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A new book called Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows is an eye-opening account of a little-questioned article of faith in our culture: the idea that it is normal to befriend some animals while exploiting others. A step-by-step analysis of a cultural blind spot, it is a powerful blend of reason, compassion, and psychological insight. And one dreaded comparison is inevitable. Whenever human beings are rounded up and slaughtered by sophisticated, industrialized killing machines, we called it an atrocity and sneer at those bystanders who claimed they “didn’t know.” Yet today animals are bred, drugged, crammed into concentration camps, and horribly slaughtered – by the billions every year. Most of us eat the result.

The book is well constructed, assembling questions, evidence, and logic to bring us face to face with our moral conflicts – and our moral numbing. Whatever your position on meat may be, this book will amaze and enlighten you about your own attitudes. It would make a powerful addition to the reading list for courses on critical thinking and psychological defense mechanisms. What I found most impressive was the author’s capacity to empathize with readers who have never thought about these things, and to pique not guilt, but curiosity. Please have the courage to challenge mental habits and be curious. This book is a frank and friendly guide that can be your ally in understanding yourself, your culture – and your choices.