Non-Fiction: The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights by Ingrid Newkirk

The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights (St. Martin’s Griffin) is a smart and compassionate new book from PETA founder and president Ingrid Newkirk. Despite the organization’s reputation for zero compromise, here at least Newkirk comes across as lucid and helpful, truly delivering on the title’s promise of a “Practical Guide” with tips, points and even instructions on how to make kind choices in a complicated world. From the book:

The beautiful thing is that activism is easy and takes as many forms as there are drops of water in a river. It can be quiet, practical, and incorporate seamlessly into our lives. Or it can be exciting, avant-garde, and even raucous. It takes all kinds of people and all kinds of actions to get the job done. All that matters is that if enough of us do something, then all the bits and pieces will come together to make one glorious success story.

On the road to that success, Newkirk delivers a road map to help would be activists find their own way to bringing change into their own lives as well as those of the animals with which we share the world. Newkirk’s book is a compelling blend of touching stories and rock solid how-to advice. Considering the miles this author has put into the trenches, her passion and expertise, it’s difficult to imagine anyone better placed to write this book. It’s an interesting and useful book on this difficult topic.