Books Archive – Page 2 of 18

Pickle

The third in a trilogy of beautifully illustrated children’s books, this story about a little pig and his journey to freedom and happiness that will delight children and adults alike.

Pickle: Can One Little Pig Weather the Storm? is a riveting, fun and engaging book about a pig born into a factory farm where he is raised to become bacon served on a plate. Pickle, like all of his companions, are raised in crowded and dirty warehouses where everyone is treated without compassion for their feelings or personal comfort. But a hurricane changes his chances for a better life. This book takes you on this journey that is sure to delight children of all ages.

“I find it puzzling that so many adults happily recite numerous fairy tales to children, especially the sanitized Disney versions, even though the stories can be scary and involve a bit of violence. There are stepmothers that want to murder their stepdaughters or treat them like slaves, as in Snow White and Cinderella. And yet, children’s stories about farms and farm animals are more make-believe than these fairy tales! Children are made to believe that animals live happily on green pastures and frolic with their friends and family members. These images are so ubiquitous when we are young that we continue to believe this fantasy as adults.

We need more books like Pickle! Here is a story for young readers that is honest about animal agriculture. It unfolds in a way that is mindful of its young audience, with a joyful and inspiring ending. As in other books in this trilogy by Cheryl Moss (Gabriel and Cluck), Irene Blasco’s brightly colored images enhance the storytelling in a gentle and sensitive way that is appropriate for children. We can relate to needs and desires of Pickle and the other pigs, because in many ways, they are just like us. Pickle: Can One Little Pig Weather the Storm? is an engaging story, perfect for any child’s bookshelf.”—Caryn Hartglass, Co-Founder and President, Responsible Eating And Living

“As a sanctuary-based humane educator, I have struggled to find children’s books that speak to the truths of animal agriculture and showcase the sentience of farmed animals. Pickle is a story that allows young readers to gain a deeper understanding of the lives many farmed animals live. This is all the while demonstrating the incredible qualities of farmed animals. Pickle’s story draws you in and captures your heart while raising awareness about factory farming.”—Kelly Nix, Humane Educator and Outreach Coordinator, Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary

“Children deserve to know that pigs, like cats and dogs, are smart, sensitive beings who deserve a life free from suffering. It’s tragic that factory farming robs them of that life. Pickle takes them on his journey from cramped sad circumstances to a life of freedom. Based on a true story and beautifully illustrated, children can learn that there’s a better way to meet a pig than on a plate.”—John Oberg, Founder, John Oberg Social

“Pickle is an adorable book that inspires both kids and adults. An age-appropriate story meets beautiful artwork, making this book a lovely gift for a lucky child.”—Dr. Camila Perussello, author of Food for Thought: Planetary Healing Begins on Our Plate

“As a mother and the founder of Compassion Rising, it is so important, especially in the world we live in today, that we have books like Pickle to gently explain to our children the truth about the ‘food’ we are conditioned to eat. Animals are not food, but beautiful sentient beings, and I have seen first-hand the innate seed of compassion that children have for animals from birth. It’s through this awareness that my business, Compassion Rising, was born. Thank you, Cheryl, for providing this beautifully illustrated example of the sentience and emotional intelligence of pigs. We need more books like this in the world, and we need more Awakened Authors to step up and write them. Thank you!”—Tricia Shields, Founder, Compassion Rising, LLC

Cultivated Meat to Secure Our Future

Foreword by Ira van Eelen

This provocative book informs, inspires, and opens debates about cultivated meat through an amazing collection of visionary and respected contributors.

Each essay in this collection powerfully presents the latest research and opinions regarding its potential for solving our current planetary crises. Contributors include Isha Datar of New Harvest, Chase Purdy, author of Billion Dollar Burger and Hanna Tuomisto one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of environmental sustainability assessment of cell-cultured food production technologies. Also included is a thought-provoking foreword by Ira van Eelen, daughter of Willem van Eelen the godfather of cultivated meat, cofounder and CEO of KindEarth.Tech, and cofounder of RESPECTfarms.

