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The Vegan Sourcebook
Veganism is more than simply avoiding animal-based products, it is a humane, ethical way of life that encompasses environmentalism, social activism, and conscientious consumption. The Vegan Sourcebook is a complete guide to the vegan principles that advocate harmony, justice, and compassion for all living beings.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Joanne Stepaniak
23 books29 followersJoanne Stepaniak, M.S.Ed., is a writer, an educator, a cooking instructor, and the author of several cookbooks.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 25, 2016
THE VEGAN SOURCEBOOK wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was for the most part interesting, with a fascinating history of the vegan movement (it's far older than you may imagine), as well as a nice collection of recipes.
Stepaniak has collected a lot of information here on the ways animals are used in various industries, animal advocates are likely to refer to it when writing letters or using online discussion boards. There is something to learn here even for seasoned advocates, although they should take heed of the book's 1998 copyright and double-check to ensure the information remains pertinent. I found this passage on mice used for experimentation interesting:
Knockout mice have had one or more key genes "knocked out." As a result, they suffer from various types of afflictions...The ghastly nicknames chosen for different mouse models reflects a lack of compassion for creatures doomed to a life of suffering based on their genetic structure. "Flaky" is the name given to a type of mouse that develops severe skin problems. "Stargazer" refers to to those mice afflicted with an epilepsylike disorder. Such names indicate a callous disregard for these sensate life forms.
I looked it up, and yes, researchers can still purchase patented breeds of mice with these rather tasteless nicknames and many more. It makes sense that if you're performing fatal experiments upon an animal, you're probably going to keep your distance from that creature's suffering, and derisive names like "Flaky" no doubt help with that.
Other passages in this book are problematic, however. At one point, the author asserts that horses are slaughtered "for pet food or glue." That wasn't true when the book was written in the late '90s or for at least two decades prior to that. It was once true that glue was primarily made from the boiled hooves and hides of animals, but today, more durable and cheaper chemicals have mostly replaced these ingredients. And Americans eat more than enough chickens, cows, pigs and other animals that their unwanted and condemned body parts can supply the dog and cat food trade. Rather, when this book was written, horses were being slaughtered in the US and their meat was exported to countries such as Belgium and France for human consumption. A smaller number were killed to feed exotic animals in captive situations.
In another passage, the author claims that "vegans are divided on spay/neuter" of pet animals. I found this statement quite confusing. It is true, there are some serious disagreements within our community, most visibly of abolitionism vs. pragmatism, but I struggle to see spay/neuter as a controversial issue. Every animal rights and welfare group, large and small, supports spay/neuter to reduce the number of animals killed in shelters and abandoned on the streets. It may not be "natural," but nor are human-created breeds of animals who look nothing like their cousins in the wild, many not even capable of surviving on their own. If we reject spay/neuter as "unnatural," we also must reject any kind of medical care at all, or even feeding and watering our pets or keeping them in the home. Such a person would be rightly prosecuted for abandonment of a pet.
Stepaniak has collected a lot of information here on the ways animals are used in various industries, animal advocates are likely to refer to it when writing letters or using online discussion boards. There is something to learn here even for seasoned advocates, although they should take heed of the book's 1998 copyright and double-check to ensure the information remains pertinent. I found this passage on mice used for experimentation interesting:
Knockout mice have had one or more key genes "knocked out." As a result, they suffer from various types of afflictions...The ghastly nicknames chosen for different mouse models reflects a lack of compassion for creatures doomed to a life of suffering based on their genetic structure. "Flaky" is the name given to a type of mouse that develops severe skin problems. "Stargazer" refers to to those mice afflicted with an epilepsylike disorder. Such names indicate a callous disregard for these sensate life forms.
I looked it up, and yes, researchers can still purchase patented breeds of mice with these rather tasteless nicknames and many more. It makes sense that if you're performing fatal experiments upon an animal, you're probably going to keep your distance from that creature's suffering, and derisive names like "Flaky" no doubt help with that.
Other passages in this book are problematic, however. At one point, the author asserts that horses are slaughtered "for pet food or glue." That wasn't true when the book was written in the late '90s or for at least two decades prior to that. It was once true that glue was primarily made from the boiled hooves and hides of animals, but today, more durable and cheaper chemicals have mostly replaced these ingredients. And Americans eat more than enough chickens, cows, pigs and other animals that their unwanted and condemned body parts can supply the dog and cat food trade. Rather, when this book was written, horses were being slaughtered in the US and their meat was exported to countries such as Belgium and France for human consumption. A smaller number were killed to feed exotic animals in captive situations.
