You Can Save the Animals: 251 Simple Ways to Stop Thoughtless Cruelty (Paperback)

by Ingrid Newkirk (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Newkirk, cofounder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has written the definitive book for those who care about the treatment of animals. She exposes institutional cruelty by discussing such topics as animals in entertainment or used as food, for sport, and in clothing. She covers dissection in schools, companion animals, and animals used in experimentation. Newkirk ends each chapter with a list of actions, ranging from personal choices that the average person can make to stop animal suffering (boycott Proctor & Gamble, wear nonanimal fabrics, take plant-based estrogen drugs rather than Premarin) to public actions (demonstrate at rodeo events, protest traveling animal acts, be a hunt saboteur). This book belongs in all libraries and can be used to educate children and young adults about the plight of nonhuman animals in our society.APeggie Partello, Keene State Coll. Lib., NH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
An invaluable work-should become the Bible for all those who care about animals. -- Jay D. Glass, Ph.D., neuroscientist and author of The Animal Within Us

If animals could choose someone to speak for them, that person would be Ingrid Newkirk. Listen to her--and you will hear their voices. -- Paul Harvey Aurandt, author, pianist, and composer

Ingrid Newkirk is one of the most important voices for compassion of the 20th century, and her new book, You Can Save the Animals, reflects the wisdom, urgency and pragmatism of her message. Read this book, share it with your friends. Learn to live by its injunctions. -- Michael Tobias, author, filmmaker, and ecologist

Ingrid Newkirk reminds us once again that we share with other animals the same desire to live, to have a family, to love, and to die without violence. I urge you to read this book and vow to do one thing every day that will bring life to a being who would otherwise die. -- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of Dogs Never Lie About Love and When Elephants Weep

Ingrid Newkirk stands as a beacon of compassion and connection. Many of us want our lives to be statements that we care about all of life. She shows us how. -- John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, and founder of EarthSave International

Thankfully there are many options to reduce the suffering of our critter friends. Find them within these pages. -- Berkeley Breathed, Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist and author

Unusually fair and clear-minded. If we all follow her reasonable, well-considered suggestions, we will soon see the end of cruelty to our fellow creatures. -- Rue McClanahan, honorary chairperson of PETA

Want to help animals? Buy this book. -- Paul McCartney

When I tell my students about the great peacemakers of our day--the real ones who demand nonviolence to all species--Ingrid Newkirk is among those whose deeds and words should be honored, studied, and put into practice. I'll be using You Can Save the Animals in my classrooms--heavily using it. -- Colman McCarthy, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post and director, Center for Teaching Peace in Washington D .C.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (January 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761516735
• ISBN-13: 978-0761516736
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #20 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecology > Animal Rights

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific (and heartbreaking) eye-opener., April 24, 1999

By	[e-mail] (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Newkirk combines rare qualities: true passion and the ability to communicate that passion thoughtfully and inspiringly. Put simply, Newkirk takes the viewpoint that it's cruel and immoral to treat animals as though they feel no pain and have no needs or desires outside of what humans wish for them. That such an idea is even controversial is pretty sad. But whenever someone believes something strongly and unquestioningly, cynics spring up. Here, in the face of overwhelming proof that many animals suffer needlessly and extravagantly, the arguments of those who disagree seem particularly weak and ill-informed. Happily, Newkirk here manages to convey her considerable intensity without bogging down in theory or rhetoric. The book is peppered with lots of simple, real-world things that animal lovers can do -- avoiding pet stores that sell animals, for example -- though most seem sadly unlikely to make more than a whisker of difference. Better are the many heartbreaking real-life stories of people who have suddenly realized that animals can reflect the best of what it means to be alive. One hunter shoots a buck and approaches, wondering why the doe hasn't run off. He discovers that the doe is blind. Examining the dead buck more closely, he notices a worn-away patch on his hip and a corresponding patch on the doe's shoulder -- obviously, the buck had lead the doe through the forest. And chose not to run, rather than abandon his blind mate.

At least hunters and anglers have the courage to confront the animals they encounter. Newkirk's at her outraged best when cataloguing the unspeakable conditions endured by animals most of us never see, and thus never consider. The cheeseburger that looks so harmless in its polystyrene box probably represents a nightmare life of confinement and terror. What others dismiss as "preachy" or "dogmatic" doesn't come off that way in the face of the overwhelming evidence Newkirk presents that animals are consistently treated horribly by the food, fur and medical industries.

Hey, I know from experience that people hate hearing this stuff, and react angrily and defensively from the mere suggestion that they put some thought into their behavior and its consequences. So I don't expect this book to win many friends or convert many carnivores. But that doesn't mean I'm not thrilled and moved and sad and inflamed and delighted and inspired by a book that, I hope, will be better understood and more widely acted on in the future.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can Save the Animals, January 24, 2000

By	Sandra G. Faison - See all my reviews

I couldn't put this book down. I'm not normally a big reader. I took my kids to the library and happened to see it...thought I would skim it over. Not only did I read it cover to cover IN ONE DAY...I'm taking ACTION. I love animals and thought I was pretty compassionate. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to read. I can't believe, especially in the U.S, that animals are treated in such a manner. You HAVE GOT to read this book. It will change how you live!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-Opening enlightment, September 30, 1999

By	"slimflem" (Atlanta, GA......baby) - See all my reviews

This book is a must read. I just got it in the mail last night and by this morning, I have already read half of it. I have turned my life into a vegan eating practice and I strive to maintain this same state in all I do. Always having a soft spot for animals, this book reminded me of that and opened my eyes even wider to countless and thoughtless acts of cruelty against our fellow animals. There were some points, in what I have read already, where I had to stop for a moment and get my composure after reading how some of the animals are treated. I will recommened this book to anyone who expresses concern and wants to help our friends as well as carry this knowledge with me.

Thanks for a great book.