LOLs for the bitteh set

I admit it --- I’m an enormous fan of LOL cats. I am the person you can always send your cutesy animal-related pics and captions to and know that I will never delete them before taking a peek at their furry goodness, which is why when I got the chance to get a copy of Teh Itteh Bitteh Book of Kittehs I was all over it.

In this latest version of LOLs from the I Can Haz Cheezburger crowd, the focus is all on the kittens. Every photo features some of the cutest, fluffiest bits of kittehs around, complete with captions.

If someone you know is a cat lover, they will definitely appreciate this book. Remember it come holiday season when you are looking for that “little something” to show someone you were thinking of them. Trust me when I say I know of what I speak --- I’m that person. I would probably not purchase this book for myself, but if someone were to give it to me, I’d be a happy girl --- and that’s before I ever opened the pages.

Much like the always-popular Smiling Dogs feature produced by The Bark, I defy anyone to look through ten pages of this book without cracking a grin. It simply cannot be done.

And why would you want to? These are the cutest of cuties, complete with the phrases LOL folks have come to expect. I need this book mounted next to my desk at work, sort of like those emergency fire extinguisher box-thingys, to grab for when I’m getting the urge to cross that imaginary line between “passionate” and evening-news-worthy.   

Flipping these pages may not change your world, but it will definitely help change the way you see it for a few minutes. Sometimes a few minutes is all it takes.

Eating Animals

I was initially ambivalent about including Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Eating Animals on my Christmas wish list. Having gone through Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Ethics of What We Eat, I wasn’t sure there was going to be enough compelling information to justify reading another book about modern food production. In the end, I plopped it on my list, not caring much whether I actually got it or not, which practically guaranteed that I’d find it under my metaphorical tree.

I tend to start books dealing with this subject matter with a bit of trepidation, since more than a few have crossed my reading table that are so sensationalizing, guilt-string pulling and accusatory that they’ve managed to turn me off within 20 pages. Seriously, if you can’t keep me, “ms. bleeding heart for the critters” hooked, what are your chances with the ambivalent masses?

Foer’s opening play is an argument on whether the reasons why Americans don’t eat dogs (and cats, for that matter) is viable. Hook firmly set. No chance of me wriggling off the line for some time.

Foer explores many of the issues around factory farming that have been covered in other texts, but in more than a few cases comes at them from a completely new angle. Rather than paraphrase the philosophy of Frank Reese, raiser of heritage turkeys, Foer provides a few pages where Reese’s statements on the matter are printer verbatim, in his own words. Likewise, in his section where he aligns three essays about eating meat; one from a vegetarian, one from a vegan PETA employee and one from Niman Ranch founder Bill Niman, Foer allows the individuals their voice, absent dilution. One of his most irresistible uses of this approach is the essay titled, “I’m a vegan who builds slaughterhouses”. Really --- how can you not want to read that?

Which is not to say that Foer doesn’t have a voice. He does, and uses it bluntly as he talks about eating meat, factory farming and occasionally takes Michael Pollan to task for “copping out”. Foer coveys his message in an unapologetic tone, seeming not to care whether the reader agrees with him or not. I find that a much more appealing approach than one where it’s obvious that the author is trying to convince you that you must get on board with what they’re telling you and follow them into battle.

Finally, I must comment on the chapter pages. I have no idea who came up with these clever, profound illustrations, but they continued to stick with me long after the chapter was read. Far too often books on this topic use wrenching photos or illustrations that many folks find so unsettling that the visuals overshadow any message that accompanies them. Foer neatly avoided the easy “get” for something I found far more compelling.

Whether you continue eating animals or not after reading Foer’s work is something you can decide for yourself. Whatever choice you make, you’ll have far more knowledge about what eating animals entails than you had before you began. Even if, like me, you’ve read plenty of other tomes on the subject and believe you’ve heard all there was to say.

Survey for pet lovers

Angel Animals/Pet Friendly America is asking folks to take part in a survey about pets and pet lovers as research for a book they are planning to write. Now, I've seen and taken a number of pet and pet owner surveys in my time, but I have to say that this is one of the most interesting and thorough surveys I've seen, covering topics that have crossed my path many times in my daily living.

Hopefully Angel Animals will be bombarded with responses.

Pet mags worth their weight in paper

When I’m not busy skulking about on the Internet, one can frequently find me nose-deep in a magazine, that being another of my favorite addictions in life. There’s something about the printed word that draws me to it like a moth to a flame. Naturally, some of my very favorite reads are magazines dealing with pets and pet issues, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites.

Hands-down, my number one pick for critter mags is The Bark. I nearly leapt for joy when this magazine arrived on the scene. The Bark accomplished something many magazine publishers didn’t think could be done --- they created a dog-specific magazine without accepting any ads from breeders, and in doing so developed a loyal audience of people involved in rescue and adoption. The Bark is full of fun features, health news, travel ideas and fiction, and I dare anyone to look at their “Smiling Dogs” features and not crack a smile. It’s just not possible.

