Eating Animals

By: Jonathan Safran Foer

Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his teenage and college years oscillating between omnivore and vegetarian. But on the brink of fatherhood - facing the prospect of having to make dietary choices on a child's behalf - his casual questioning took on an urgency.

His quest for answers ultimately required him to visit factory farms in the middle of the night, dissect the emotional ingredients of meals from his childhood, and probe some of his most primal instincts about right and wrong.

Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, memoir, and his own detective work, Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits - from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth - and how such tales can lull us into a brutal forgetting. Marked by Foer's profound moral ferocity and unvarying generosity, as well as the vibrant style and creativity that made his previous books, Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, widely loved, Eating Animals is a celebration and a reckoning, a story about the stories we've told - and the stories we now need to tell.

©2009 Jonathan Safran Foer (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"The everyday horrors of factory farming are evoked so vividly, and the case against the people who run the system presented so convincingly, that anyone who, after reading Foer's book, continues to consume the industry's products must be without a heart, or impervious to reason, or both." (J. M. Coetzee)

"A work of moral philosophy...After reading this book, it's hard to disagree [with Foer]." ( San Francisco Chronicle)

"For a hot young writer to train his sights on a subject as unpalatable as meat production and consumption takes raw nerve. What makes Eating Animals so unusual is vegetarian Foer's empathy for human meat eaters, his willingness to let both factory farmers and food reform activists speak for themselves, and his talent for using humor to sweeten a sour argument." ( O, The Oprah Magazine)

Not bad

This book wasn't what I expected it was going to be but then again, it wasn't bad either. Just be sure not to listen while eating food that had parents A.K.A flesh as some parts may gross you out when you find out how cruel the corporate killing can be.

An eye opener

What did you love best about Eating Animals?

I loved the mixture of storytelling and research. I learned so much without feeling preached to.

What did you like best about this story?

I felt inspired to do better after reading Eating Animals. It was encouraging without being judgemental.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Todd Ross – was your favorite?

I cannot remember her name but it would be the vegetarian wife of the rancher. She explained herself perfectly.

If you could give Eating Animals a new subtitle, what would it be?

The cost of ignorance.

Any additional comments?

After reading countless reviews about this book I was shocked to see how critical some people are. Jonathan was described as arrogant by omnivores and a fake by vegans. Nowhere did I find Jonathan to be condescending or judgemental. He was simply educating me as a reader. As for being labeled as a fake because he isn't 100% vegan 100% of the time I think that's shameful. He has reached more readers than any other vegan I know and has definitely changed my view on eating meat. I've by no means given it up but I've found an alternate source from a small farm nearby my house where animals aren't treated like inventory. I also think before I buy/consume meat and see it in a whole new light. I really appreciate him doing all of the leg work and sharing what he's learned. At the very least it will enlighten you.

A Must Read for All!!

This book is excellent! It asks important questions about our relationship with animals and why we make the choices we do. We are literally living chapter 14 right now- a global pandemic and Foer explains it’s relationship to animal agriculture. This book is thought provoking and simply a must read. It could just be the game changing information that one needs to really self reflect on their own diet and choices and guide them to eating in a way that is more in line with their own values.

Every human should read this book!

I knew factory farming was bad but now after reading this book, I am currently working on letters to the Secretary and Deputy Secretaries at USDA. This has to stop! They are poisoning us and killing our planet.

Mind blowing!

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Extensive research and gives great arguments from all sides. I definitely will read again!

Thoughtful, excellent book

As someone who’s been a lifelong omnivore, this book actually inspired me to pursue vegetarianism. There is so much beauty in his writing. Rather than the same arguments we’ve heard for years, he gets to the heart of why it is that we do eat meat, and how to meet those social and emotional needs in a way that does not involve the unimaginable pain and horror of the factory farm or slaughterhouse. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Profoundly important!

Profoundly important!I became a vegan a year ago, thanks to the influence of two friends of mine, who opened my eyes about the cruelty involved in meat, milk, and egg production on a factory scale. This book goes into some details which are hard to listen to but important to hear if we are to fully understand how our meat arrives at the grocery store wrapped in nice neat plastic packages.

Great look and multiple viewpoints

I'm already vegan, so I was aware of a lot of the things mentioned in this book, but I appreciated seeing views that opposed mine even. Well written with a great performance as well!

A Must Read for everyone!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This takes off from the Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette Hahn.

A must read for everyone who would like to know the truth about animal FACTORY farming. Whether one chooses to be a vegetarian after listening to this or simply reduces one's consumption of meat is of another matter. To be inform is a worthy goal of itself.

Good narration

I thought it was a informative book with good narration. It got a little slow at certain points but, overall I recommend