From Publishers Weekly
Less an introduction to vegetarianism than a list of reasons not to eat meat, this expansion of a self-published pamphlet Rice hands out on New York streets (she claims to have distributed nearly 200,000 copies since 1991) offers already committed vegetarians back-up for their decision and gives diehard carnivores a surprising look at some of the problems associated with meat eating. Rice's "attempt to investigate every good reason to become a vegetarian" can feel unnervingly strident, even for those inclined to agree with her, but her sources are primarily mainstream newspaper and magazine articles-not small, fiery anti-carnivore Web sites. Some of Rice's reasons we should all go veggie include: vegetables' high concentrations of beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants; the stomach-turning odor of pork "mega-farms"; costly government subsidies for livestock producers; and studies that show animal protein is linked to heart disease, hormonal cancers and diabetes. This isn't a book to read cover-to-cover, but it will provide interested parties with a wealth of information about health and social issues connected to meat consumption.
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Book Description
For many years, Pamela Rice, president of the Vivavegie Society in New York City, has produced the pamphlet 101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian, known to all who have read it as "The Mighty Convincer." The pamphlet offers in bite-sized pieces the many human health, animal welfare/rights, and environmental reasons why people are choosing a meatless diet.
Now Pamela has written an expanded and fully resourced book-length version of 101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian, filling out the details of her argument and providing up-to-date information, but maintaining her engaging and informed style. She covers everything from the conditions for animals on factory farms to disappearing fish stocks, lagoons of animal waste, high incidences of colon cancer and other diseases, and other information from industry periodicals, newspapers, magazines, Web sites, and other less readily available sources.
A work of prodigious scholarship and dedication, written with wit and skill, 101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian is sure to become the handy reference work for vegetarians who want to give their meat-eating friends one book that explains why they do what they do, and for meat-eaters who want to understand all the arguments for a meatless diet.