“Factory farms cause unacceptable cruelty to sentient animals and major damage to the environment. This book demonstrates that cultivated meat can play an important role in closing them down.”—Dr. Jane Goodall; DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and UN Messenger of Peace

“Producing meat from animals on the vast scale that is happening now is an environmental disaster and a grave public health risk. Can cultivated meat truly secure our future? Michel Vandenbosch and Philip Lymbery have brought together an impressive group of experts to answer this question.”—Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University

“A thoughtful and well-edited collection of critical discourse on the impacts of integrating cultivated meat into the food systems solutions toolbox.”—Robert E. Jones, President, Cellular Agriculture Europe

“Cultivated Meat to Secure Our Future lives up to its subtitle, offering abundant helpings of hope for animals, food security, climate, and biodiversity. Curated by two of Europe’s most successful advocates for animal protection, this is an inspiring collection of essays by some of the strongest and earliest advocates for and commentators on the scientific endeavor of making real animal meat without the need for live animals.”—Bruce Friedrich, President & Founder, the Good Food Institute

“I transitioned to being an ethical vegan because I couldn’t support the intense cruelty involved in factory farming. That is why I am so excited to read this book. It offers us a real alternative to eating ourselves into extinction because of the destruction caused by intensive animal agriculture to our planet. I mentioned to a friend how thrilled I am by this, and he turned his nose up and said, ‘I don’t trust meat produced in a lab.’ ‘So you prefer the meat, cruelly produced, in the unhygienic conditions of a factory then,’ I asked, and he didn’t reply. However, don’t take my word for it, read this compelling book. It is, in my opinion, the future. Cultivated meat is more humane, it is healthier, and it will ultimately save our wonderful planet.”—Peter Egan, Actor and Animal Advocate

How to End Injustice Everywhere

In this eye-opening and compelling work, psychologist Melanie Joy reveals the common denominator driving all forms of injustice. The mentality that drives us to oppress and abuse humans is the same mentality that drives us to oppress and abuse nonhumans and the environment, as well as those in our own groups working for justice.

How to End Injustice Everywhere offers a fascinating examination of the psychology and structure of unjust systems and behaviors. It also offers practical tools to help raise awareness of these systems and dynamics, reduce infighting, and build more resilient and impactful justice movements.

“Dr. Joy leverages her deep training and ethos towards promoting diversity and culture, as well as respect both for humans and non-humans alike. She delves into questions that gaze at us straight in the eyes, like pink elephants in the room, that the world through willful ignorance or otherwise has had the inability to see. Until now. How to End Injustice Everywhere sheds light on how the relational will always triumph, and how through understanding the drivers and levers of injustice, a just world may be closer than we dare to dream.”—HRH Dr. Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, Chair, International Board, Amnesty International

“In How to End Injustice Everywhere, Melanie Joy powerfully explains how our attempts to end injustice must be inclusive, because the psychology that informs all forms of injustice—against humans, animals, and the environment—is the same.”—Max H. Bazerman, Straus Professor, Harvard Business School and author of Better, Not Perfect and Complicit

“How to End Injustice Everywhere is a thought-provoking book that sheds light on the way we think about oppression and social justice.”—Marianne Williamson, speaker, activist, author of four #1 New York Times bestselling books, and US presidential candidate

“A just world is one where dignity and rights are equally respected. The big question is how to create this just world—for human beings and every other living being, as well as for the environment. Thankfully, Melanie Joy draws our attention to the common denominator driving all injustices, providing a way forward.”—Kwami Kpondzo, Africa Coordinator, Global Forest Coalition and Executive Director, Centre for Environmental Justice—Togo

“How to End Injustice Everywhere has the potential to revolutionize how we think about injustice and to empower our justice movements for humans, animals, and the environment.”—Moby, musician, author, producer, and activist

“Melanie Joy invites readers to look at justice from a new and comprehensive perspective. How to End Injustice Everywhere is refreshing, provocative, and about time. In the age of polycrisis, a systemic approach to justice is essential, and this book is a good place to start.”—Lasse Bruun, Director, Climate and Food, United Nations Foundation

Judaism and Global Survival

Judaism and Global Survival discusses the challenges facing humanity and the Jewish teachings related to these challenges, in order to galvanize Jews to help repair the world (tikkun olam), as required by Jewish law. It argues that we don’t need to discover new values and approaches to address current global threats. What is needed is a rediscovery and application of basic Jewish teachings and mandates, such as to pursue peace and justice, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to act as co-workers with God in protecting and preserving the world.

