of who we are. While giving up all animal products doesn't sound terribly simple for any of us, this book has left me thinking for the first time that such a choice is not just necessary, but possible, and most importantly, completely worth it. Because facing the issues in our lives that are the least palatable, and dealing with them head on, is what truly makes us human.

An excellent account of the horrors of factory farming. To balance this approach also read The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith. You may not agree with everything Keith says, but you will understand how the growing of monocrops like wheat and corn (foods which some vegans rely on to a significant degree) also destroys the environment and results in the death of many animals. Her account of how a poorly designed vegetarian diet can contribute to poor health is also noteworthy. The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability

I picked this book up from the library along with Foer's novel 'Extremely Lound and Incredibly Close' just out of curiosity. We've been vegetarians for a long time, but mostly for health reasons and just for preference. There was much revealed to me by this book that I had not realized before. This is an important read for those who want to be educated about what they eat and where it comes from. Very creatively organized and more entertaining than I thought it would be.

I heard about this book during an episode of Charlie Rose. The information brought up was enough for my wife and I to decide on getting the book for ourselves. It has been more than worth it, and now we find ourselves talking about and getting it for others frequently.

I have always been a meat eater's meat eater. I love grilling, steaks, burgers, hot-dogs, bacon, you name it. After finding out how these products get to our stores and onto our plates I have changed. Now the only meat my wife and I eat is fish and we are moving steadily towards veganism. The irony is that the change hasn't been bad at all. I've found that 95% of the foods I love can be matched or beaten by simply good cooking using items from the farmers market (for burgers we grill eggplant and portabella mushrooms with onions, peppers, avocado, cabbage, veggie bacon and vegan cheese). Throughout this process, along with getting more exercise, I have lost 50Lbs. We look better, we feel better, we cook better, and it hasn't been difficult to do.

The book is incredibly thoughtful and well written. It presents a broad perspective on the complex issues involved with eating animals and the repercussions thereof. There is a distinct argument for vegetarianism throughout the book - but after all, there is a distinct argument for vegetarianism in life. The information is compelling and enjoyable and easily digested. The effect over all is one of building a clear vision of the issue and inevitably increasing how intentional one is about their eating habits - even if that simply means giving money to cleaner, more conscientious meat producers. Both to keep those businesses alive that produce healthy(er) meat and for the flavor and health of your meals themselves.

Great read, strongly recommended.

I knew before I opened the book that it was going to be a case for vegetarianism, but what I never could have guessed is that he would back down for the humane agriculture. That made me respect Foer because he still finished his book as a vegetarian, and gave people like me an option. Even though I don't plan to quit eating meat entirely, I do have the knowledge now to think about what I'm putting into my mouth and to make wiser decisions about the meat I buy. Loretta from an English 3 class

For the last two weeks I have been enjoying life meat free. I never thought that was possible. Here's why I no longer eat animals from America's factory farms.

This review originally appeared on The Englewood Review of Books website.

"99% of the meat sold in the United States today comes from a factory farm."

In the 1970s, my missionary parents uprooted us from the barefoot paradise of Papua New Guinea and planted us in Southern California. My mother, suffering a bizarre set of health issues, began looking for answers in healthy eating practices. While other kids ate Twinkies and Ding Dongs, Mother read Adelle Davis books on nutrition and force-fed us cod liver oil.

Perhaps because of this, my need to fit in urged me to become a steak-loving "normal" person. Food, for me, was always more than mere sustenance; it was a visceral, beautiful, even creative thing. But as far being a political statement or a critical health issue, well that was strictly for the weirdoes.

Reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals was the first time that I seriously considered that the Chicken Parmesan in front of me or the meat neatly stacked in my refrigerator was once a living thing. And confronted by the horrors of modern animal farming, as recounted in shocking detail by Foer, I had to face certain facts: factory farms are disgusting and dangerous for our health.

Foer made a three-year investigation into the sickening story that is American meat, describing with ghastly precision the disease, deformity and eventual mutilation of animals that defines factory farming today. I was filled with revulsion as Foer chronicled his grisly experience and quickly came to understand why Ellen DeGeneres has called Eating Animals "one of the most important books [she's] ever read."

The story is heart-wrenching, repulsive and barbaric. One learns that the idyllic family farms we picture in our minds (think Charlotte`s Web) have been transformed into secretive, highly secured factories lined with rows of "confinement pens" where animals languish, never seeing real daylight. Foer admits to clandestinely breaking into a turkey farm to discover locked pen doors, gas masks on the walls, chicks with blackened beaks, and both dead and living birds matted with blood and covered in sores. He details dozens of eerily similar stories indicting the farming of pigs, chickens, cows and even fish:

"The power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on consumers not being able to see (or hear about) what they do."

