Vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters can feel like they’re living in different worlds. Many vegans and vegetarians struggle to feel understood and respected in a meat-eating culture, where some of their most pressing concerns and cherished beliefs are invisible, and where they are often met with defensiveness when they try to talk about the issue. They can become frustrated and struggle to feel connected with meat eaters. And meat eaters can feel disconnected from vegans and vegetarians whose beliefs they don’t fully understand and whose frustration may spill over into their interactions. The good news is that relationship and communication breakdown among vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters is not inevitable, and it is reversible. With the right tools, healthy connections can be cultivated, repaired, and even strengthened.
In Beyond Beliefs, internationally recognized food psychology expert and longtime relationship coach Dr. Melanie Joy provides easy-to-understand, actionable advice so you can:
– Learn the principles and tools for creating healthy relationships
– Understand how to communicate about even the most challenging topics effectively
– Recognize how the psychology of being vegan/vegetarian or of being a meat eater affects your relationships with others, and with yourself
“Melanie Joy thinks clearly, writes exquisitely, and persuades truthfully. Beyond Beliefs gently melts the bars of the cages which we erect around our beliefs. It deserves a place in every vegan library and on the reading list of every non-vegan.”—Philip Wollen, former vice president of Citibank and founder of Winsome Constance Kindness
“From the minute you meet Melanie Joy, it becomes clear that she is a catalyst for connecting you with your deepest levels of compassion and common sense. Instantly you wish you could be at least a fraction as articulate as she is. Luckily, you now have in your hands a guide to help you navigate distances between you and the others in your life, the world, and yourself. Beyond Beliefs will leave you feeling clearer, more connected, confident, and even— though many difficult issues are addressed—happier. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be a more mindful agent for bringing the light of conscious living to everything from personal relationships to the predominant culture in which we live.”—Lani Muelrath, author of The Mindful Vegan: A 30-Day Plan for Finding Health, Balance, Peace, and Happiness
“In this insightful and engaging book, Melanie Joy offers wisdom, comfort, and advice for any vegan or vegetarian who’s ever felt misunderstood by meat eaters and for any meat eater who’s ever felt confounded by vegans or vegetarians. This book can show you the way beyond your beliefs, so you can relate and communicate with clarity and compassion. I highly recommend it!”—Lisa Bloom, civil rights attorney at The Bloom Firm
“Melanie Joy is fundamentally shifting the way we view our relationship with others and ourselves, making the world a better and more compassionate place in the process.”—Nathan Runkle, Founder of Mercy For Animals
“Dr. Melanie Joy addresses an important subject with keen insight and lucid thought.”—Glen Merzer, author of Off the Reservation
“Melanie Joy hit the nail on the head! This is the book all vegans need, to gain perspective, alleviate compassion fatigue, and live healthy lives with a purpose!”—Shannon Keith, Esq., president and founder of ARME and Beagle Freedom Project
“As a member of a veg/non-veg marriage, I am grateful for Melanie Joy’s wisdom about living with a partner’s choices while honoring my own integrity. Beyond Beliefs is essential reading for anyone who wants mealtime to be a source of nourishment—physical, spiritual, and social.”—Linda Riebel, PhD, licensed psychologist and faculty, Saybrook Graduate School
“Navigating relationships can be hard, particularly for new vegans trying to figure out how to relate to their non-vegan friends and family. Dr. Joy’s book provides excellent guidance to help with these issues and provides vegans and others with the tools they need for social success.”—Dave Simon, Esq., author of Meatonomics
“Melanie Joy’s work contains some of the very best thinking ever on the psychology of eating and provides the first really robust, consistent, deep analysis of some of our most critical food beliefs. In Beyond Beliefs, Joy has again made a major achievement. This book is, please excuse me, a joy to read. I cannot imagine anyone reading this without an ‘aha’ moment, and one for the good.”—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, PhD, author of When Elephants Weep and other books
“This book can help people with any food beliefs significantly improve their relationships and communication. And if you’re vegan (or vegetarian), this book will also help you better understand yourself and be a much more effective ambassador for the cause.”—Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge and other books