Judaism and Global Survival is meant to be a wake-up call, the strongest that one can make, on the urgency of addressing climate threats and other environmental threats, and the importance of Jews applying Jewish values in addressing these threats. Among the issues discussed in the book are the following: Jews are to guardians of the earth, partners and co-workers with God in working toward tikkun olam, the healing repair and proper transforming of the world; climate change is an existential threat to the world and the only hope to avert a climate catastrophe is through a major shift to plant-based diets, as that would enable reforestation of the vast areas now used for animal agriculture, reducing atmospheric CO2 to a much safer level; vegetarianism, and even more so veganism, is the diet most consistent with Jewish teachings on preserving our health, treating animals with compassion, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and helping hungry people.

The Be Kind Alphabet

From the smallest dragonfly to the largest walrus, all animals deserve to live out their lives naturally. They need help from us, and this book offers gentle, do-able ways to inspire a child to feel empowered, through whimsical verses. The human impact on our beautiful planet has been a destructive one that affects all life. This informative, call to action, lead with your heart and mind book, is filled with engaging drawings and poems to encourage your budding animal activist. Armed with information and compassion, children can stand “together for those whose language we don’t speak. Our voices will be loud and strong, there’s no time to be meek.” As the Zebu says: “We’re plant-eaters, flower-eaters, lovers of life. If the world followed suit, there would be much less strife.

“Along with teaching the alphabet, The Be Kind Alphabet also educates young people about the lives of other animals. This beautiful and engaging book instills empathy and understanding, and it will help inspire the next generation to live more kindly and to respect fellow inhabitants of our shared planet.”—Gene Bauer, Co-Founder & President, Farm Sanctuary

“With beautiful illustrations and playful poetry, young readers will discover a little about each animal’s life and environment, and how we can protect and nurture them. Children are given an empowering message, to make kind, compassionate choices when relating to animals that will benefit all life on Earth.”—Caryn Hartglass, Co-Founder and President, Responsible Eating And Living

“Charmingly illustrated The Be Kind Alphabet is an introduction for children into the wonderful variety of sentient lives we share earth with and the urgency with which we must defend them. Teaching kids the alphabet while simultaneously gently exposing them to the reality and pervasiveness of disrespect towards animals and a need for compassion seems intuitive and necessary.”—Coyote Jacobs, artist, animal caregiver, and author of SALT

“Anouk Frolic’s The Be Kind Alphabet is a beautiful book that instills awareness in children that they can extend compassion to all beings on the planet. The book’s unique concept illustrates that seeing animals as unique individuals is as rudimentary as learning the alphabet!”—Dr. Joanne Kong, editor, Vegan Voices

“Art and rhyme are incredible learning tools. Anouk Frolic has a remarkable talent for both and it’s so pleasing to see them playfully interwoven in one original book. Anouk leverages her strengths to spread kindness and awareness in the world, and in doing so, has created a book that enlightens and inspires.”—Jo-Anne McArthur, animal photojournalist and the founder of We Animals Media

Claude & Medea

Second Edition

Winner of the 2008 Gold Moonbeam Award for juvenile fiction

Claude and Medea aren’t expecting an odd substitute teacher to change their lives. Nor are they anticipating the dangerous adventure in store for them. They seem like normal kids. But are they? Claude has famous parents and sticks to the rules. Medea’s got a scholarship to a fancy private school and can’t get in trouble. How is it that they are thrown together, trying to outsmart Manhattan criminals? And why do they care so much about the weird Ms. Rattlebee? Find out what makes this unlikely pair begin to view the world differently, and to risk everything.

“There are so many things to love about this book: the characters, the suspense, the courage and compassion of the protagonists, and the fact that kids won’t be able to put the book down. At a time when young people feel growing anxiety about the problems in the world, Claude and Medea demonstrate the power of making a difference, and their strange substitute teacher demonstrates the power of education to ignite both learning and action. And who doesn’t love a great story about dogs!?”—Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Guggenheim Fellow, and author of dozens of books about dogs and other animals

“Claude & Medea is a book that matters. A riveting story of adventure and activism, it will engage young people’s imagination and also challenge them to think, feel, and, quite possibly, act in some profoundly new ways. It is a must-read for middle schoolers and for anyone of any age who wants to increase their curiosity, compassion, and moral courage. I truly believe this book belongs in school and classroom libraries everywhere!”—Steve Cochrane, former Superintendent of the Year, Princeton Public Schools