In a riveting (if also occasionally, rambling) narrative, Foer contends the meat industry is corrupt, with structures supporting the consumer-driven "need" for cheap meat. Foer notes that prices haven't substantially increased since the mid-fifties, and that the "efficiencies" of the factory system are the source of this "benefit." I was stunned to learn that only 1% of the meat we consume comes from family-run old-fashioned farms. The rest is from factories where biodiversity is replaced by genetic uniformity, and the antibiotic-laced animals may be contributing to strange flu like symptoms ravaging millions of Americans.

With gritty specifics, allowing for many perspectives, Foer draws personal conclusions, while making it clear that our collective actions can change these practices. But only by agreeing individually to stop purchasing factory farmed meat.

In this philosophical horror story, I was confronted with my "need" and realized I can no longer be a part of supporting this corrupt system. A "normal" evangelical Mom, I am choosing to no longer eat animals unless they come locally and humanely from a farm.

We the collective consumer must make conscious choices, even sacrifices. Foer says it well, "We are defined not just by what we do. We are defined by what we are willing to do without." We need to put meat in the middle of the plate of our public discourse.

Melody
[...]

This book had me really intrigued from the preface, which was tenderly written and promised a neutral, non-moralizing look at the topic at hand.
I went into Chapter One excited to get a balanced and interesting look at the many-faceted history of humans eating animals.
Instead, I got exactly what he promised he wouldn't give me in the preface: A preachy, sarcastic, and severe lecture on how "wrong" it is to eat meat.
If you are already a vegetarian and want to be congratulated for being so, you will probably love this book.
For anyone else, it's irritating at best and alienating at worst.

im 14, so obviously for me to read a book like this, it wasn't boring. it was incredible, its better then any documentury i've ever watched. the author paints a picture in his writing, so you can basically see what he's writing (but not too grotesque like it would seem), the author connects what he's describing to his life (like what food can mean to people) and he has an etremely interesting life. Foer asks the questions: what is suffering? and what is pain? and why is it ok to eat a pig and not a dog? and unlike what you would expect, he is completely objective (but obviously not so much that it is boring). this book is one of the best i've ever read, and yes it turned me into a vegetarian. some of my friends were scared to read it because they were scared it would make them vegetarians, and they wanted to continue eating meat in their ignorence, which is basically like thinking "if i stay not knowing im doing something wrong, im not doing anything wrong," which obviously is a dumb way of thinking. so unless you're a pussy, or you don't like great books, get this book. ;D

I was required to read this book for my English 3 class. I enjoyed this book very much although I found it very depressing at times. Foer provides readers with eyeopening and truthful facts that make me glad I am a vegetarian. He did a wonderful job providing facts to back up his arguments. The book might make you think twice before you eat another piece of meat. I would definitely recommend this to a friend who wants to be educated about what they are truly eating.

This book was assigned as one of my readings for my English 3 class. Jonathan Foer shares his personal experiences with eating meat and what lead him to change his ways of eating. This book is an interesting read because it does make you think and question the food we eat. I think that Foer did a good job writing this book but I feel he could have used more factual information to back up his arguments.

What? You want ME to read that book?

Nah! I don't need no stinkin' Vegetarian horror stories ...

Chances are, that - if you always, regularly or sometimes eat meat - you are right within the target group for this book ... but you are most likely not going to read it.

There are many reasons for that ... You do not want to spoil your appetite with new horror stories. After all, you know that if you look closely at how meat is made, you expect that you will not find much there that is pleasant.

But, what I found most interesting about the book, is, that - if you DO eat meat - then you will find a lot of very useful information why you should at least avoid some kinds of meat (not because your heart bleeds because of animals suffering, but rather because you value your personal health)

So, you might find the book very interesting reading...

Best regards,
Andy

“Eating Animals” is Jonathan Safran Foer’s entry into the crowded non-fiction food book market. To start, Foer explains the motivation for writing his book: the birth of his son, and the desire to explore and understand what his son should eat. He notes this story is not an appeal to vegetarianism, but a self-directed journey learning about meat. This family-focus is coupled with a portrait of Foer’s grandmother: a Holocaust survivor who promoted drinking pop and eating animals. He finishes the introduction noting, “While this book is the product of an enormous amount of research, and is as objective as any work of journalism can be – I used the most conservative statistics available… -- I think of it as a story. There’s plenty of data to be found, but it is often thin and malleable.” (Loc 200).

