4 out of 4 stars
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I had a hard time writing this review because my opinion on it is very simple. It’s great.
Go get it right now. Shoo.
Still here? Okay… I’ll explain why I think everyone should read Turning Points in Compassion. According to the disclaimer, this book is intended to “provide useful information, inspiration, motivation and education to readers on cruelty free living and plant-based diet”. After reading it, I think all of these things are covered without being judgmental about people who choose to eat animal products. The editors accomplish this by focusing on the personal experiences of animal advocates. The .pdf I received has a really nice format with well-chosen font colors. There are beautiful photos of the different advocates and their animal companions.
The book is made up of articles written by animal advocates and interviews with them. The main focus of the writing is about when the advocates became vegan and why, but a lot of the stories expand far beyond that. All of these different writings are organized well based mostly on the occupation of the advocate in question. It starts with the people on the front lines, the farmers. Then it moves on to people like sanctuary workers, lawyers, vets, doctors, activists, religious leaders, and many others.
There is a bit of a muddle near the middle where a few of the stories sound too similar, but I couldn’t imagine taking any one story out of the book since every writer’s opinion is important and adds a new perspective. My favorite story was about a farmer that was struggling with the decision to take his cattle to slaughter. I found it to be both incredibly touching as well as suspenseful.
While in the journey of learning about each advocate’s story, the reader also learns about farming practices, animal experimentation, environmentalism, human rights, and so much more. Each article also lists resources that the reader can explore to learn more. At the very end there is an addendum with only facts in case the reader wants to learn more about the issues brought up.
Because of the frequent scientific terms and the sophisticated vernacular of many of the writers, the reading level is a little higher than average. Also, while the writing styles and tone vary, quite a few of them are a bit dry. A reader should probably have at least a high school reading level to fully appreciate all of the stories. For those interested in vegan educational material for children, the publisher of Turning Points in Compassion, SpiritWings Humane Education Inc. has a whole series dedicated to that as well.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4. Turning Points in Compassion: Personal Journeys of Animal Advocates should be read by everyone. For vegans, it will enforce what they already embrace. For those that are considering becoming vegan, it will inspire and provide helpful resources. For people that aren’t interested in becoming vegan at all, it will give valuable insight about why those “crazy vegans” don’t love bacon. The goal of the writers and editors was to give a voice to the voiceless and it definitely accomplishes this.
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Turning Points In Compassion
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