As Karen Dawn celebrates her new book, “Thanking the Monkey:
Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals” and gears up to receive
the Outstanding Activist for Farm Animals Award at our May 2008
Gala for Farm Animals, we caught up with her to chat briefl y about
the book, her connection with Farm Sanctuary and, of course,
vegan fashion!
Karen is being honored with the outstanding activist award at the Farm Sanctuary Gala on May 18. For more information, please visit Farm Sanctuary - www.farmsanctuary.org.
Veg News Magazine - Party Animal
The following article is printed in the April 2008 of Veg News Magazine. To learn more about that fun magazine, and subscribe, go to www.VegNews.com.
STARRED REVIEW: Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the
Way We Treat Animals
Karen Dawn. Harper, $19.95 paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-135185-3
Animal rights activist Dawn is familiar to readers of her
memorable opinion pieces for the Washington Post as well as
her daily e-newsletter DawnWatch, but her first book should
gain her a wider audience. This is a cogent and thoroughly
researched overview of all the major issues in animal rights,
past and present, She defines animal rights “more loosely
than some would like,” focusing on the general movement
to advance the interest of animals and “discourage the
use of animals as objects of commerce.” Her goal is
“to tell you everything you wanted to know about animal
rights—but were afraid to get into a fight about—and
to let you weigh that information against your own values,”
and she succeeds admirably. Often supplying hilarious but
pointed illustrations and quotes from well-known animal lovers
such as Bill Maher and Natalie Portman, she illuminates the
use of animals as pets, entertainment, food, in scientific
testing and the “Green” movement. This has the
potential to become a big hit for a general reading audience
that wants to know what the fuss is about animal rights, as
well as the many college students at the forefront of animal
rights activism.
Library Journal Reviews - January 15, 2008
BYLINE: Melody Ballard
SECTION: REVIEWS; Science and Technology; Pg. 128
Los Angeles-based animal-rights activist Dawn's opinion pieces
have been published in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles
Times; she is presently the author of the daily e-newsletter
DawnWatch (www.DawnWatch.com ). Sensitive and informative,
her first book, while encompassing all aspects of animal rights,
focuses on animal exploitation. Dawn's view is not only uniquely
free of overt sensationalism but factual. She covers cultural
differences, historical practices, and a balance of divergent
views on the ways animals are raised and used. Sections include
"Slaves to Love-Pets," "All the World's a Cage-Animal
Entertainment," "Zoos-It's No Jungle in There,"
"Fashion Victims," "Deconstructing Dinner,"
and "Animal Anonymous-On Animal Testing." Dawn manages,
despite the seriousness of the subject matter, to intersperse
bits of humor throughout, primarily through cartoons. A riveting
text you'll be sure to want to read; highly recommended for
public libraries and other libraries with collections focusing
on animal rights.-Melody Ballard, Pima Cty. P.L., Tucson,
AZ
Booklist
BYLINE: Nancy Bent
A fun book about the animal-rights movement? Dawn, an activist
and author (online and print), has produced an easily digested,
sound-bite-laden primer to all sides and gradations of the
crusade for animal rights. In short, easy sections, Dawn works
through all of the arenas in which animals are used or exploited
as well as the differences in philosophy within the movement
itself. She covers essential topics, such as the owning of
pets (in the chapter “Slaves to Love”), and doesn’t
stop with the more numerous dogs and cats but also questions
keeping birds, fish, and reptiles in cages. She also acknowledges
the positive sides of pet keeping, using the abandonment of
pets by aid workers and the consequent stress on their owners
as an example. The author takes a similarly nuanced look at
zoos and circuses, the fashion industry, animals as food,
and animal testing, finishing with a look at the similarities
and differences between
environmentalists and animal activists with examples of animal
activism in action. Well illustrated with numerous drawings
and cartoons. An excellent introduction.
Best Friends Magazine - Dawning Awareness. Animal rights for a new generation.
The following interview is printed in the March/April issue of Best Friends magazine. Learn more about that wonderful organization, which took in and is transforming the Vick dogs who were tagged "unadoptable" at www.BestFriends.org.
As Karen Dawn celebrates her new book, “Thanking the Monkey:
Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals” and gears up to receive
the Outstanding Activist for Farm Animals Award at our May 2008
Gala for Farm Animals, we caught up with her to chat briefl y about
the book, her connection with Farm Sanctuary and, of course,
vegan fashion!