Let’s dig in.
The first chapter is captivating. I enjoyed the family aspect of the story; in browsing other food books, “The Botany of Desire” and parts of other Michael Pollan, authors omit the crucial role of family and family food culture in shaping an individual’s diet. In addition, Foer’s reason for becoming vegetarian eloquently explained my rationale, though I have a hard time formulating or admitting it:
“In high school I became vegetarian more times than I can now remember, most often as an effort to claim some identity in a world of people whose identities seemed to come effortlessly.” (Loc 94).
Foer is a creative writer, and showcases his skills early, leaning on alliteration and parallel construction. About his grandmother, “And so she never cared if I colored outside the lines, as long as I cut coupons along the dashes.” (Loc 33) Noting animals in media he writes, “Children’s books are constellated with rabbits and mice and bears and caterpillars, not to mention spiders, crickets, and alligators.” (Loc 270).
The ensuing thought exercise about eating dogs exhibits a perfect stand-alone polemic essay. I found myself repeating this exercise to friends and family: why don’t we eat dogs? Why do we spend money to keep dogs as pets? Moreover, the writing here is powerful, strong, and the authenticity of arguments for eating dogs relentless. In the book’s most memorable paragraph, Foer writes about his family dog, George:
“She… backs her flatulent ass into the least interested person in the room, digs up the freshly planted, scratches the newly bought, licks the about-to-be-served, and occasionally exacts revenge (for what?) by s***ting in the house.” (Loc 289).

Let’s continue digging in (spoilers ahead).
After the dog polemic, the story moves downhill. Next is an odd “dictionary” (Words / Meaning), which blends sarcastic definitions with serious, ironic anecdotes with historical statistics. Non-fiction books benefit from having a strong appendix or glossary, but this one feels like a flimsy rhetorical device to provide credibility. There is little consistency, and certain words seem irrelevant or superfluous.
“Desperation” recounts a funny anecdote about Foer’s grandmother buying flour, but the word appears only once in the remaining text (and the word used is “desperate”). The entry for “Species Barrier” is two pages about Knut, a polar bear born at the Berlin zoo, and ends (pithily? humorously? sarcastically?) with: “This is the species barrier.” (Loc 1022).
The definition for “suffering” is particularly confusing. The end: “What is suffering? I’m not sure what it is, but I know that suffering is the name we give to the origin of all the sighs, screams, and groans – small and large, crude and multifaceted – that concern us. The word defines our gaze even more than what we are looking at.” (Loc 1045). Rather than attempt to give a moral or philosophical working definition of suffering, Foer says he doesn’t know what it means, and resorts to using wordy, overwrought emotional appeals.

The next chapter, titled “Hiding / Seeking” again utilizes confusing formatting. Each section in the chapter starts “I’m ...” The first is written by Foer, called “I’m Not the Kind of Person Who Finds Himself on a Stranger’s Farm in the Middle of the Night,” and it documents his excursion onto a turkey factory farm at night, with “C”, an animal activist guide.
During this section, it’s difficult to locate Foer’s role as writer and author. He says: “ – but what the hell have I gotten myself into? I am not a journalist, activist, veterinarian, lawyer, or philosopher – as, to my knowledge, have been the others who have made such a trip.” (Loc 1088). Yes, he’s just the lowly millionaire author of two New York Times Bestsellers, both with film adaptations. This comment starts the barrage of self-centered writing, and doesn’t fit with his statement that the book is “as objective as any work of journalism can be.”
Next, we hear from “C.” This section is called “I Am the Kind of Person Who Finds Herself on a Stranger’s Farm in the Middle of the Night.” The origin of the text is never explained: is it a letter or email correspondence, written by “C”? Is it Foer interviewing her? Is it Foer completely fictionalizing her life? Is it Foer piecing together bits of interviews and emails to create succinct, clear paragraphs written in “C’s” voice? The text is written in italics, while normal interviews are traditionally quoted elsewhere in the book. The next section, “I Am a Factory Farmer,” is similar. This style is later referenced as “the voice,” and is explained in the Notes section as: “This monologue is derived from the statements of more than one factory farmer interviewed for this book.” (Loc 2956, 4121).

