Welcome to day one of Vegan Week. Today, we're talking book recommendations. Specifically, recommendations of books about veganism! Firstly, I'd just like to mention that although I've named this post 'Vegan Book Recs', I've actually only read two out of these four books. Take that as you will but nethertheless, these are definitely some handy books to consider if you're interested in veganism, and if I haven't read them already, I will fo' sure be reading them soon.
Starting with a book that I haven't yet read, we have Thanking the Monkey from Karen Dawn. From what I can tell, this is a very general overview of the issues of animal cruelty in all forms - not just eating animal products. Taken from Goodreads: 'In Thanking the Monkey, Karen Dawn covers pets, fur, fashion, food, animal testing, activism, and more. But as the title playfully suggests, this isn't like any previous animal rights book. Thanking the Monkey is light on lectures meant to make you feel guilty if you're not yet a leather-eschewing vegan. It lets you have fun as you learn why so many of your favourite actors and musicians won't eat or wear animals. ' I'm actually really excited to read this, and shall be reserving it at the library ASAP (as it's a little expensive to buy, eeek). I would definitely consider this 'animal rights lite' though, and I feel like it will miss out some very important arguments concerning veganism. However, this might be great if you're just getting interested in the lifestyle.
I have actually read this one! Defiant Daughters is an anthology full of some really intriguing essays concerning how many young women discover and connect veganism and feminism. Definitely not one for beginners, but if you have any interest in feminism and/or veganism, it's a really worthwhile read and will open your eyes to how the two movements are so intricately interwoven. I believe that it's actually a follow up anthology to The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams (which I haven't read), but I've found that you really don't need to have read the predecessor to get something out of this collection. I really do recommend this, but please note that this one does contain some sensitive content in relation to sexual violence and animal abuse. (Spoiler: You can actually download this for free via Goodreads!)
And on to the cookbooks! Starting with one that I do own myself, Easy Vegan contains lots and lots of delicious and healthy vegan meals, many with a unique Thai twist. The instructions are really clear and easy to follow, and the recipes are supplemented with some of the most gorgeous food photography that I have ever seen! However, I have found that some of the ingredients mentioned are a little hard to get hold of in the UK, leading me to believe that the recipes are ever-so US-inclined. Some of my favourite recipes include the root vegetable ragu and the butternut squash soup with pine nuts.
Okay, another one that I haven't read but if Angela's blog is anything to go by (which I most definitely have spent many hours browsing), this cook book can only be bloody amazing. It comes highly recommended from a lot of fellow vegans, and it's very high up on my to-buy list.