In another passage, the author claims that "vegans are divided on spay/neuter" of pet animals. I found this statement quite confusing. It is true, there are some serious disagreements within our community, most visibly of abolitionism vs. pragmatism, but I struggle to see spay/neuter as a controversial issue. Every animal rights and welfare group, large and small, supports spay/neuter to reduce the number of animals killed in shelters and abandoned on the streets. It may not be "natural," but nor are human-created breeds of animals who look nothing like their cousins in the wild, many not even capable of surviving on their own. If we reject spay/neuter as "unnatural," we also must reject any kind of medical care at all, or even feeding and watering our pets or keeping them in the home. Such a person would be rightly prosecuted for abandonment of a pet.
March 30, 2008
Extremely worthwhile. This book walks you through, more or less, the entire process, the lifestyle of veganism. Especially useful in terms of nutritional planning, and for the equally important program of lighting sundry fires under sundry asses, I recommend this book as a good place to go when you have more or less already decided to go vegan. It will pat you on the back and make you feel all gooey inside for doing so, and it will likely give you that one last little nudge if you are on the fence. However, it functions less well as a guide tot he ethics behind veganism-- it gets a bit sentimental and doe-eyed here and there.
May 13, 2007
This is a very supportive and inspiring book for those considering the vegan lifestyle, and for new and long time vegans as well. I think it’s an especially helpful book, full of good information.
July 4, 2016
When I was a new vegan in 2001, this was a brilliant companion and influcenced my personal moral framework significantly. I had become a vegan because I didn't want to be responsible for the death of others, animals or humans. This book helped me to explain to others why I had become vegan because it articulated what I felt so eloquently.
It covers all aspects of living vegan thoroughly - which is something you don't see often. It includes a history of veganism, the reasons for going vegan, substitutions we can make (not only for food but also for things such as leather and wool) and nutritional charts.
If you want a good introduction into veganism, you still can't go wrong with this sourcebook. The book is practical and philosophical.
The nutrition section is particularly good - Stepaniak wisely paired up with Virginia Messina, a nutritionist. You won't find any of the esoteric claims some people make about vegan diet as a cure-for-all. Instead, the advice is practical and grounded in solid nutritional science.
And the same goes for every other chapter - Stepaniak is neither shrill nor timid. She presents solid arguments for a compassionate, vegan lifestyle.
The book also contains a small recipe section at the end - in true Stepaniak style, they are easy and contain few ingredients. A few recipes may seem obsolete to new vegans (vegan sour cream seems to be easier to find than firm silken tofu in some places!) but they are all tasty and provide new vegans with a solid basis.
It covers all aspects of living vegan thoroughly - which is something you don't see often. It includes a history of veganism, the reasons for going vegan, substitutions we can make (not only for food but also for things such as leather and wool) and nutritional charts.
If you want a good introduction into veganism, you still can't go wrong with this sourcebook. The book is practical and philosophical.
The nutrition section is particularly good - Stepaniak wisely paired up with Virginia Messina, a nutritionist. You won't find any of the esoteric claims some people make about vegan diet as a cure-for-all. Instead, the advice is practical and grounded in solid nutritional science.
And the same goes for every other chapter - Stepaniak is neither shrill nor timid. She presents solid arguments for a compassionate, vegan lifestyle.
The book also contains a small recipe section at the end - in true Stepaniak style, they are easy and contain few ingredients. A few recipes may seem obsolete to new vegans (vegan sour cream seems to be easier to find than firm silken tofu in some places!) but they are all tasty and provide new vegans with a solid basis.
November 29, 2008
This is a really great book for beginning vegans. It gives a really cool history of modern vegetarianism/veganism at the start of the book. I was shocked to find that modern vegetarianism came to being in the 1800s. The author also touches on the many moral and health reasons for becoming a vegan. There is an excellent reading guide at the end of the book as well as some pretty delicious recipes and a food pyramid & nutrition guide for vegans. I was hoping for a little more substance when it came to the topic of how to deal with the emotional and social pressures of being a vegan in a non-vegan world, however that chapter was limited to simply telling vegans to build vegan and supportive non-vegan networks. I'm searching for how to be more effective in my communications with non-vegans, and this book helped a little, but not as much as I was looking for.