The next chapter, “Influence / Speechlessness” starts of with a graphic symbol used too frequently by Foer. There are five pages of the words “Influence / Speechlessness” and nothing else. The reader gets to the end and learns: “On average, Americans eat the equivalent of 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime—one animal for every letter on the last five pages.” (Loc 1598).
Huh? It’s an interesting statistic – 21,000 animals eaten in a lifetime. But what’s the point of putting just that many letters on the last 5 pages? Again, it seems like a gimmick, a superficial trick to fill fast pages and keep the reader engaged.

The next chapter is called “Slices of Paradise/Pieces of S***.” The first half of the chapter paints a rosy, glowing picture of Paradise Locker Meats, in northwestern Missouri, and its owner Mario Fantasma. There’s description about the raising, killing, and shipping of pigs. The business is “…one of the last bastions of independent slaughtering in the Midwest and is a godsend for the local farming community.” (Loc 2011). There's another glossy, romantic picture of a farm, this time Paul Willis’s hog farm in Thortonville, Iowa. Mr. Willis reminisces about the olden days of farming, and being raised in the same house he lives in today.
The next section is fairly predictable: “Pieces of S***.” Here we go back into the factory farm for at least the third time in the book, with a focus this time on animal feces. We see more of Foer’s silly comparisons, coming this time in rapid fire.

On a fine levied on Smithfield, a large pork producer: “… but this is a pathetically small amount to a company that now grosses $12.6 million every ten hours.” (Loc 2386).
On Smithfield’s production: “Today, Smithfield is so large that is slaughters one of every four pigs sold commercially in the nation.” (Loc 2396).
On the contamination of a river from farm feces: “…thirteen million fish were literally poisoned by s*** – if set head to tail fin, these victims would stretch the length of the entire Pacific coast from Seattle to the Mexican border.” (Loc 2396-2406).
On the former Smithfield CEO’s worth and name: “Joseph Luter III’s stock in Smithfield was recently valued at $138 million. His last name is pronounced “looter.”” (Loc 2426)

Now we’re back to the central discussion on eating meat. Get ready for sentimentality:
“Changing what we eat and letting tastes fade from memory create a kind of cultural loss, a forgetting. But perhaps this kind of forgetfulness is worth accepting – even worth cultivating (forgetting, too, can be cultivated). To remember animals and my concern for their well-being, I may need to lose certain tastes and find other handles for the memories they once helped me carry.
Remembering and forgetting are part of the same mental process. To write down one detail of an event is to not write down another (unless you keep writing forever). To remember one thing is to let another slip from remembrance (unless you keep recalling forever). … So the question is not whether we forget but what, or whom, we forget – not whether our diets change, but how.”
I don’t eat meat. And I don’t understand one bit of those paragraphs. Foer is cultivating a forgetting by not eating meat? He’s finding “other handles” to hold on to his memories involving meat? What? Let me go back to that definition he wrote for bull….

Finally, we see another trip on the overwrought personal narrative road. He writes, “This is nontrivial, but it’s the main reason that I wouldn’t eat pigs from Paul Willis’s farm or chickens from Frank Reese’s – something that is hard to write knowing that Paul and Frank, now friends of mine, will read these words.” (Loc 2642).
This meta-biography, the writer going through so much suffering because his two “friends” will read these word, is nauseating.

“Eating Animals” tries to be a daring, muckraking piece of journalism, but comes off like a “New Yorker” article gone wrong. The engaging start, family history combined with economics of pets, is quickly lost with the book’s complex structuring and unclear voices. It’s overly sentimental, with constant appeals to emotion, and gaudy in style, using rhetorical devices to count and explain. It's an attempt at non-fiction, but Jonathon Safran Foer’s talents are best left in the world of fiction.

Foer is doing the work of written activism, plain and clear, advocating, mostly, from a utilitarian perspective, a case for vegetarianism. It really is surprising that he doesn't mention Peter Singer since I would conceive of Foer's argument as utilitarian because he's concerned with the pain and suffering of animals forced, and born, into factory farms and his real struggle seems to be with not being able to say directly that eating animals is "wrong" while at the same time having complicated reactions to their death, even if they are not factory farmed. Re-direct me if I'm incorrect here, but Foer's book straddles the line between a utilitarian argument (Singer's, essentially) and a less-developed argument about the significance of remembering and forgetting:

- "To remember animals and my concern for their well-being, I may need to lose certain tastes and find other handles for the memories that they once helped me carry" (194)

- "...I simply cannot feel whole when so knowingly, so deliberately, forgetting" (198)

- Also, of note: "The meat industry has tried to paint people who take this two-fold stance as absolutist vegetarians hiding a radicalized agenda. But ranchers can be vegetarians, vegans can build slaughterhouses, and I can be a vegetarian who supports the best of animal agriculture" (242)

Foer may be using pathos to elicit reader participation, but his argument, even if he does not acknowledge it overtly by mentioning Singer or other utilitarian philosophers, is utilitarian. It is based on increasing pleasure and reducing pain.

