This article is part of a series by Sarah Rodeo ’13 called “Musings on the Meat Industry.” To view more posts, browse here.
I remember it so clearly – sitting slumped against the wall of my kitchen late one summer night, with the book Skinny Bitch in one hand and a chicken-cutlet sandwich in the other. It is no overstatement to say that that night, this book shifted my entire universe.
Skinny Bitch (a title that may not suggest a whole lot of profundity), written by former models Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, is essentially a diet book. Written in a colloquial, funny and down-to-business (and foul-mouthed!) tone, Skinny Bitch is exceptionally entertaining, empowering, and engrossing. Most importantly, the witty authors use humor, sarcasm and attitude to advocate a vegan diet.
The book contains lessons on how to analyze ingredients, reasons to go organic, denouncements of corrupted health agencies, and more. But what most affected me were the sections about the truth of the animal food products industry. The authors discuss new studies about the health dangers of meat, dairy and seafood. In addition, they list out every raw, gritty detail of the horrific processes of animal slaughter. Lastly, they stun the readers with shocking statistics and information about the devastating effects of factory farming on our environment.
I put that chicken sandwich down and never picked up another.
Although this in-your-face, tough-love book received mixed reviews, it has ranked at a high spot in popular culture among fellow anti-meat-industry books. Skinny Bitch was an international bestseller and a #1 New York Times Bestseller for over a year. It has also been translated into 20 languages and has 2 million copies in print.
What makes this book so important to me is that it so deeply impacted my lifestyle and who I am. Now every second of my life, I am in tune with the choices that I make in what I eat, primarily for the well being of the global environment and billions of animals. In this way, I feel like I am constantly aware of the world around me. I can wake up every morning knowing that I am creating positive energy for my health, nature and living creatures. I am beyond grateful that this book passed into my hands, and I take every chance that I can to pass it on to others.