Another favorite, for entirely different reasons, is The Whole Dog Journal. What makes this product unique is that the publishers accept no advertising. While this makes the subscription costs a wee bit higher than some are used to seeing, it also means readers can be confident that the reviews they provide on food and toys are honest reviews, not tainted by financial relationships. Granted, some of the articles embrace complimentary health practices such as chiropractic, acupuncture and flower essences, and may not be for everyone, but this is a solid publication that has the best interests of dogs and their owners at heart. www.whole-dog-journal.com

For cats, the pickings are a little slimmer, especially for someone like me who tries to avoid magazines that offer breeder ads. One magazine of note is Catnip, published by the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Much like Whole Dog Journal, Catnip does not accept advertising. It’s a great general interest publication for cat owners, even if it’s a wee bit short on the warm, fuzzy stories people like to read.

If you’re looking for something that speaks to people with both dogs and cats, Animal Wellness is a solid pet care magazine, especially for those owners who want to approach pet care from a more natural and holistic standpoint. Again, some of the more “new age” items might be a bit more than most people are looking for, but they definitely provide food for thought. A mix of stories, informative articles and health news, Animal Wellness is a great magazine pick.

Well, that’s enough to get you, or any animal-loving friends who are in need of a birthday gift, started. Did I miss one of your favorites? Drop me a line and let me know.

The Ethics of What We Eat by Peter Singer & Jim Mason

I've told any number of people that Michael Pollan's Book The Omnivore's Dilemma was one of the most profound books I've ever read, and I mean it. It's a thoughtful, personal look at one person's food choices, told against the backdrop of modern agriculture and farming. Pollan's honesty --- about the process and his feelings as he journeys through the book --- will stay with me for years to come.

So, too, will the ideas and arguments in The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter (originally released as The Way We Eat), written by Peter Singer and Jim Mason. Although the books seems at first glance to cover some of the same territory as Pollan's book did, Ethics comes at it from a different angle. Not so much a book about personal choices, Ethics instead looks at the food choices made by three very families and how their choices affect the animals, the environment, and issues like child slavery and indentured servitude.

Anyone who has read Peter Singer or is more than vaguely aware of him knows that he's not going to be an advocate of eating meat. The man who wrote what many consider to be one of the high holy books regarding animal treatment, Animal Liberation, isn't about to change his fundamental views regarding the human-animal relationship, but The Ethics of What We Eat goes so much deeper than "we should be nice to animals".

This is a book that asks deep, fundamental, philosophical questions about a subject most people truly don't spend a lot of time examining --- what they support and tacitly condone through their food shopping choices, and the type of world that exists through the dollars they spend on food and eating.

It is certainly that aspect of both books, Omnivore's Dilemma and The Ethics of What We Eat that I hold closest and feel such profound connection to. These books are deep. The men who wrote them ask such probing, personal questions about basic beliefs and the essence of the responsibilities we have to other creatures and other people, that I would find it all but impossible that one could read the book all the way through and not have to come face to face with some intriguing realizations about themselves and the way they see the world.

You may not agree with everything that is argued in this book. In fact, there may whole chapters where you have a distinct disagreement with the authors, and that's O.K. But if you are someone who feels any curiosity about how the choices you make in the supermarket affect the world we live in, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It may not cause you to change your mind, but it will certainly make you think, long after you've closed the cover.

Pet Food Politics

It takes a special brand of critter-junkie to read about pet food. As this is my third or fourth book on the subject, I'm either completely around the bend or (as I choose to believe) I have a deep and abiding interest in knowing what is going into the bodies of my furry family members.

Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine, by Marion Nestle (no relation to the pet food maker) is a thorough essay on the history of the Menu Foods pet food recall that took place between March and May of 2007 when nearly 200 different brands of pet food were recalled due to the presence of melamine and cyanuric acid. For people interested in knowing how something of that magnitude could possibly happen, the book shows how unbelievably easy it was, and how difficult it may be to prevent it from happening again in the future.

Even if you aren't altogether interested in pet food, Pet Food Politics provides pause for concern regarding human food --- especially when you get to the part about how livestock raised for human consumption were fed the same pet food products that were recalled and still allowed to be processed and eaten by humans. Food for thought.

On reading The Underneath

"There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road."

I saw a wonderful column back in December in the SF Chronicle about children’s books that featured animals as their main characters. Within the column were two lists, one of classics and one of “not quite classics.” The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt, fell into the latter category.

Based on the description provided within the column, I knew I wanted to make this book part of my holiday gift list. The book was described as a children’s book, but one that could easily be enjoyed and appreciated by adults as well, in much the same manner as the Harry Potter series. That was all I needed to hear. Come holiday time, I asked --- and I received, along with several other books.