Foer goes through the motions: The factory farm model is exceptionally painful and violent; the small animal farm is exceptionally rare and an improvement in animal welfare but still brands and castrates its bulls and cows and is still involved in a constant, forced reproduction cycle of the (female) cows (in order to produce milk, which is meant for the calf), and who knows what happens to the calves (they may either be sold and tethered for veal, or kept on the farm to grow up into bulls or adolescents that too will eventually be slaughtered); and then there is always the slaughter, the end of living either in pain or pleasure or both.

It is obvious to a humane reader that the struggles Foer is grappling with are ones that are complicated, multi-faceted, layered, and I would argue inseparable from other systemic forms of violence and oppression, though Foer does not go there, which is a shame. He certainly makes use of facts, but he limits his interpretation of those facts.

So, for instance, I borrow from animal rights literature and feminist philosophy when I say that the quintessentially exploited farmed animal is female. We saw, as depicted in the book, the egregious treatment of (female) sows and (female) egg-laying hens. (We don't have the depiction of (female) "milk-producing" cows, which is also egregious.) In all of these instances, female reproductive systems are exploited to unfathomable reaches. Thus, the female animal bears the brunt (and, to be clever, the runt) of the systemic exploitation of animals. Without the female animal body, there would cease to be any more animal bodies, female or male, and yet, it is only through the forced seizure of the female animal body that exploitation becomes possible, and where it begins.

A well-known writer (I apologize that I forget his name now), when asked why he was vegetarian, said, "I do not eat anything with a mother." This may sound cheesy or lovey-dovey at first read, but upon closer analysis it becomes obvious that it is the mother, or the female, that is first and foremost exploited. First, with the forced insemination, second with the painful process of reproduction or the giving birth coupled with the seizure of the newborn at a painfully tender age, and, finally, after years of such "labor," the transport and slaughter of the female animal.

My criticism of the book is that it mostly recapitulates information about the violence of contemporary animal agriculture in the United States. Yet the book is doing important work by bringing the limelight on the "locked doors" of factory farms and I see this as an important project of the book.

Even more important than criticism though for an author and an invested reader dealing with a tremendous moral issue of our time is the fear of inaction. The fear that we will simply sigh and say, "People are done consuming this book. The process is over in a matter of minutes."

Eating Animals is a very good book. It's well-researched and is an accessible read for most people. I've been vegan since reading Skinny Bitch and Omnivore's Dilemma. Skinny Bitch suffers from being over the top, while Omnivore's Dilemma is too dry or technical for many. This is based on my interactions with family and friends. Everyone will getting Foer's book from me this Christmas! Everyone needs to be aware of the ethical, environmental, and health issues posed by our current food system. While many folks will not convert to veganism after reading this book, at least they will be compelled to reduce their animal product consumption.

I have been a vegetarian for many years but still found this book to be very powerful and have learned a lot about the process involved in factory farming. I have also bought this book for family members and friends because I think it is critical that we educate ourselves and others on what we eat and where it comes from. I have read most of Michael Pollan's books and enjoyed them but feel this gives a deeper explanation into the actual industry and the ways in which animals are treated/mistreated by factory farms. I recommend it to meat eaters as well as vegetarians and vegans.

Very thought provoking book. More than thought provoking, if you are an omnivore it is very likely to result in provoking a change in behavior. Foer does a good job with a very difficult and important subject.

It's OK to eat meat; what's not OK is to ignore the implications and consequences of that decision. The easiest way to express concern for animal welfare and the environment is to be a vegetarian. Foer's book points out that if you're not going to be a vegetarian, there is still a lot you can do to minimize the harm your eating habits have on the environment and on your fellow living creatures.

I absolutely loved this book. It is well written & gives a transparent view into our current food systems. I appreciated the differing points of views while the author allowed the reader the ability to come to their own decision on the choice to remain an omnivore, or become vegetarian or vegan. Worth reading.

