7 Vegan Books You Should Read

In the summer it’s time to kick back and relax with a good book in your hand. And I don’t just mean cookbooks 😉 (well, I’ll include two in this list). There are many vegan books that I highly recommend and that may even inspire you to make some positive changes in your diet and life. Ellen Pompeo, the star from Grey’s Anatomy, changed her diet after reading a book that was written by her doctor, Kristi Funk. Not only Ellen, but her whole family went vegan. Vegan books you should read this summer and which I’ll recommend today are written by doctors, scientists, vegan – and animal advocates, with a strong background of knowledge and facts.

So, without further ado, let’s look at this list of highly acclaimed vegan books.

Let’s start with Dr. Funk’s book,

1. Breasts, An Owner’s Manual

Author: Dr. Kristi Funk

Loma Linda University School of Public Health has conducted several studies concerning vegetarianism and veganism, and in their 2013 study they discovered that women who ate vegan food, had a 34 % lower rate of breast and ovarian cancers. These are female related cancers, but other studies have also shown that cancers in general are at a much lower rate among vegetarians and even lower with vegans.

In her book, Dr. Funk recommends a plant-based diet as a way to prevent breast cancer. According to her, you can make choices every day that either keep you away or bring you closer to breast cancer. Science has already proven a direct link between dairy and breast cancer. We are what we eat is a statement that couldn’t be truer.

Dr. Kristi Funk is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon. She has helped thousands of women through breast cancer, including Angelina Jolie and Cheryl Crow. She has also founded the Pink Lotus Breast Center in Los Angeles. She has appeared on several T.V. shows, such as Good Morning America, and her book has 212 reviews on Amazon, and a solid 4.5 stars.

2. Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals

Author: Hal Herzog

A maverick scientist and a leader in the field of anthrozoology, Herzog explores our paradoxical ways of how we think, feel, and behave towards animals. Mixing anecdotes with scientific research he exposes our often disastrous interactions and treatments of animals that are based on – often absurd – moral and ethical explanations.

When I checked the reviews, so far this book has 188 ratings and 4.5 stars, which is excellent. Most reviews indicated that this book is very thought-provoking, unbiased, and it reveals some interesting truths and facts. It’s definitely worth reading.

3. Eating Animals

Author: Jonathan Safran Foer

This book is a nr.1 bestseller on Amazon, in Genetically Engineered Food Nutrition.

Partly a memoir and an investigative report, it inspired a documentary, featuring the moral examination of vegetarianism, farming, and the food we eat.

When Jonathan started a family, he was for the first time faced with the difficult task of explaining to his children why some animals are eaten and why others were not. He started exploring food myths, the origins of many of our eating traditions, and how they were created. Basically, most of these eating traditions have a fictional story at their origins, and it will be interesting to learn about that in this book, and perhaps also ask ourselves some questions.

The Los Angeles Times quotes Eating Animals as being “at the table with our greatest philosophers” and “a must read for anyone who cares about building a more humane and healthy world.”

4. The China Study

The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Health

Authors: T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD

When you check the reviews on Amazon, this book has an accolade of over 4000 ratings of 4.5 stars. That is impressive and tells you enough about the quality of Drs. Campbell’s work, without even having to read my description 😉

The China Study is one of the most well-known books about a plant-based diet and its many benefits. In this book, Dr. T. Colin Campbell explores the connection between nutrition and heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

What is especially interesting is that he also goes over confusing nutritional propaganda that we are bombarded with by powerful lobbies, governments, and opportunistic scientists who are not in it for mankind’s benefit, but for their own personal gains. This book investigates the sources of this distributed false information.

Dr. Campbell lifts the veil of misinformation and myths and shows a clear study of nutrition and a powerful message to anyone who is suffering from diabetes, cancer, or heart disease.

A highly acclaimed book, this one is high on my list of recommendations. It is also available in Spanish (El Estudio de China)

5. Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows

Author: Melanie Joy

Melanie Joy is an American social psychologist, and her book centers around the belief system and psychology of eating meat or in other words, carnism. In 2001 the author coined the term “carnism”, a word which is now widely used and describes the belief system that has conditioned us to eat certain animals but not others.

This book was voted one of the top ten books of 2010 by VegNews Magazine. It gives us a deep insight into why we humans get so emotionally involved with certain animals but allow and even pay for extreme cruelties done to other animals, indirectly permitting endless animal suffering, especially for those we use for consumption.

Melanie Joy investigates why we numb ourselves to the pain of farm animals and completely disconnect from their suffering, but reserve our empathy for a few select animals, which are known as “pets” or “companion animals”. It is a tough question to ask oneself, but one that – in my opinion – needs to be addressed if we want to make this world more humane.

This groundbreaking work also explores the truth behind animal factory farming, the unspeakable cruelties that are committed for our dinners, the hazards that meatpacking workers face, and the consequences on the environment of raising over 10 billion animals for food each year.

6. How Not to Die

Author: Michael Greger, MD. FACLM

I am adding this cookbook here, but it is not just any cookbook, as the title rightly suggests. This New York Times bestseller discusses the foods that are scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease. Dr. Greger reveals the science behind plant-based diets, helping us lead healthier and happier lives.

This book is glowing with reviews from notable authorities such as Brian Wendel, founder and president of Forks over Knives; Ryp Esselstein, author of The Engine to Diet; Thug Kitchen; Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness and the Lean, John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, and many more. It has 5705 excellent Amazon review, keeping its customer qualification at the highest rate of five stars! How Not to Die became an instant New York Times bestseller upon release.

In 2017, Dr. Greger received the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award. All proceeds from his books go to charity.

This book is worthy of a place on any book shelf, I would say.

7. Veganomicon, 10th Anniversary Edition

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero

This is the newest edition of the already much acclaimed cookbook. In this new version, the authors have even added 25 new dishes in addition to revisions of 250 recipes. Every recipe comes with beautiful photos and great tips on making your kitchen a vegan haven.

You will find basic recipes, quick dinner recipes, desserts, meals for all occasions, and also soy-free, gluten-free, and low-fat options.

This book has 111 Amazon reviews so far and it features a rating of 4.5 glowing stars. It has been called the “Betty Crocker’s cookbook of the vegan world” and it has received wonderful reviews of the Washington Post, the Portland Press Herald, VegNews, and others.

Epilogue for this Book List

These books I mentioned in my article are all critically acclaimed bestsellers and written by people with a noteworthy background. Many vegan myths have been debunked over the years. Athletes thrive on a vegan diet, and the world’s best soccer player, Lionel Messi, follows a vegan diet, claiming that it has done wonders for his physique, performance, and health.

I hope that some of these books may inspire a summer read.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission if you decide to purchase one of these books, at no extra cost to you. This helps me maintain my website. A click on any of the photos of the books will take you to their Amazon page.

And might I add my very own addition? 😉 We even have a surprise nr. 8 🙂

How about some entertaining fiction, a postapocalyptic fantasy, set in the year 2283? Two civilizations have risen from the ashes of a destroyed world; one lives in harmony with the natural world while the other lives in the old, destructive (our current) ways. In this link you will see a synopsis of the story, and my first book review also brought in 5 proud stars 🙂

Thank you for reading!

Christine