“Inspiring for young readers and adults alike, Claude & Medea tells the story of two New York City teens and improbable friends who learn firsthand what it means to be solutionaries—like revolutionaries only “with the goal of solving problems and making a difference.” This fictional book takes one on an enthralling city adventure that will surely capture the attention of children while teaching them about environmental, social, and animal issues, such as modern-day slavery and animal research, with both accuracy and sensitivity. Claude and Medea are the kind of hero protagonists our world needs now: compassionate, curious, and courageous. I highly recommend this unique book for school libraries, youth organizations, and any young person in your life.”—Elizabeth O. Crawford, teacher educator and mom of a nine-year-old budding solutionary

“Claude & Medea is a call-to-action and invitation to the table for middle schoolers, educators, and classrooms around the world. From age-appropriate conversations about systemic imbalances, responsible consumption and production, and how to be a force for positive change, the adventures of the Solutionary Squad inside these pages, as inspired by their teacher Ms. Flora Rattlebee, take learning, changemaking, and action to a new level. Imagine if every middle school inspired kids to flip their thinking, choose their own learning adventure, and make the world their classroom!”—Julia Fliss, Language Arts, Leadership, and World Studies Teacher

“Claude & Medea is an impressive story that will take readers on a journey of self-discovery. Through each character, readers will be inspired to think about how they can impact the world. Teeming with thought-provoking themes such as kindness, preservation, and the humane treatment of all living beings, Claude & Medea will remind each of us that when we endeavor to better the world, we also better ourselves.”—Andrea Jamison, Professor of School Librarianship, and former Chair of the American Library Association’s Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Roundtable

“Claude & Medea: The Hellburn Dogs was the most inspiring book I have ever read. My favorite part was Chapter 6 when Ms. Rattlebee took them on the wonder walk. It’s incredible how Ms. Rattlebee opened their eyes to the world by just inviting them to notice all the wonders around them, which inspired them to solve problems that in the beginning, they wouldn’t even have noticed. That was my favorite part—how one moment can change you forever. It inspired me sooooo much!”—Clemence Laigle, 6th grade student, Evergreen Middle School

“I love seeing a story that shows children can make a difference in the world. The young people that make their way into global media can seem distant and impossible to match. That’s where fiction comes in, and Zoe Weil has provided a pair of heroes that everyone can relate to. And which kid hero doesn’t want a Ms. Rattlebee?”—Matt Langdon, Founder of the Hero Round Table

“Claude & Medea: The Hellburn Dogs is a thrilling and engaging read. The story follows the journey of two friends, Claude and Medea, who meet a substitute teacher named Ms. Rattlebee. This encounter leads them to become more aware of the injustices towards animals, and they decide to take action. . . . It teaches valuable lessons about compassion, empathy, and activism. I highly recommend this book to other children and young adults as it is a well-written story that is both entertaining and educational.”—Vienna Langdon, age thirteen

“A substitute teacher strikes like lightning, jolting some kids out of their middle school trance of self-concern into a sense of wonder, compassion, and determination to seek justice. The kids, led by the passion of Claude and Medea, discover they can create lives of meaning by seeking to do good and defeat corruption. A fun book with a deep message about the need for a generation of solutionaries. Highly recommended.”—Robert Shetterly, Founder of Americans Who Tell the Truth and author of Portraits of Earth Justice: Americans Who Tell the Truth

“Illuminating! Seeing the world through the eyes of author Zoe Weil is always an adventure. In Claude & Madea, she delivers a page-turning, first-class detective story, transporting us back to our childhood while delivering a powerful truth: we are all capable of creating solutions to what seem like insurmountable problems. This story reminds us that when we live with compassion toward others, we are given insight that activates our brains to become solutionary thinkers. Every school should have a solutionary squad, and every kid should read this book!”—Jennifer Skiff, Author of The Divinity of Dogs and Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World

The Humane Hoax

As consumers become increasingly aware of the animal agriculture industry’s cruelty and environmental devastation, clever industry marketers are adapting with alternative “humane” and “sustainable” labeling and marketing campaigns. In the absence of accurate information, it has never been more important to educate people on the realities behind the industry lies, and people are hungry for the truth.

The Humane Hoax features a range of engaging and thought-provoking essays from eighteen notable experts who are at the forefront of this marketing and societal shift, chronicling every aspect with in-depth analyses and intellectual rigor. Among other timely topics, we will explore how the humane hoax intersects with feminism, environmentalism, how it is represented in the media, and the affects it has on human and non-human communities alike. The Humane Hoax will leave the reader questioning everything that they have been conditioned to believe as consumers.

Essays include:

“A Pig Called Silver” by Ingrid L. Taylor

“The Terrible Truths of Backyard Chicken Farming” by Alastor Van Kleeck, Ph.D.

