Customer Reviews

Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth- and Animal-Friendly Living

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Avoiding animal products, buying Fair Trade and shade-grown coffee, donating an unwanted fur, investing in socially responsible companies, and volunteering at an animal sanctuary are just a few of the subjects you'll find in Ingrid Newkirk's latest book. The president and cofounder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Newkirk eloquently bridges the gap between John Q. Public and the animal protectionist or staunch environmentalist, creating a user-friendly guidebook for integrating compassion into our daily lives.

The book is organized into ten parts: Home and Garden, Fashion and Beauty, Food and Entertaining, Recreation and Vacations, Animals in the Home, Children and Family, Business and Education, Health, Volunteering and Getting Active, and Celebrations. Each section is filled with short chapters that explore the topics in more detail. "Home and Garden," for example, addresses decorating and furnishing your home using cruelty-free products; finding cleaning solutions that are eco- and animal-friendly; and using humane methods to deal with insects, mice, and other uninvited creatures. The chapters are supported by a list of resources that should help answer just about any "But how do I...?" question. Of course, there are also plenty of simple vegan recipes -- even for making your own vegan dog and cat food.

Although PETA (now in its 25th year) is well known for their often-shocking and controversial campaigns, "Making Kind Choices" prudently relies instead on stories from a wide variety of voices, from engaged activists and international celebrities to everyday people just trying to make the world a better place. Whether you want to learn more about the vegan lifestyle, how to rescue an injured animal on the road, where to invest ethically, which charities do not test on animals, what goes into planning a compassionate wedding, or anything in between, I think you'll agree the modest price of this book is money very well spent indeed.

Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

I loved this book; it is an outstanding read. What's it about? It is about making choices in your daily living that are unselfish. What could be better than that?
This book is packed full of information that you can use in daily living, information that gives you the inside scoop of just what is in certain products? How are animals really treated? Why does it help to drink organic coffee? Just to name a very few.

The information in this book is about our everyday living and understanding the responsibility that we have to live in unity with all of life on our planet. It is not written in a condemning way, but instead brings great understanding as to why we should respect life in all forms. It is also filled with alternatives, meals that are made with healthy foods, that not only improve our bodies but are animal friendly. Cleaning supplies that do the job but do not hurt the environment or those who live in it. I found that to be very refreshing and informative.

The author also gives a very in-depth listing of animal ingredients that we can look for in products we eat and use and alternatives for them. She gives names and addresses of companies that sell products or foods that are friendly to our world.
Great! I want you to understand that this is just not another book tearing you apart for eating animal flesh or using animal products. No, it's a book of information, one that is a real eye opener; and it is written in a very easy to understand way.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I intend to keep it handy so I may refer to it time and time again. I'm also going to make some life changes, I believe for the better. Pick this one up and read what you may not know. I really believe it will make a difference in your life. Great book! Great read

I have been a vegetarian all my life and have stopped using animal products (tested or material) for a decade or more. And still this book gave me ideas about plenty of more things to do to make my commitment more valuable to earth and me. One of the few 'How to' books that actually gets you started. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering becoming animal and earth friendly in their daily lives. I would also recommend Karen Logan's Clean House, Clean Planet for the people who are specifically looking for eco-friendly non-toxic house keeping tips

This book shrugs off all shrill rhetoric and provides many resources for animal-free products and animal-friendly services. Where it falls short is in its reliance on pointing out particular companies and services rather than being prescriptive. While interest in green products is on the rise, its still a business model that has more risk than average. In short, there's a good chance that many of these companies will close up shop. A better approach would have been to spend more time on how consumers can evaluate products and services. What are the best-in-class standards PETA expects? A good first effort for tone, but I will wait for the next edition in hopes that it will have more than a list of references.

I picked up this book mostly out of curiosity. I was curious about small choices I could make that could make a difference. I went to school and I have a degree in environmental science, but I never applied it in my work. I have always tried to make good informed choices as a consumer. As I feel while I can not change the world, but as a block on informed consumers together we can make kinder choices for our environment.

I liked that this book is broken down into sections that apply to all ages. Home and Garden, Fashion and Beauty, Food and Entertaining, Recreation and Vacations, Animals in the Home, Children and Family, Business and Education, Health, Volunteering and Getting active. So you can see the topics that go well with all members in a family.

She gives very practical suggestions substitutes for products that we currently use. She gives recipes for replacements that are harder on the environment. She gives tips on how to keep your pets happy and content. I liked that she gave a wealth of ideas and substitutions for things we currently do. Some books give one suggestion that isn't always workable. I feel that through reading this book that I can make better and informed decisions as a consumer.

My roommate bought me a copy of this book and it's really opened my eyes! Although I've been vegan for several years I didn't realize how much more I could be doing to help the world around me by making smarter choices. It's not only inspiring but a great resource book as well.

If you thought saving the world was hard work, this book will change your mind. Ingrid Newkirk's upbeat, personable writing style, sprinkled liberally with entertaining anecdotes, makes you believe that changing the world for the better is not only possible, but not really all that much work. She makes "making kind choices" even easier by providing a wealth of helpful resources. Truly a handy and inspiring reference.

Despite the title this is not a New Age book nor is it a rant by PETA. Recommended by personalities as diverse as the Dalai Lama and Bill Maher this is a PRACTICAL how to book on how one can in many simple ways alleviate the unnecessary suffering of animals. You don't have to be a vegan to begin to decrease the cruelty toward animals that our society callously embraces.
Worthy of your attention.

I've done my very best to live without causing harm to any living beings; this book not only gave me even more ideas on how to continue doing so, but also simple and easy ideas that I can share with family and friends who have thought it difficult to do. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to leave their world a better one for their children to inherit.

As a working mother who strives to make my family's relationship with the world a positive one, I have precious little time to devote to this endeavor, much less to pleasure reading. At the end of the day, this book with a couch, a fire, and a glass of wine is my oasis. I was pleased at the quick chapter layout and Newkirk's energizing, welcoming writing style. Nice tips for people in all walks of life who care about the earth and about animals.