Growing up on a small family farm in the Midwest, I was immersed in a world of animals: pets, free-ranging wildlife, and “food” animals (pigs and cows). As an adult and academic professional, I longed for a way to bridge my vocation (teaching college students and writing about literature) and my deep commitment to the care and stewardship of all beings. These books have opened my eyes to the lived experiences of farmed animals and to the mythologies we use to hide these experiences from ourselves and, especially, our children. I hope you find them as moving and insightful as I do!
I wrote...
The Mythology of the Animal Farm in Children's Literature: Over the Fence
Scully's tour de force investigates the state of humanity's relationship with animals through a Scriptural lens, exploring the multifaceted concept of "dominion" from the Biblical creation story as he takes on industrial farmers, trophy hunters, and others who gain fame and fortune on the backs of suffering nonhuman creatures.
I continue to be moved by the author's courage in using his voice as a well-known Republican speechwriter to dismantle the notion that compassion for animals is a "liberal" cause. His immersive research into the full range of manifestations of animal cruelty makes this one of the most shocking and compelling texts I have read on the subject of our treatment of other beings.
In the Book of Genesis, God grants mankind "dominion" over other animals. But with such power comes an important responsibility: To treat them with kindness. Part investigative journalism and part call to action, DOMINION explores how we have disregarded and even perverted that duty towards animals. Building a case that avoids the extremes of more radical animal rights advocates, Matthew Scully argues against the popular and "scientifically proven" notions that animals cannot feel pain, experience no emotions and are not conscious of their own lives. Moving from that biblical injunction to a safari convention and a hellish factory farm, and…
This classic by the vegan ecofeminist writer and activist opened my eyes to the ways in which language is used to cover or erase real animal lives. I appreciate her relatable examples as she calls out both the tendency to dismiss caring for animals as a childish concern and the systematic desensitization of children to the consumption of meat.
Prior to discovering this book, I had never reflected on the interconnectedness of animal cruelty and gendered violence against human victims, but Adams led me to think much more deeply about representations of female farmed animals in children's stories, advertising, and popular culture in general.
The Sexual Politics of Meat is Carol Adams' inspiring and controversial exploration of the interplay between contemporary society's ingrained cultural misogyny and its obsession with meat and masculinity. First published in 1990, the book has continued to change the lives of tens of thousands of readers into the second decade of the 21st century.
Published in the year of the book's 25th anniversary, the Bloomsbury Revelations edition includes a substantial new afterword, including more than 20 new images and discussions of recent events that prove beyond doubt the continuing relevance of Adams' revolutionary book.
Melson's highly original work has been a towering influence on my thinking about how children, who naturally gravitate to animals, learn to repress this deep connection as they grow into adults, oblivious (or resigned) to the systems implicated in the production of meat and other animal products.
I appreciate her detailed study of the process that brings about this "shift" and how it manifests as an explosion of animal-themed toys, games, films, and other cultural products, even as contact with real animals is all but lost to today's young people.
As a former 4-H kid, I especially respect and relate to her sober analysis of the "rite of passage" of raising and having a personal relationship with an animal whose purpose is to be sold and turned into food.
Whether they see themselves as King of the Wild Things or protector of Toto, children live in a world filled with animals - both real and imaginary. From Black Beauty to Barney, animal characters romp through children's books, cartoons, videos, and computer games. As Gail Melson tells us, more than three-quarters of all children in America live with pets and are now more likely to grow up with a pet than with both parents.
I admire how Torres traces his own process of awakening to the realities of industrial farming, from the happy farm life he had been led to imagine to the brutal exploitation that makes animals themselves and their products into commodities for human consumption. His account is both deeply personal and unflinching in its uncovering of the hidden production methods that most of us would prefer not to see.
My Marxian-inflected approach to seeing animals both as products and as their own laboring class was heavily influenced by this powerful book and its focus on lived experiences that are the polar opposite of what children's books typically portray.
Suggest to the average leftist that animals should be part of broader liberation struggles and—once they stop laughing—you'll find yourself casually dismissed. With a focus on labor, property, and the life of commodities, Making a Killing contains key insights into the broad nature of domination, power, and hierarchy. It explores the intersections between human and animal oppressions in relation to the exploitative dynamics of capitalism. Combining nuts-and-bolts Marxist political economy, a pluralistic anarchist critique, as well as a searing assessment of the animal rights movement, Bob Torres challenges conventional anti-capitalist thinking and convincingly advocates for the abolition of animals in…
I have waited for years for the new book from the animal rights legend (and president/founder of the Institute for Humane Education), which provides a roadmap for building a better world through a transformative course of action called the Solutionary Process.
As always, I appreciate how Weil makes a compelling case for compassion for nonhuman animals; here, she pays special attention to the plight of hens used for egg production, dairy cows, veal calves, and the secrecy and deception surrounding their treatment by the animal-industrial complex.
The author’s signature mix of accurate (and often shocking) facts with personal storytelling and gentle myth-busting encourages compassion without plunging would-be change agents into apathy or depression.
Forges a path away from polarization toward ethical problem solving and a more humane, equitable, and healthy society
From tackling injustice to protecting the environment to ending animal cruelty to improving the strength of our communities, deep divisions in our society often prevent us from working collaboratively to solve the problems we face.
Based on Zoe Weil's decades of work as a humane educator, The Solutionary Way provides clear, achievable methods to bridge divides, address the causes of seemingly intractable challenges, and create positive change. Grounded in evidence-based optimism and illustrated with dozens of real-world examples, this book provides:
This book uncovers and interrogates five recurring “myths” in books written for children about farmed animals. Drawing on animal theory, psychoanalysis, Marxism, and child development theory, it demonstrates how children's literature systematically portrays animal lives as the opposite of their reality.
The close readings of stories and illustrations explore the representation of these beloved characters as free agents who willingly choose the carefree but protected life of the farm, grateful for the care and stewardship of their human companions. While the book explores serious themes, the often humorous explications gently invite adult readers to reflect on their own relationships with real and literary animals.
Edge of the Known World is a near-future love and adventure story about a brilliant young refugee caught in era when genetic screening tests like 23AndMe make it impossible to hide a secret identity. The novel is distributed by Simon & Schuster. It is a USA Today Bestseller and 2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in multiple categories, including Best New Fiction, Political Thriller, and Science Fiction: General.
Alexandra is a gifted student, adoring daughter, and exuberant prankster. She is also hiding in the open. After a blissful childhood, Alex learned she’s an illegal refugee from a brutal regime, smuggled into…
Fans of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake will be swept away by this riveting speculative fiction adventure and love story about family, genetic privacy, and the onrushing future of surveillance technology.
2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in multiple categories, including Best New Fiction, Political Thriller, and Science Fiction
Alexandra Tashen is a brilliant student, adoring daughter, merry wit, and exuberant prankster. After a blissful childhood on a Texas ranch, she learns the truth: She is a refusé, an illegal refugee smuggled into the Allied Nations as an infant. Everyone from her birth region carries a harmless but detectable bit of…