“Murder, She Wrote: Legitimating the Meat Economy with ‘Femivorism’” by John Sanbonmastu, Ph.D.

“One Bad Day” by Carol J. Adams, M.Div.

“Reinforcing Rationalizations and a Rooster” by Hope Bohanec

“Greenwashing a Bloody Business: The Planet Can’t Survive ‘Sustainable’ Animal Farming” by Lorelei Plotczyk, M.B.A.

“Grazing vs. the Planet: The Failed Attempt to Greenwash Animal Farming” by Nicholas Carter, M.A.

“New and Improved?: Deconstructing the Narrative of So-Called Better Meat” by Robert Grillo

“A Fox Guarding the Henhouse: Can Animal Agriculture Reform Itself?” by Matthew Chalmers

“The Ethical Vegetarian Myth“ by Sailesh Rao & Lisa Barca, Ph.D.

“Corrupting the Language of Animal Welfare” by Devatha P. Nair, Ph. D.

“Kindred Spirits of Commodified Objects?: Disconnection and Perception in the Humane Hoax“ by Dr. Joanne Kong

“‘Humane Eggs’ and ‘Happy Wings’: A Look Behind the Labels“ by Karen Davis, Ph.D.

“Humane Myths and Media: The Reproduction of Speciesism in Mainstream U.S. News“ by Lisa Barca, Ph.D.

“Modern Foodie Culture: A Celebration of Violence“ by Robert C. Jones, Ph.D.

“Honor Killing: Spirituality Bypass and False Faith in Do-It-Yourself Slaughter“ by Cogen Bohanec, Ph.D.

“Using the Deeper Dimensions of Jain Ahiṃsā to Shed Light on Dairy’s Humane Hoax“ by Christopher Jain Miller, Ph.D.

“Amidst the marketing claims of ‘happy’ and ‘humane,’ this anthology provides the truth that sets free consumers who want to live ethically and eat honestly. Concurrently, it seeks to set free those animals trapped in the agricultural system, of which ‘small,’ ‘family’ and ‘organic’ farms are all a part”—Victoria Moran, author of Main Street Vegan and host of The Victoria Moran Podcast

“We live in an era of a catastrophic and rapid ecological genocide, and concurrently increasing human poverty and exploitation. We live in an era of massive exploitation and suffering of animals on a scale beyond imagining. These calamities are intertwined. Biophysically, we cannot resolve the ecological crisis or achieve global food security without transitioning towards plant foods. Mentally, we cannot relinquish our tendency to rationalize our exploitation of humans, animals or the environment without a universal and encompassing empathy. Never before has the confluence of science, rationality, ethics and compassion been more important. As such I hope this anthology reaches far and wide.” —Dr. Tushar Mehta, creator of PlantBasedData.org

“The Humane Hoax shines an important and necessary bright light on the many myths and marketing lies surrounding animal agriculture. Violence, exploitation, commodification, and killing sentient beings to satisfy our desires can never be made ethical by adding the word ‘humane’ to it. Humane animal farming is, and always will be, an oxymoron.”—Charles Horn, Ph.D., author of Meat Logic: Why Do We Eat Animals?

“Animal advocacy is working—more dairy, egg, and meat producers tout ‘humanely raised’ or ‘carbon-friendly’ than ever before. Yet The Humane Hoax reveals that these glitzy, hollow labels hide the real and significant harms that animal agriculture continues to wreak. This anthology is a necessary, complete rejoinder to the recent locavore, femivore, and meat apologist movements. The Humane Hoax’s highly-educated authors show us in entertaining, diverse ways—supported with thorough research and approachable explanation—that a path to a better world cannot include animal agriculture.”—Karthik Sekar, author of After Meat

“Hope Bohanec, and her brilliant team of essayists, expose the meat industry’s cynical greenwashing and mislabeling for what it is: Orwellian double-speak. Read this book, learn the truth, and take the power back with your food choices.”—Jane Velez-Mitchell, TV Journalist, NYTimes bestselling author, UnchainedTV founder

“This book expresses a fiercely compassionate worldview. It refuses to shy away from suffering—and inspires us to do something. Often, food labels and ads mislead consumers and don’t tell the whole truth. The Humane Hoax will open your mind.”—Alene Anello, Legal Impact for Chickens

