Ninety-Five: Meeting America's Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs

by No Voice Unheard, Davida G. Breier (contributor), Diane Leigh

Ninety-Five is a delightful and engaging anthology of writing and photography by rescuers, caregivers, and those who love the animals. Each animal is portrayed with high quality, full-color photographs and a short story that demonstrate the animal's personality, depth, emotions, quirks, relationships, and individuality. Some stories are quite dramatic and will leave the reader awed and amazed; while others will simply show who an animal is - from Justice, a steer who broke out of a truck on the way to the slaughterhouse, who now is the self-appointed greeter at his sanctuary, to the quiet happiness of Gilly, a small white hen rescued from a factory egg farm, who found peace in a loving home. Galleries of photos of other farmed animals will also engage the reader, and thumbnail photo footnotes provide additional information. *Ninety-Five is the average number of animal lives spared annually by one person's vegan diet.

Genres: Animals, Vegan, Nonfiction, Vegetarian, Photography

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, sometimes the write-ups were a bit long and in need of editing. I felt sad reading this, the entire factory farming issue is so overwhelming. Even the animals who are rescued often have untreatable medical conditions from being bred to grow really large really quickly.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farmed animals are bred, transported, and slaughtered at such an astonishing rate that is difficult for any of us to grasp that each and every one is an individual. This book slows down that breakneck pace to introduce us to some of the animals who have escaped the system. We find that they are as much “personalities” as our pet dogs and cats, from the gentle steer who “mothers” every new animal at a sanctuary, to a cranky goose who is very picky about who he will allow into his territory. In learning of each of these animals, our minds of course turn to the billions who aren’t so lucky, those who end up on our plates.

The stories included represent a variety of animal sanctuaries and a variety of writers. (Some of the essays were previously published online.) The writer representing Peaceful Prairie sanctuary has a unique style that readers will probably either love or hate. The thesaurus is used quite a bit and engages in quite a bit of speculation about what the animals are thinking. My favorite Peaceful Prairie story, about Louise the chicken, does not appear here, most probably because it’s so depressing. But I found great meaning in its line about finding joy in experiences long after they have ended:

...that much is undeniable and unforgettable, and it is something she will know and keep, an experience that will inform her for the rest of her life, long after she leaves her empty nest.
That experience...is now imprinted in Louise's song along with every other life experience she's had ... And now there's a sound for it that wasn't there before. Now, there is a story.

Pick up this book and allow the animals’ story to be heard.

(I purchased this book for my library.)

[Kate Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This spacious, clear, compassionate book about rescued farmed animals offers three experiences you may not get from actually visiting a sanctuary where these animals are kept: a chance to look them in the eyes for an extended period of time, to see examples of every animal Americans commonly eat, and to visit them even in the midst of a city. The large photographs allow you extended closeup eye-to-eye contact, whereas if face-to-face the animal might be farther away, would move about, perhaps turn away. And most sanctuaries would have some but possibly not all of these: chickens, turkeys, pigs, cattle, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, and rabbits. Plus, unlike a rare visit to a sanctuary, by opening the book you can see the animals again anytime and anywhere you want.
The short essays on the animals' behavior were thoughtful and sensitive, but to me the main reason to pick up this book is its photographs: to see, really see, these living animals that remain invisible to most people who encounter them only after they've been slaughtered, dismembered and served up on a plate. No other book I know is as effective in allowing the reader to make that connection.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat melodramatic in places, this is a beautifully photographed book that talks about the personality and individuality of the featured animals. I found it to be consistent with what I know about the traditionally farmed animals that I keep as pets as well as those I interacted with when I was in veterinary school. It raises significant moral questions about the fate of animals kept in factory farms. Do Americans really know what they are eating and how much suffering goes into producing cheap meat, eggs and milk? If you don't know, you should make an active effort to find out. Willful ignorance and continued participation in a corrupt and unethical system makes you just as guilty as those who raise these animals in deplorable conditions just to provide you with a cheap chicken dinner.

[DelGal]

I really enjoyed viewing the photographs in this book, they were quite vivid, amazing, and I immediately fell in love with all those wonderfully cute animals. However, this is a warning to fellow animal lovers who happen to also be non-vegetarians (meat eaters). Don't read the stories because you may just quickly find yourself feeling guilty for eating meat, and learning about the horrid conditions these sweet animals must endure in their short lives. I've decided not to completely rate this because although the pictures were visually stunning, I couldn't bring myself to actually read the stories to give it a complete and fair review.

[Rift Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay Vegan!! Yay Justice (on the front cover)! Loved this book and can't wait to re-read it over and over!

I visited Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary in July 2010. The stories Michele told me and my family about Justice and the others are touching. The essay "Sanctuary: A Day in Their Lives" by Davida Gypsy Breier is so familiar.

Buy it! Read it! Go Vegan! and invest in Peaceful Prairie!!

{{{Hugs}}}

[B.P.]

Family not food!