In this revelatory work, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson shows how food affects our moral selves, our health, and the environment. He raises questions to make us conscious of the decisions behind every bite we take: like the effect eating animals has on our land, waters, even global warming; what the results of farming practices - de-beaking chickens and separating calves from their mothers - are on animals and humans; how the health of animals affects the health of our planet and our bodies. As a psychoanalyst, Masson looks at how denial keeps us from recognising the animal at the end of our fork - think pig, not bacon - and investigates each culture's distinctions among animals considered food and those that are forbidden. "The Face on Your Plate" brings together Masson's intellectual, psychological and emotional expertise over the last twenty years into the pivotal book of the food revolution.

About the Author

Jeffrey Moussaieff Mason is the author of the best-selling When Elephants Weep and Dogs Never Lie About Love, as well as The Pig Who Sang to the Moon and The Assault on Truth. An American, he lives in New Zealand.

Reviews

Masson (When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals; The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals) returns to familiar ground with his latest tome on animal welfare. This time, the author is not necessarily trying to prove that animals are sentient creatures but instead is presenting a well-rounded argument for eating less meat or, even better in his view, adopting a diet free from all animal products (i.e., eggs, milk, cheese, and even honey). He presents the usual arguments for not eating animal products: the link to global warming, the horrors of factory farming, and the negative influence aquaculture is having on wild fish populations. He concludes that we are in a state of denial about the origins of our food and demonstrates that veganism is not as difficult as it may sound by presenting a day in his life as a vegan. Well footnoted with ample suggestions for further reading, this is recommended for both academic and public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/08; on this issue, see also Mark Caro's The Foie Gras Wars, reviewed on p. 120.-Ed.]-Diane Hartle, Univ. of Georgia Science Lib., Athens Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

"A thoughtful, persuasive text outlining some key reasons for not eating meat, ranging from the personal to the political." www.politics.co.uk "As ever, Jeffrey Masson enthralls us with the truth. This is touching, compelling, honest stuff." Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA "He [Masson] states his case calmly and with clarity, challenging the reader to take responsibility for the impact of the culinary choices they make." Sunday Business Post "...this is a well researched and easy to read book." BBC Wildlife