“This collection of thought-provoking essays from a wide variety of voices exposes a truth that the animal agriculture industry works hard to conceal. The Humane Hoax is a wake-up call to every consumer who believes that labels such as ‘cage-free,’ ‘pasture-raised,’ or ‘responsibly sourced’ are anything but a marketing ploy.”—Mark Hawthorne, author of Bleating Hearts: The Hidden World of Animal Suffering

“Consumers want to believe that the animals they eat are well-treated. However, humane labels and regulation bring comfort only to consumers, while the animals remain just as—if not more—exploited. This anthology helps shine a much-needed light on what ‘humane’ concepts actually mean for the beings they are designed to protect. In order to make informed decisions, to look ourselves in the mirror and ask if we are truly living the values we purport to have, we must know the truth. Consumers deserve to know the reality behind the labels. They deserve to know what they are paying others to do to animals in their name. I urge you to read this book and ask yourself: if you personally had to do to animals what humane labels allow, would you?”—Emily Moran Barwick, Activist, Educator, Speaker, and Writer at BiteSizeVegan.org

“As you step into the world of The Humane Hoax, you will be instantly transported into the reality of the cruel and harsh world that innocent farm animals endure second by second until they are violently killed for their meat, dairy and eggs. The so called ‘humane meat’ racket is visually exposed word by word, sentence by sentence in this collection of powerful essays. This book’s immersion into the truth behind the lies and deception of humane labeling will leave you ready to ditch any notion that animals are treated any better on so called ‘humane meat farms.’
The editor of The Humane Hoax, Hope Bohanec, has a depth of compassion for the sentience of all life combined with lifelong knowledge and experience of the issue. The fact that she’s seen and documented first-hand these horrors make her an excellent eye-witness. A staunch advocate for revealing the unbridled truth behind the fabricated labels and lies, I highly recommend her work.”—Renee King-Sonnen, Founder & Executive Director, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary & The Rancher Advocacy Program

“What would the world look like if we were all willing to live a life of empathy based on the truth? Witnessing the truth through this book is so powerful. I want to get a copy into the hands of every human on earth. A perfect eye-opening, heart-opening look at the reality of the myths behind humanewashing labels. A true wake-up call.”—Rae Sikora, Co-founder Institute for Humane Education, Vegfund and Plant Peace Daily

“The Humane Hoax makes clear the depravity of the myth of ‘humanely raised’ animal foods. The claim to being in any way ‘humane’ is simply false; the claim to being more healthful is a lie; the cost to the environment is often even worse than from conventional animal farming; and there is the added insult of duplicity.”—Glen Merzer, author, Food Is Climate and Own Your Health

“Lies poison everything. Humane hype not only injures animals by hiding the harms they suffer but also hurts people by tricking them into betraying their own ethical commitments. Coming at the problem from every angle, the diverse contributors to this essential volume not only expose the lies but also explain why they have been so persuasive. Read this book to make sure you haven’t been hoodwinked and to learn what you need to know to refute the fictions that coax so many people who care about animals into literally buying into cruelty.”—pattrice jones, author of Oxen at the Intersection and founder of VINE Sanctuary

Hope the Hopeful Piglet

Hope is a baby piglet, and she was born in a factory farm. When she was young, her mother was taken away somewhere. One day, Hope is being taken to a new place too. She hopes she will see her mom again. While on the truck that is taking Hope and her piglet friends to the new place, Hope meets some animal friends that tell her about how nice it is at the park, and the beach, and the forest. But when Hope arrives at the new place, it isn’t nice like those places. It’s dark, dirty, and scary. Then one day, Hope’s dream of seeing all the beautiful places she heard about, may just come true. Thanks to a kind and brave girl. See how Hope’s story turns out, and how through her we can show our children kindness and compassion for all animals.

“This short and beautiful story is the kind of stories I believe parents should be sharing with their babies, the next generation, who has a power to change how we view life and our perception of other animals. Hope’s story is one that many animals have experienced, but unfortunately, many more have experienced the story of her mother. It is the both the responsibility and the privilege of parents to raise kids who will try their best to take important moral stances and live ethical lives. In a world where many ignore the importance of concepts such as love and respect, let Hope’s story raise children who will embrace these concepts.”—Seb Alex, animal rights activist, lecturer, photojournalist, and author

“All libraries need to make space on their shelves for Hope the Hopeful Piglet and her story. Told through the eyes of this adorable little pig, children will be gently educated and entertained by her moving story. I truly wish this book existed back when I was a kid.”—Sorsha Morava, animal rights activist and content creator

