Please Don't Eat the Animals: All the Reasons You Need to Be a Vegetarian

In the tradition of Peter Singer's seminal Animal Liberation, author Horsman and her daughter Flowers have filled this slim primer with inspiring words from vegetarians throughout history, shocking statistics and grim descriptions of factory farms in its rundown of reasons to hold the meat. Ever wonder how broiler chickens survive chronic overcrowding? ""Feather plucking and cannibalism are common in the sheds, so chickens must have their beaks removed;"" the authors then go on to describe the beak-removal process in gritty detail. They also provide grim snapshots of the toll meat wages on the environment, the economy, human health and spiritual well-being. Unafraid of anthropomorphizing livestock, Horsman and Flowers subscribe fully to Singer's assertion that ""in suffering the animals are our equals;"" thus, they refer to dairy cows as ""mom"" and baby pigs as ""Wilburs,"" and include quotes comparing the treatment of animals on factory farms to the treatment of humans during the Holocaust. Though powerful and logical arguments, these tactics may prove off-putting to curious omnivores, and aren't backed up with enough annotation to sway doubters. Still, for those who want an unflinching look at their last burger, this brief guide makes an excellent start.