10 Must-Read Veg Books

Looking for a great summer pastime or trying to spend less hours in front of a screen? Cozy up to pages full of gripping stories, plain facts, and persuasive arguments in our list of 10 must-read veg and veg-friendly books. 

The China Study
One of the most comprehensive nutritional studies ever conducted, T. Colin Campbell’s and Thomas M. Campbell II’s The China Study is a classic in the vegan world. A compilation of facts and findings on how eating a plant-based diet reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, this book is helpful for newbie and veteran vegans alike.

Diet for a New America
In Diet for a New America, John Robbins exposes the horrors of America’s factory farms, detailing everything from how our society became “protein obsessed” to debunking a variety of myths surrounding what we eat. Even meat-loving omnivores can’t help but reevaluate their dietary choices after reading Robbins’ powerful tome. 

Eating Animals
Often known as the book that made notable celebrities go veg, Eating Animals captures the stories behind our eating habits. Investigations of factory farming, tales from his childhood, philosophical musings, and scientific evidence all abound in Jonathan Safran Foer’s page-turning dissection of the way we eat. 

My Year of Meats
If you’re looking for a plot-based veg read, then Ruth Ozeki’s novel is the perfect world in which to retreat. My Year of Meats tells the story of a woman employed to make the beef industry look good on television. After learning more, she rebels, and with the help of another woman, works to expose the beef industry’s negative practices. 

The Bond
Wayne Pacelle, CEO and president of The Humane Society of the United States, writes about our relationship with animals in his debut book. Though recently published, The Bond has become an instant must-read for anyone interested in ethical veganism and animal protection.

Mad Cowboy
Cattle rancher-turned-vegetarian Howard Lyman not only outlines why he went veg, but also uncovers the dangers of the cattle and dairy industry from an insider perspective. Lyman was initially a proponent for chemical farming technique, pumping his cows with hormones and antibiotics. After realizing the errors in his ways, Lyman along with co-author Glen Merzer wrote Mad Cowboy as a wake-up call for Americans to think more carefully about the food they consume.

The Jungle
Written more than a century ago, The Jungle still rings true today. While Upton Sinclair’s book focuses on the story of a Lithuanian immigrant who comes to America to fulfill his dreams of wealth and opportunity, it is also well-known for its depiction of the early 20th century meatpacking industry. The novel was also partly responsible for the initiation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

Animal Liberation
Peter Singer’s watershed work debuted in 1975 and has inspired countless people to adopt a vegan diet since then. Based in utilitarian philosophy, the book is often credited with starting the modern animal-rights movement.

Sistah Vegan
A. Breeze Harper beautifully ties a number of social justice issues together in her debut book, Sistah Vegan. Not only are food politics addressed, Harper also explores how identity, feminism, anti-racism, eco-sustainability, sexuality, decolonization, animal rights, and more play into the vegan experience in America. 

The Kind Diet
Actress Alicia Silverstone shares how and why she went veg, the life-altering benefits she experienced, teaching readers to go veg by “flirting” with it before diving in. Silverstone’s compassion is evident through her simultaneously encouraging and informational words, and it will definitely rub off in reading The Kind Diet.