“The book I wish I read as a child! A wonderful introduction into animal rights… A thoughtful, heartfelt, realistic, and compassionate look at the animals that children love.”—Atomic Vegans, animal rights activists and artists

“A little story of Hope, her life was almost lost.
People wanted to hurt her; they didn’t know the cost.
She’s such a smart, loving girl who, like us, can think and feel.
How ever could we hurt her, she’s more than just a meal.”
—Emma Graf, animal rights activist and mother

“The hardest part about raising vegan children isn’t what to feed them; It’s protecting their natural sense of compassion in a world full of indifference.” —Sara Marti, animal rights activist and mother

“For too many it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the voiceless victims of animal agriculture. This uplifting tale lends a voice to one such victim and pulls at our heartstrings as we experience the realities of our cruel food system from a baby animal’s point of view. As a mother, I couldn’t help but empathize with the main character as if she were my own little one. It’s essential to educate kids about everyday injustices like this and empower them to make compassionate choices for animals, people, and the planet.”—Ashley Renne Nsonwu, activist, speaker, educator

“This book beautifully illustrates how all animals are the same—they all want love happiness companionship and freedom. Unfortunately, today’s society teaches our children that some animals are to be protected and loved, and some are to be imprisoned and hurt. It’s so important to re-educate our future generations that all animals are equal and deserve to live their lives in peace. That’s why as activists we need to spread the word of veganism, for the good of the animals, our planet, and also our own health.”—Sarah Jane Abdennadher, animal rights activist

SALT

Painted with color and bold inkwork, SALT is a graphic novel about two men, Silas and Boyd, who liberate a monkey from a vivisection lab. Oslo, the monkey rescued, is based upon a real experiment conducted in 1970 where scientist Robert J. White switched the head of one rhesus macaque onto the body of another. In the real experiment, the monkey died after nine days from immune rejection, but in SALT, Oslo lives and suffers in her new unfamiliar body. We follow Silas, a man whose neurosis makes a grocery store trip feel traumatic, and Boyd, a man whose impulsive nature leads him into precarious situations, as they both attempt, in their own ways, to lead Oslo to a better life.

“Wow, this is a true out-of-left field masterpiece from a cartoonist I hadn’t heard of before seeing this work. Intense and pouring over with color and a rich narrative, this is truly a unique experience of a book. Jacobs is working from a world of imagery all his own and the experience of reading this is a singular one. Don’t sleep on this.”—Austin English, cartoonist and artist, Owner of Domino Books: Mind-expanding comics for freethinkers.

“SALT brings movement to the movement, utilizing the graphic novel medium as a hopeful method of reimagining historical fiction. Drawn with expressive urgency, Jacobs illustrates the heartbreak, responsibility, and fears that can coincide with animal rescue activism. Our protagonist’s mental state trails into nightmarish moments that expose the challenge of practicing an ethics of care in a world that normalizes violence.” —Suzy González, visual artist

“To see Jacobs’s art is to be challenged into a deeper sensitivity; drawn in by the densely packed, kaleidoscoping waterfalls and explosions of hope and pain that saturate each page in its own technicolor nightmare-vs-dream landscape. Brushstrokes capture the expressions of humans and other-than-humans against shifting backdrops dotted by minimalist utterances that require you to draw upon your most raw emotions and join in a collective yearning for any sign of compassion. SALT reveals a world that is at the same time hopeless and hopeful—that merges identities of human and non-human animals into both the heroes and the victims—within a journey that gives no guarantee of safe passage. I feel like Jacobs’s art is unto itself a form of essential, beautiful, heartbreaking, and unsparing activism. Animal rights activists live balancing impossible realities and Jacobs’s art is the language of that experience.”—Rebecca Moore, Founder and Executive Director, The Institute for Animal Happiness

“Touching. Unsettling. Soul-stirring. I’m in awe of Jacobs’s art! SALT tells the story of three wounded spirits crossing paths towards healing. Poignant images, meaningful dialogues and a powerful preface combine to awaken us from our collective cultural insanity. SALT reminds us that nonviolence is the only thing that will make us feel whole again.” —Dr. Camila Perussello, author of Food for Thought: Planetary Healing Begins on Our Plate

“In his allegorical comic, Jacobs reveals the relational and psychic dimensions of trauma, anxiety, and care in the context of animal exploitation in scientific research and the activists who intervene. Deftly using raw, colorful illustration and relatable dialog, Jacob illustrates, through fiction, the lived reality by those who take risks to save animals from their systems of oppression.”—Linnea Ryshke, author of Kindling: Poetry and Art

