Review
In Joanne Stepaniak’s hands, veganism . . . infuses and informs every aspect of a full, flourishing human (and humane) existence. — Tom Regan, Ph.D., Founder of The Culture and Animals Foundation and Author of Pulitzer Prize-Nominated The Case for Animal RightsJoanne Stepaniak has long been one of the freshest voices on the social challenges . . . that arise for vegetarians and vegans. — John Robbins, Author of Diet for a New America
In Being Vegan, ren…
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After reading Joanne Stepaniak’s “The Vegan Sourcebook,” the most comprehensive and authoritative guide on Veganism that I have ever seen, I was hungry for more of Stepaniak’s lucid writing — a writing suffused with a style that mixed compelling arguments with a gentle compassion and understanding.
This book, which can be considered the world’s first FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on Veganism, is a delight. While “The Vegan Sourcebook” did a splendid job of setting up a sturdy foundation for the Vegan’s beliefs, in this book Stepaniak fills in lots of the details by answering very specific questions about Veganism, questions she has received over the years from Vegans who have turned to her for answers. It makes for a fascinating read, and the format lends itself well to browsing — short questions followed by concise answers. And it covers just about everything you ever wanted to know about Veganism, from how to ensure that you’re investing in animal-kind industries; how to deal with relatives who eat meat; what to do if you become Vegan after working for years in a lucrative job at a deli; how to deal with dinner invitations; what to do if you become Vegan while your spouse doesn’t, and the list goes on — there are two hundreds pages worth!
As is typically refreshing of Stepaniak, there’s no aggressive proselytizing, no holier-than-thou attitude and always a fine balance between idealism and realism; she constantly reminds Vegans to see the forest for the trees — that taking any philosophy to an extreme is futile and often leads to needless frustration.
And in the end, it doesn’t matter whether readers agree with all of the answers given; what mattered most to me was that, with Stepaniak’s gentle guiding hand, I finally confronted many important issues that had been previously swept under the carpet. And by thinking about those issues I was able to come up with a better, more coherent philosophy of life. And this is the greatest accolade that I can give any book. Like Stepaniak’s “The Vegan Sourcebook,” I highly recommend “Being Vegan.”
Being vegan in a very unvegan world can be extremely difficult. Fortunately Joanne Stepaniak has provided us all with a guidebook to staying sane as a vegan in our current world. Being a beginning vegan I found this book to be very reassuring that veganism is a realistic possibility for people of all ages. Furthermore, this book prepares you for virtually every scenario that you can encounter as a vegan. Prior to reading this book I had no idea how linked the meat, diary, egg, and leather industries all were. Upon reading this I realized that a vegan lifestyle was perfectly logical and compassionate for me. I would recommend this book to any vegan because it provides a strong base for handling social situations, dining at restaurants, and how to deal with vegan dilemmas. Above all, Stepaniak encourages her readers to seek compassion as much as current societal limits will allow.