I have been eating mostly vegetarian since I read this book. I have been very careful to eat meat from responsible farms since reading this book. I understand that there are two sides to every story, but this book really spoke to me and I have changed my life because of it. I am so grateful to Jonathan Safran Foer for writing this book.

As someone who loves Foer's previous work, but isn't usually interested in non-fiction, I wasn't sure what to expect from Eating Animals. I got so much more than I ever bargained for. Eating Animals made me laugh, and cry, and think. Seriously think. The horrors Foer depicts are as impossible to ignore as is the fact that this book goes far beyond a simple journalistic consideration of the issue. It's a non-fiction book like no non-fiction book I've ever read.

Foer's point is simple: Virtually all of the animal products we consume come from factory farms. Regardless of where each of us ultimately land on the larger philosophical questions about meat, we have no choice but to recognize that factory farming is utterly reprehensible. And, whether we like it or not, we can't avoid making decisions about what practices we are going to support. Foer reminds us that we need to make those choices deliberately without assuming that farming practices haven't changed since biblical days. He asks us to ask ourselves what kind of "eating animals" we want to be.

Foer helps us remember that our food choices mean more to us than simply taste; the food we spend our lives eating is a meaningful part of who we are. While giving up all animal products doesn't sound terribly simple for any of us, this book has left me thinking for the first time that such a choice is not just necessary, but possible, and most importantly, completely worth it. Because facing the issues in our lives that are the least palatable, and dealing with them head on, is what truly makes us human.

An excellent account of the horrors of factory farming. To balance this approach also read The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith. You may not agree with everything Keith says, but you will understand how the growing of monocrops like wheat and corn (foods which some vegans rely on to a significant degree) also destroys the environment and results in the death of many animals. Her account of how a poorly designed vegetarian diet can contribute to poor health is also noteworthy. The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability

I picked this book up from the library along with Foer's novel 'Extremely Lound and Incredibly Close' just out of curiosity. We've been vegetarians for a long time, but mostly for health reasons and just for preference. There was much revealed to me by this book that I had not realized before. This is an important read for those who want to be educated about what they eat and where it comes from. Very creatively organized and more entertaining than I thought it would be.

Obviously, this book is not unique in subject matter. We've seen this content before in books like the Ethics of What We Eat and the Omnivore's Dilemma. The question then, does Eating Animals offer enough of a new twist and new information to make it a worthwhile read for those interested in vegetarianism and the meat industry in general?

As a huge fan of Foer's novels, I expected a unique point of view that would make this book worth reading even though I was already pretty informed about factory farming. And my expectations were definitely met. Foer goes after the subject at a different angle--this book is part memoir and part journalism. He provides a heap of facts but makes sure to lace it all into the form of a personal narrative. Sometimes Foer is very objective, at others he is purposely subjective. This blending of information and emotion suits the subject matter better than the purely journalistic nature of other books about the meat industry. The question "what should I eat today?" isn't some academic debate, it is a very personal decision that we all make every day. In deciding whether or not to eat meat, Foer realizes that we have to take into consideration both our minds and our hearts.

My favorite parts of this book actually weren't written by Foer at all. Interspersed in the chapters are letters from individuals associated with different parts of the industry. There are letters from factory farmers, family farmers, meat advocates, and animal rights activists alike. These letters are incredibly well-written, well-edited, intelligent, and passionate. If nothing else, read this book for these letters. They provide a very exceptional portrait of the people involved in all aspects of meat production.

There are some things that Foer gets a little off. The organization of the book is somewhat confusing and random. There are also times when the writing is sensationalistic, but that is understandable given the horrors of what must be described.

Overall, this book is a great read for those interested in ethical eating. Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, this isn't the ultimate book on the food industry and vegetarianism, and I don't think that's what Foer intended it to be anyways. This is simply a unique narrative that adds to the discussion. For those that have read other works about the meat industry, it is worth reading Eating Animals to gain some more perspective. For those who haven't read much on the subject, it's also a good place to start.

Whatever your stance is on the ethics of eating animal products, you MUST read this book. Beautiful written and extremely powerful, this book changed both my and my husband's life for the better. JSF touches on the moral, health, environmental, and human rights reasons for not eating animals without ever being preachy. This is partially because he interviews people from all walks--from the last "humane" poultry farmer to the factory farm worker to the animal rights activist. The scientific knowledge weaved throughout also strengthens the book, and JSF's compassionate and accepting stance is remarkable. A true masterpiece on every level. You won't be sorry you took the time to read this book.