8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring, uplifting, educational and compassionate, May 31, 2008
This review is from: Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul (Paperback)
Peace to All Beings is that rare kind of book that leaves the reader uplifted and perhaps even enlightened. While it discusses difficult themes such as widespread factory farming and animal suffering, it never depresses, in fact the reverse is true, as if by just flipping through the pages the reader is made better, somehow purified.
Judy Carman has researched her subject well, offering insight, prayer and wonderfully interesting anecdotes to help the reader on his or her way toward compassion and reverence for all life. Statistics help educate us in areas we might have been ignorant. For instance: "One pound of meat requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce. A pound of wheat takes only 25 gallons. There would be no hungry people in a world of vegans, who consume no animal products of any kind." And medical facts are fascinating and potentially life altering: "The American Dietetic Association reports that vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, kidney tones, gallstones, hypertension, and breast cancer than non-vegetarians. A study of young American soldiers killed in the Korean war showed clear signs of heart disease as compared with the Korean soldiers, who were primarily vegetarians and had no such signs."
Speaking on the popular Law of Attraction: "When we eat meat and buy products that have resulted in animal suffering, we participate in that suffering to such an extent that the anguish of the animals becomes part of us. Much of the depression and anxiety so common in the world today, not to mention the many meat- and dairy-related diseases, are a direct result of eating and wearing someone's pain and death. We literally attract back to ourselves, in the form of human diseases and environmental disasters, the violence we have caused to the animals."
Peace to All Beings is a call to the world to wake up to what we've created over the last millennium and to begin taking care of our planet and our brothers and sisters the animals. I know for many people the animal cruelties that take place every day can be overwhelming, but Judy Carman offers concrete steps--for instance in the form of many different prayers for each situation--that we can all easily do.
This book is never preachy or angry, but filled with gentleness and wise compassion; it is not only a great book for animal advocates but for anybody who longs to a kinder world. We can change the world for the better and reading Peace to All Beings is one beautiful step we can take.
Great thinkers, spiritual leaders and writers of all centuries are quoted throughout helping animal advocates to see they think or act not alone. For instance Robert Browning, "I would rather submit to the worst of deaths...than have a single dog or cat tortured to death on the pretense of sparing me a twinge or two." And the Buddha, "All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?" Which is perhaps one of the strongest messages from this book: look into the eyes of the animal, open your heart and see yourself. As J.M. Coetzee wrote, "There are people who have the capacity to imagine themselves as someone else, there are people who have no such capacity (when the lack is extreme, we call them psychopaths), and there are people who have the capacity but choose not to exercise it." I doubt anyone who reads this book can carry on eating meat or turning a blind eye to animal suffering. The least we can do is include all beings in our prayers.
Thank you Judy Carman for opening your heart to all.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, conscious and wise!, October 17, 2010
This review is from: Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul (Paperback)
Judy Carman is a brilliant and beautiful voice for the animal kingdom! This book will help you make the soul connection between humans and animals and the interconnectedness of all of life. There are brilliant quotes in the book by famous vegetarians, such as Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi and Paramahansa Yoganada, which I greatly appreciated. Anyone who loves animals and has reverence for all living beings will love this book, thank you Judy!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book to treasure, October 26, 2011
A fellow animal activist carries this book around with him always, and told me it was the single most important book he'd ever read; in fact it lead him towards activism.
I was already an activist, and have read most of the animal activist literature; so I didn't really see the need but I took my friend at his word and bought this on Kindle.
This book is worth every penny and more. I now carry it around with me on my Kindle - and I read passages from it regularly.
When I feel burn-out from the animal suffering I see around me, when I feel angry at the louts who perpetrate cruelty on animals and seemingly get away with it, when I see yet another video of torture in the slaughterhouse - I take out this book and read a few pages.
The author's voice is magical; her prose is zenlike in its sparse precision. Reading her gentle words soothes the soul; and strengthens my determination to continue my course of action to alleviate animal abuse wherever it occurs.
I can only say, this book is a treasure.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