Recovery Writing

James Ryan is an addict in recovery. He is now over twenty years sane and sober, married and a father of two, and a PhD graduate who researches the power of writing to heal. In Recovery Writing, Ryan tells his own story and the stories of the addicts he interviewed in the course of his research. These narratives, informed by existing research on writing’s physical and psychological effects, lead to a social understanding of healing. While writing does enable us to emote and confess, this is not the limit of its power. Writing heals our relationships as much as our bodies and minds. It attunes us to our social reality and improves our way of being with others. The notion of a higher power and the divine are also explored. Included in this book are step-by-step instructions for writing exercises that offer a first-hand experience of social healing. These exercises, drawn from the backs of coffee-stained diner place mats and the hard-earned experience of addicts struggling to remake their lives, introduce those willing to undertake this journey to the powerful, life-changing world of recovery writing.

“Deftly weaving together his own recovery journey, the stories of other addicts, and ways of ‘writing through recovery,’ James Ryan, in Recovery Writing: Discovery and Healing in the Twelve Steps provides a useful and breathtakingly poignant set of observations on how the act of writing is integral to healthy recovery. Part memoir, part how-to book, Ryan’s book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the power of writing in overcoming the cunning, baffling, and powerful pull of addiction.”—Michael Bernard-Donals, Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Forgetful Memory: Representation and Remembrance After Auschwitz and other titles.

“If writing connects us with energies and powers beyond ourselves, how does writing contribute to the mysterious process of healing from addiction? Drawing from extensive research, the stories of other addicts, and deep reflection on his own experience, Ryan explores the power of writing to help people in the Twelve Step program move from selfishness to compassion, from isolation to relationship, and from resentment to serenity. Because of its honesty, thoughtful analysis, and imaginative sweep, his book is often thrilling to read and makes a real contribution to the literature of addiction and recovery.”—Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, author, Holy Hunger: A Woman’s Journey from Food Addiction to Spiritual Fulfillment; co-editor, Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis

“A brilliantly humane, authentic contribution to the writing and wellbeing movement that will resonate with readers struggling with addiction, working with those who have addiction, or anyone seeking a practical, self-determined way to reach their full potential in life.”—Dr. Stacey Cochran, the University of Arizona

“Over the last few years, I’ve read every book on recovery I could get my hands on. None has been more enlightening than James Ryan’s Recovery Writing. Ryan succeeds in communicating the essence of recovery through the voices of people who use language to transmute the gift of desperation into a new way of life. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the promises of recovery, and how to claim them for one’s own.”—Stephen R. Haynes, Author of Why Can’t Church Be More Like an AA Meeting?: And Other Questions Christians Ask about Recovery

“Finally, a book that brings fresh insight to one of the most well-traveled paths of recovery. James Ryan shows that for many people, written self-examination is not the onerous chore it is often imagined to be, but is actually one of the most powerful (and mystical) aspects of Twelve Step spirituality. This is less a book about recovery than it is a deep dive into the little explored practice of spiritual writing.”—Piers Kaniuka, MA, MTS author of Real People, Real Recovery and curator of the Resistance Recovery podcast and FB group

“For those who are hungry for relief from their suffering, this book is a feast that satisfies on every level. Interwoven within these pages are stories of hope that highlight the value of connection and revel in the mystery of faith while offering practical and specific suggestions for writing our way into recovery. For desperate people looking for a pathway through their pain—this book is a must read.”—Teresa J. McBean, former Director of the National Association of Christian Recovery and co-pastor at Northstar Community

“Dr. James Ryan combines personal experience and his doctoral research in writing studies to examine what many popular self-help books take for granted: writing’s potential to heal. Ryan shares the stories of people in recovery with respect, love, and humility. In doing so, he teaches readers about the power of expression to help us see ourselves more clearly and grow in community with others. I read it with my journal and pencil by my side.”—Kate Vieira, author of American by Paper and Writing for Love and Money

“Recovery Writing shines new light on the key role writing plays in addiction recovery. From the serious research of science to Bill Wilson’s seances and Ouija boards, Ryan blends his own writing experiences with motivating stories from an array of addicts who dared pick up pencil or pen and found a doorway to their souls. His book may give more addicts the courage to do the same.”—Fr. Bill W., Episcopal priest, and researcher on Two Way Prayer