ePub The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times by Tristram Stuart in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Enthralling and with incredible detailBy A. DavieWhat an incredibly thorough and well-researched history of vegetarianism in Western culture! I've been a vegetarian for over twenty years; but never thought to study the history of my dietary choice until recently. This book has brought a great depth of understanding and appreciation to one the great moral decisions we make.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Evan OBrienThanks!3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A dense read but worth itBy Jennifer SmithTBR took me awhile to get through because there is a lot of back and forth with the people and times and themes and places; and I had to take notes the whole time so I wouldn't get lost; but my overall feeling about this book is positive. The book surprised me about how people have been obsessed with their food for more centuries than I would have guessed. There are the raw foodies who think that the food now is too depleted from modern farming and genetic manipulation who apparently are reincarnations of those in the past who felt the food then was weakened by The Fall and they tried everything they could to find the right combinations to suck out the most nutrition. There were the paleos who said meat and milk were pretty much all people needed. We have fangs; don't we? Against them were the herbivores who pointed out that fangs are used to kill prey and a man could no more kill an animal with its fangs than a worm could. So isn't it obvious we were meant to live off the fruit of Mother Earth and be content with Her fruits and vegetables and leave her children of the woods and seas in peace? And amongst them all were the hippies who just wanted to know what all the shouting was about; man. The Free Lovers; the Nakedists; the Adamites who wanted to to throw off the shackles of Western tyranny against the Natural Man and his need to see naked women and have sex with a lot of them and eat fruits and vegetables. It's stuff like this that makes me think; Same s*** different century. There really is nothing new under the sun. The cast of characters in this book is huge and if you are a fan of 17th; 18th and 19th c. biography then you will come across many familiar names. Boswell is there; as are Rousseau; Shelley; and Overton. It's a real who's who of radical thinkers and doers and they all had in common a preoccupation with food in general; vegetarianism in particular (some for; some against) and the treatment of animals. I had no idea the British were so barbaric in their thinking about animals even into the 19th c. and their ridiculous combining of beef eating with nationalism. I doubt America was better (or is better) in this regard; but this book is about W. Europe and not America. All in all; an interesting book. Not a fun one though. I found it too plodding in some parts; and it was a little bit disjointed; hence the notes; but still worth the time and trouble.