April 22, 2016
I bought this book when I was feeling under attack from family and friends over my choice to be vegan. The book (plus a few others on my list) gave me all the ammo I needed to convince them that my nutrition is sound, and my decisions reasoned and based on evidence. I even managed to convince many of them to change their habits based on the wealth of information provided here. Joanne Stepaniak does not preach, she simply presents the evidence. Whether you are thinking about going vegan due to concerns over the planet or the animals, or just your own health, this is necessary information to have at hand. Dispel the protein myth and discover a cornucopia of interesting plant ingredients, and their properties.
August 28, 2018
I had a difficult time getting through the first chapter. But after that, the writing is smooth, and there is a lot of valuable information to absorb. Beyond the arguments for being vegan, there is a lot of good how-to information. How to pick the issues most important to the conscientious person who wishes to do the least harm on this planet.
July 9, 2017
Excellent resource
explains why vegan-- philosophically
menus and recipes
explains why vegan-- philosophically
menus and recipes
April 13, 2020
Perfect for baby vegans 🌷
November 1, 2021
A good resource for those starting out.
October 26, 2007
This was a most useful resource for me when I first became vegan, especially the chapter on vegan nutrition (a vegan food pyramid is included, which I could not be more happy about!). The recipes section is short, but there are some goodies. I especially like the franks 'n beans recipe, as I had always loved beans 'n weanies growing up and this fulfilled my desire for homecooked comfort food! I could not recommend this book more for new vegans or anyone else interested in a vegan diet and lifestyle.
January 8, 2009
A great book resource for existing and soon-to-be vegans. It starts with a historical background of veganism and then follows with great detail on the issues with which vegans are concerned, including moral, environmental, health, and human, species, and gender rights issues. It also provided some recipes as well as a plethora of additional information resources. It strengthened my beliefs in my lifestyle choice and reminded me why it's worth it and what to remember when I'm struggling or tempted!
June 18, 2013
Amazing. While toying with the idea of becoming vegan, I ordered a copy of this. Within four chapters, I had made the commitment to veganism and hadn't looked back. It goes into the history of veganism, the evils of the dairy and egg businesses, how to deal with unwanted "pests" besides just killing them, etc. There's a lot of information in the back appendixes as well. It's not a cookbook, but there are some recipes to get you started on the path of vegan food.
January 4, 2010
This book has a few really weak chapters, full of sentences like "Veganism can be very difficult but also very rewarding." and "Sometimes people do not like vegans blah blah blah..." but it has a few really informative chapters on nutrition and the conditions on factory farms and their environmental effects that make this book worth reading. Don't be afraid to skip a few of the middle chapters; I wish I hadn't wasted my time reading them.
April 21, 2010
So I'm on the brink of going vegan, or at least that's what I thought until I read this book. This book is a discussion of how the way we live affects the planet. It's a good book, but it made it clear to me that I haven't arrived yet. I'm ready to stop eating animal products, but I'm not ready to stop wearing leather, or going to the zoo, or eating honey. This book is good food for thought.
February 28, 2008
Can't reccomend this book enough. It has everything a vegan might need, from nutrition tables and recipes to inspiring passages and pep-talks.
March 28, 2008
This is one of the many vegan books that sit upon our kitchen windowsill. An excellently accessible and no-bullshit guide to veganism and animal rights.
July 7, 2008
When I was contemplating becoming a vegan, during my vegan crisis ("there's even animal ingredients in the fake poptarts under my bed!"). Did not become a vegan. The book's fault?
January 19, 2009
This book did not catch my attention as much as others... the recipes did not look too enticing.
March 15, 2009
Interesting, not amazing, but worth the time.
September 12, 2009
Joanne Stepaniak is a beacon of sanity in the sometimes dark forest of intolerant vegan police...I love her take on things, and she's both informative and compassionate.
November 30, 2009
This is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the vegan lifestyle. The book discuss vegan ethics and also contains a few recipes to try.
March 20, 2011
Tons of good information. The information on infant nutrition and when to start solid foods is a little outdated, though.
August 11, 2011
Review to come!
May 5, 2012
Well, this book was one of the biggest things in helping me go vegan, so I'd recommend it wholeheartedly.
September 10, 2013
This one was just OK, not as good of a resource book as some others that I've read.
October 19, 2007
Everything you ever wanted to know about veganism, but were afraid to ask.
March 28, 2010
thanks katia!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews