I'm by far from being vegan, but I enjoy vegan food alot. This book brings up some valid points and it's very informative. It's a short read but it's definitely worth it.

This was a very elementary introduction to veganism and why one may go vegan. Having read many books on the subject, this one was not not my favorite. This is a good book to give to someone who has no knowledge surrounding veganism and the way our culture consumes meat. An introduction to pique further interest and research.

This is a great book for the vegan bookshelf and a great book to gift to the veg-curious people in your life. Written by two experts in the vegan lifestyle, it's a great start for anyone wanting answers to the question of why we should be vegan.

I chose to stop eating meat at around 11 or 12 and never met another veg*n until I was an adult. Things are so much easier now! So, this book is preaching to the choir here. Still, never bad to reinforce decisions made. I think this would be a good fit for someone considering making this dietary change. While I don't agree with everything in these pages and it gets a bit repetitive at times (as though they came up with the number of reasons then tried to stretch to meet that), this book is still has a lot of thought provoking ideas for anyone on the fence.

Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. Anyone thinking about becoming a vegan should read this very informative.

A straight forward approach to veganism. A quick and easy read. Great resource for someone contemplating going vegan.

A lovely quick read which outlines the benefits of a plant based diet. As someone looking to change to a plant based diet, this was very informative for me.

I did not read 72 Reasons to Be Vegan through an educator lens.

72 Reasons to Be Vegan by Gene Stone and Kathy Freston was so informative and presented wonderful arguments on the benefits of going vegan. I appreciated that this book about being vegan gave the why and not just the how to be vegan. Even with all the statistics and scientific claims that Stone and Freston present, this book is easy to read and organized well.

This is a really great, quick read that gets to the point of the benefits of veganism for ethics, health, the environment, and animals. I thought it would be unoriginal and more or less a "listicle" but I learned things and was not bored at all.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend anyone who isn’t already eating a vegan diet to do so. It gives you all the researched information about not only the health benefits but also how this diet is better for our environment. There is also helpful information about food handling and some recipes., and suggestions for going veganish. All of this is written in an easy to understand and read format.

I read this one back in November, and I still find myself reflecting on the information provided. I've been vegan for four years, and there hasn't been a day where I regret my decision. The more I learn about the benefits of veganism, the more it solidifies my decision. I recommend this book for every level of vegan.

People "go vegan" for a variety of reasons, and I think what this book does really well is that it includes just about every possible reason to be and stay vegan. If you read this book, I am sure that you will find at least one reason that appeals to you. The book highlights the health and environmental benefits of veganism; and the cruelty behind animal agriculture in short numbered chapters packed with facts and references to support each one. (It's got a long list of references at the end of the book. FYI: I wouldn't recommend a non-fiction work without a long reference section.) I also loved how the book includes recipes and quotes throughout breaking up the chapters.

The book is written in a fun and approachable manner but still is an informative and easily digestible resource to have on hand. I think this book would be perfect for anyone curious about veganism but great for anyone looking for the most recent research on the topic to have on hand as a reference. From experience, being a new vegan can be tough! I was the only vegan that I knew in the beginning and while many people were supportive of my decision, I often, even to this day, have to defend myself when people question my reasons. As an introvert, I hate being put on the spot and often will have a hard time formulating cohesive thoughts. After reading this book, I feel more prepared to speak up and explain my reasons. I plan on purchasing the physical copy of this book to have on my shelves because I think it will not only serve as a great reminder of why I stay vegan, but it will also serve as a great reference when family and friends have questions. I may even need to buy a few copies to have on hand to lend out.

THanks Netgalley.
This was informative, thought provoking and education. I think it's a great resource for a person who already has the inkling of wanting to try the vegan diet.

Intended for audiences considering adopting a vegan diet, 72 Reasons To Be Vegan provides succinct and (mostly) evidence-based advantages of veganism. 72 Reasons To Be Vegan is organized in list form, with each brief chapter being one positive element of veganism. Filled with pops of color, fun facts, and accessible writing, 72 Reasons To Be Vegan seeks to act as a friendly manual for newbie vegans and the vegan-curious. Authors Gene Stone and Kathy Freston do a great job of summarizing the many different advantages of veganism - and there are many. The authors manage to take complex topics, like the plight of slaughterhouse workers, and break them down into short, easily digestible pieces of information. However, occasionally this method of summarizing information is not particularly successful.

The fast fact format of the book does not allow for the framework to further expand on complex claims. One fact in the book purports that world hunger is caused by feed going to animals used as livestock - feed that could otherwise be used to feed the one in nine people that go to bed hungry every night. Yes, the meat industry is to blame for global food shortages; yet, world hunger is a result of many complex factors including national and international conflict, gender inequality, and a lack of common language to describe food shortages. Simply put, several of the issues (and subsequent “reasons to be vegan”) are not given the analysis they deserve as a result of the book’s formatting.

Coming up with 72 individual reasons for any particular diet and fitting them into one comprehensive guide is a difficult task. Though there are shortcomings associated with the book’s formatting, there are also several great nuggets of information that even long-time vegans may find poignant. One anecdote shares the story of the Barrett Farm in Wickes, Arkansas and the financial havoc wreaked on the farm owners by the poultry industry. The short story of how the Barretts were upended by the profit-driven meat industry, at the expense of both humans and nonhuman animals, poses several questions about the impact of the meat industry on independent farmers. Ultimately, however, these pieces of information do not compensate for the book as a whole.

There are many books that cover an array of vegan topics and host a variety of reasons for why one should opt for a vegan diet. Perhaps trying to fit as many of these reasons as possible into one coffee table book is not the most effective means of conveying the intended information. Stone and Freston are engaging writers and 72 Reasons To Be Vegan was a quick read. However, ultimately, several of the reasons for veganism felt incomplete. The average reader interested in pursuing veganism may require a little more exposition. Thus, 72 Reasons To Be Vegan may not be the best choice when introducing others to the concept of veganism.

This book is an excellent informational guide for anyone wondering about why people chose vegan lifestyles. I already had some ideas, and lean towards a high plant-low animal flexitarian diet, but I am convinced to make other changes now to increase plants and lower animals even more in my diet.
Of all the books out there about dietary lifestyles, this is the best one I have found presenting the benefits of vegan eating.

This book is full of reasons and explanations on the benefits of a vegan diet. Although I do not eat meat, I found the tone tended towards condescension of people who aren’t vegans. It felt like the author's meant for the tone to be light, but some of the word choices were off-putting. I expected the book was to encourage people to change their diet, but the approach and some words used here likely may offend people instead.
The rating provided was due to the breadth of information and lowered due to the tone.

A book with a lot of information, very well explained and very informative.
I liked this reading and it made me think.

This book presents so many strong arguments for being a vegan. I like that it takes the time to explain the health, financial, and environmental benefits of adopting a plant-based lifestyle.
Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the advance copy.

January is long gone, but reading books on veganism is one of my guilty pleasures. Despite having been plant-based for more than fourteen years now, they keep me motivated and help me find some new, interesting information. While I prefer reading recipe books and a decent area of my bookcase is dedicated to those, some titles, such as anything written by Jonathan Safran Foer, are simply too good to pass.

72 Reasons to Be Vegan might be one of them. I found this little gem on Netgalley, and I was granted a copy in exchange for an honest review. As the title explains, you’ll find seventy-two reasons to go vegan. While most of them are well-known, at least inside the vegan community, what differentiates this book from the rest and makes it perfect for curious omnis is the lack of preachiness.

Let me explain.

Vegans are a weird bunch. We tend to care too much, feel too much, and most of the time we are considered overbearing despots who can only say My way or the highway. As a vegan who caters for a (mostly) omni family, I’ve come to realize that black-and-white thinking wouldn’t help the cause most of the time.

As a new vegan, I was enamoured of Gary Francione’s ideas and the thought that the only possible approach to life was abolitionism. More than a decade later, I’ve come to terms with the fact that the world won’t turn vegan overnight. Change is a slow process, and it takes time. As the book states, change is not about being perfect and having the annoying holier-than-though attitude most omnis seem to despise. Being veganish, cutting what’s cuttable while exploring all the amazing vegan food out there is change enough.

It works. I’ve seen it work with my family, and I’ve seen it work when I invited my friends over before the pandemics and they asked me for their favorite vegan food. As I’ve already stated, it’s not the perfect method because perfection is nothing more than an aleatory idea, but. Imagine what the impact would be if the whole world did Meatless Mondays, for instance. We’d cut our global meat consumption of 1/7th, and that would be impressive, wouldn’t it?

This book covers this topic and many more, including health, environmental issues, animal welfare and so on. It is one of the most instructive and inclusive pieces on veganism I’ve found so far, and I’m in love with it.

Another surprising benefit of reading this book is the amount of new information I’ve been able to learn. And as a long-time vegan, I can assure you I’m not easily surprised. Each point is enough to give an understanding of an issue, and it leaves it to the reader to decide whether research further on the topic or not. While it could be that some themes need further exploring, it is also true that information is everywhere, once you know what to look for.

Now, pet peeves. The only issue I have has less to do with the book itself and more to do with a certain kind of scientific research. What was once considered healthy isn’t considered as such anymore, and I’m not sure how things will change in the future. This uncertainty makes me a sceptic in relation to health claims in general. The only health issue I agree completely on is the link between animal agriculture and antibiotic resistance, which is very real and very scary.

Truth be told, every scientific bit of information contained in this book is taken from studies published on important medical journals and available to the general public, which is great, because it allows the readers to explore the topic and draw their own conclusions.

That said, this book is a great read for those who want to know more about veganism, and I’d rate it an impressive 9.5/10. Well done.

I am a longtime plant based eater (almost 9 years), so there was nothing especially new for me in reading this beyond updated statistics and science. I think this book is an excellent start for someone who is just beginning a plant based journey, and adequately covers the main reasons someone might choose to go plant based: health, the environment & compassion for animals.

This is a super approachable and educational book on veganism. I am a pescaterian, but eat mainly vegetarian and yet I learned so much about the meat industry that I was not aware of and learned a ton about milk, eggs, and seafood. I highly recommend and found it to be a non-judgy perspective that sees ANY change towards veganism to be positive, even if you don't fully go.