I purposely waited until I finished the other books I received over the holidays before beginning this one, as I had a feeling that this book would be something memorable and wanted to be able to linger a bit with it.

I’ll say this much --- the book definitely lingers with you. Part animal tale, part mythological journey along with a dose of easily one of the very baddest bad guys ever to be featured in children’s lit, The Underneath is a book that defies an easy summation. It only took the briefest of introductions to the bad guy for me to decide that, children's book or not, this dude could haunt a couple of dreams. Is he too scary for kids? I still can’t decide. Perhaps as an adult who has seen the ramifications of animal abuse, the villain strikes me differently than he would a child who has yet to be acquainted with those who commit acts of meanness against the vulnerable.

Part of me felt the material was for a much older audience than it was being recommended for, while another part remembers some of the books I read as a child. They certainly had their share of less than honorable characters and fairly “mature” themes and I clearly lived to tell about it.

The Underneath weaves a number a storylines simultaneously, jumping from plot to plot in an almost frantic manner. Once I got the rhythm, it was interesting the see the way all of the pieces were woven and how it would all tie together in the end, and I was not disappointed.

Part fantasy, part love story, part adventure tale, The Underneath frequently struck me as a nearly perfect book to be read aloud to youngsters, as the author’s use of syntax seemed uniquely suited for narration.

400-plus words later, for those inclined to animal stories, it's definitely worth a look.

Crusin' the book store

I headed over to Barnes & Noble today in search of Elizabeth Hess' other book, Lost and Found: Dogs, Cats and Everyday Heroes at a Country Animal Shelter. As I pretty much expected, the book wasn't in stock there, though I was pleased to see two copies of Nim Chimpsy on the shelves (in case the three other people who occasionally peek on this blog are interested). No biggie. That's the beauty of the Internet; what you can't find in person you can find online.

I have a couple of reasons for wanting the book. First, it is subject matter that interests me. All you have to do is click on just about anything I've posted to know that. Second, as a hack (read: unpaid) writer of critter-related material, I've been so completely pleased to have had a couple of exchanges with Ms. Hess that I figure it's the least I can do. Not that I wouldn't have checked it out if she hadn't responded to my post, because I would have, but perhaps not as soon.

Frankly, I could converse with her every week. She's a published author who writes on topics I actually care about and she's taken time out of her life to acknowledge my little blurbs. I'd love to communicate with her about all sorts of issues as they relate to writing and animals. How many opportunities am I going to have to actually talk to a real, live, nonfiction writer whose subjects are animals?

However, I don't want to give the impression that I'm some kind of Annie Wilkes whack-job on the Internet, and I'm not really sure how I can accomplish one objective without the possibility of bumping up against the other, so I'm at a bit of a loss. Still, I am curious if she's working on anything else at the moment and, if so, whether it's also animal-related...

Note for Elizabeth Hess

Dear Ms. Hess,

Nothing in my world was more exciting (and less expected) yesterday than to have you comment on my post about Nim Chimpsky. Would I have thought that in a million years you would have read my comments regarding the book I would have laced my post with the dozen or so questions I was dying to ask at the book's conclusion.

Now, on the even-more-incredibly-off-chance that you might see this post as well, and would be so kind as to reply, the one thing I would most love to know is how it was that you decided to write about Nim at all. You mentioned in your comment that so much about his life was hidden, so I can only imagine the enormous effort it took to gather all of the material to go forth on a project such as this. Of all the subjects in the world to choose from, why this one? What was it about Nim that made you compelled to spend years recreating his life?

Vicky Thrasher

Nim Chimpsky, the book

I finished reading Nim Chimpsky: The chimp who would be human, by Elizabeth Hess. It was, predictably, a moving book that certainly left me with a lot to think about.

Funny how a few hours away from the page-turning helps to organize your thoughts. As I was reading the book, there were times that I wanted to call Ms. Hess and ask her if there was anyone who could live up to her seemingly open disdain. There were few characters in the book who came across seeming to possess even a small measure of respect, and since a few of the characters are individuals I've admired for one reason or another it was hard to read repeated, unrepentant critiques of their character or motives.

It was only after I put the book down and stepped back a bit that I got it. Regardless of their motives (some of which were more noble than others), just about every person who involved themselves with primate language experiments had no real idea what they were doing. And with every stumble, frustration or upheaval the one who truly always paid the price was Nim. I'm sure that those who claim to still feel guilt or sorrow over his story are telling the truth, but that doesn't change the fact that when they reached the ends of their collective ropes, it was Nim who was left hanging at the end of it, dangling.

Nim Chimpsky is not easy reading, especially if you are someone who has deep feeling about sentient creatures, but it is an important book. Having taken a little time after closing the cover, if I were to call Ms. Hess now I think I'd simply say "Thank you."