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rileyreadsalatte's review
3.0
I enjoyed the information shared in this book, but the back and forth discussions in some parts made it hard to grasp.
casebounder's review
4.0
My huge thanks to @fsgbooks for sending me this copy of WE ARE THE WEATHER from Jonathan Safran Foer. I was so excited to read this follow up to a personally influential book, Foer's 2010 nonfiction EATING ANIMALS. I think what I found really surprising and humanizing about WEATHER is Foer's admission that he struggles even now with cravings for meat and is still working on eliminating portions of his diet for the betterment of the environment.
Because that's what this book is about. The single most influential and impactful thing you can do to help the environment is change your eating habits. And vote. But change your eating habits. Even if it's just skipping meat for one meal each day!
"According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, if cows were a country, they would rank third in greenhouse gas emissions, after China and the United States."
One calorie of animal protein requires about 10 times the input of fossil fuel energy than one calorie of plant protein. The current rate at which we factory farm meat for consumption is unsustainable, pure and simple. We are harming the environment is enormous and unprecedented ways.
The market will and is already responding to the social and ideological change in tides here. And hey, by the way, your body will respond, too.
You can absolutely get enough protein in your diet from a plant-based pantry. And the more diverse array of plants in your diet contributes to a healthier microbiome in your system. It also helps to ensure you're getting enough fiber in your diet, which many Americans are deficient in. It will also help reduce your intake of refined foods, which make up more than 90% of the typical American diet, leading to all sorts of issues starting with spikes in your metabolism, brain fog, and long-term chronic illness.
I could go on but it probably wouldn't be impactful here. Long and short of it, more plants and less meat is good for you and good for the Earth.
I realize I'm not actually reviewing the book here... but I did want to point out that WEATHER is less of a narrative non-fiction than EATING ANIMALS was. For this reason, I don't think it's quite as strong. But it does of course have updated information and is helpful as a call to action. If you've never read either and want to dive in, I recommend starting with EATING ANIMALS. And then you’ll probably be picking up WE ARE THE WEATHER shortly thereafter.
Because that's what this book is about. The single most influential and impactful thing you can do to help the environment is change your eating habits. And vote. But change your eating habits. Even if it's just skipping meat for one meal each day!
"According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, if cows were a country, they would rank third in greenhouse gas emissions, after China and the United States."
One calorie of animal protein requires about 10 times the input of fossil fuel energy than one calorie of plant protein. The current rate at which we factory farm meat for consumption is unsustainable, pure and simple. We are harming the environment is enormous and unprecedented ways.
The market will and is already responding to the social and ideological change in tides here. And hey, by the way, your body will respond, too.
You can absolutely get enough protein in your diet from a plant-based pantry. And the more diverse array of plants in your diet contributes to a healthier microbiome in your system. It also helps to ensure you're getting enough fiber in your diet, which many Americans are deficient in. It will also help reduce your intake of refined foods, which make up more than 90% of the typical American diet, leading to all sorts of issues starting with spikes in your metabolism, brain fog, and long-term chronic illness.
I could go on but it probably wouldn't be impactful here. Long and short of it, more plants and less meat is good for you and good for the Earth.
I realize I'm not actually reviewing the book here... but I did want to point out that WEATHER is less of a narrative non-fiction than EATING ANIMALS was. For this reason, I don't think it's quite as strong. But it does of course have updated information and is helpful as a call to action. If you've never read either and want to dive in, I recommend starting with EATING ANIMALS. And then you’ll probably be picking up WE ARE THE WEATHER shortly thereafter.
gdgreer's review against another edition
5.0
This gorgeously-written horror-inducing book should be required reading on a global scale. The first time I can recall diving into a book and thinking to myself “I will be a different person when I finish this.”
thedragonbug's review
2.5
Really liked Eating Animals and wanted to pick this up. I feel like this was way more disjointed and would have liked it better as an added chapter on an updated version of eating animals. Got lost on the plot a little. Focused too much on the spiritual why and not on the factual why.