Book Recommendations, Reviews and Author Interviews from All-Creatures.org

The Humane Hoax—Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs, Edited By Hope Bohanec

Publisher: Lantern Publishing & Media

Several Reviewers

The Humane Hoax—Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs
Available from Lantern Publishing & Media
Paperback ISBN 978-1-59056-688-6
eBook ISBN 978-1-59056-689-3

REVIEWS

"If I could (gently) shove this book down everyone’s throat, to read and digest the information in it, I would. Each essay in The Humane Hoax provides information about a particular facet of “alternative” animal farming with an analysis of the behavior and attitudes toward the animals ranging from smarmy sentimentality to gleeful sadism. Contributors explain how farmers and advertisers manipulate language to reassure the public—and in some cases themselves—that they “care” about the animals and even “love” them as they cut their throats. Or, conversely, how much they despise their victims. There’s an audience for that, too." Read Karen's ENTIRE REVIEW here.
—Karen Davis, PhD, President, UPC United Poultry Concerns

"A thoughtful collection of essays carefully examines the food we choose to eat. The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs is edited by Hope Bohanec. The thought-provoking essays ask us to rethink how we choose our meals. The collection deals with humane-washing, cognitive dissonance, and more. Read Marc's ENTIRE REVIEW here.
—Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today / Animal Emotions

"At almost 400 pages, The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs is a big book tackling big and often unseen issues—from the cruelties inherent in the do-it-yourself backyard egg business to a newly applauded movement in which women “find themselves” by killing sentient animals. Read LadyFreethinker's ENTIRE INTERVIEW here.
—Lex Talamo, LadyFreethinker.org

“Amidst the marketing claims of ‘happy’ and ‘humane,’ this anthology provides the truth that sets free consumers who want to live ethically and eat honestly. Concurrently, it seeks to set free those animals trapped in the agricultural system, of which ‘small,’ ‘family’ and ‘organic’ farms are all a part”
—Victoria Moran, author of Main Street Vegan and host of The Victoria Moran Podcast

“We live in an era of a catastrophic and rapid ecological genocide, and concurrently increasing human poverty and exploitation. We live in an era of massive exploitation and suffering of animals on a scale beyond imagining. These calamities are intertwined. Biophysically, we cannot resolve the ecological crisis or achieve global food security without transitioning towards plant foods. Mentally, we cannot relinquish our tendency to rationalize our exploitation of humans, animals or the environment without a universal and encompassing empathy. Never before has the confluence of science, rationality, ethics and compassion been more important. As such I hope this anthology reaches far and wide.”
—Dr. Tushar Mehta, creator of PlantBasedData.org

“The Humane Hoax shines an important and necessary bright light on the many myths and marketing lies surrounding animal agriculture. Violence, exploitation, commodification, and killing sentient beings to satisfy our desires can never be made ethical by adding the word ‘humane’ to it. Humane animal farming is, and always will be, an oxymoron.”
—Charles Horn, Ph.D., author of Meat Logic: Why Do We Eat Animals?

“Animal advocacy is working—more dairy, egg, and meat producers tout ‘humanely raised’ or ‘carbon-friendly’ than ever before. Yet The Humane Hoax reveals that these glitzy, hollow labels hide the real and significant harms that animal agriculture continues to wreak. This anthology is a necessary, complete rejoinder to the recent locavore, femivore, and meat apologist movements. The Humane Hoax’s highly-educated authors show us in entertaining, diverse ways—supported with thorough research and approachable explanation—that a path to a better world cannot include animal agriculture.”
—Karthik Sekar, author of After Meat

“Hope Bohanec, and her brilliant team of essayists, expose the meat industry’s cynical greenwashing and mislabeling for what it is: Orwellian double-speak. Read this book, learn the truth, and take the power back with your food choices.”
—Jane Velez-Mitchell, TV Journalist, NYTimes bestselling author, UnchainedTV founder

“This book expresses a fiercely compassionate worldview. It refuses to shy away from suffering—and inspires us to do something. Often, food labels and ads mislead consumers and don’t tell the whole truth. The Humane Hoax will open your mind.”
—Alene Anello, Legal Impact for Chickens

“This collection of thought-provoking essays from a wide variety of voices exposes a truth that the animal agriculture industry works hard to conceal. The Humane Hoax is a wake-up call to every consumer who believes that labels such as ‘cage-free,’ ‘pasture-raised,’ or ‘responsibly sourced’ are anything but a marketing ploy.”
—Mark Hawthorne, author of Bleating Hearts: The Hidden World of Animal Suffering

“Consumers want to believe that the animals they eat are well-treated. However, humane labels and regulation bring comfort only to consumers, while the animals remain just as—if not more—exploited. This anthology helps shine a much-needed light on what ‘humane’ concepts actually mean for the beings they are designed to protect. In order to make informed decisions, to look ourselves in the mirror and ask if we are truly living the values we purport to have, we must know the truth. Consumers deserve to know the reality behind the labels. They deserve to know what they are paying others to do to animals in their name. I urge you to read this book and ask yourself: if you personally had to do to animals what humane labels allow, would you?”
—Emily Moran Barwick, Activist, Educator, Speaker, and Writer at BiteSizeVegan.org

“As you step into the world of The Humane Hoax, you will be instantly transported into the reality of the cruel and harsh world that innocent farm animals endure second by second until they are violently killed for their meat, dairy and eggs. The so called ‘humane meat’ racket is visually exposed word by word, sentence by sentence in this collection of powerful essays. This book’s immersion into the truth behind the lies and deception of humane labeling will leave you ready to ditch any notion that animals are treated any better on so called ‘humane meat farms.’ The editor of The Humane Hoax, Hope Bohanec, has a depth of compassion for the sentience of all life combined with lifelong knowledge and experience of the issue. The fact that she’s seen and documented first-hand these horrors make her an excellent eye-witness. A staunch advocate for revealing the unbridled truth behind the fabricated labels and lies, I highly recommend her work.”
—Renee King-Sonnen, Founder & Executive Director, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary & The Rancher Advocacy Program

“What would the world look like if we were all willing to live a life of empathy based on the truth? Witnessing the truth through this book is so powerful. I want to get a copy into the hands of every human on earth. A perfect eye-opening, heart-opening look at the reality of the myths behind humanewashing labels. A true wake-up call.”
—Rae Sikora, Co-founder Institute for Humane Education, Vegfund and Plant Peace Daily

“The Humane Hoax makes clear the depravity of the myth of ‘humanely raised’ animal foods. The claim to being in any way ‘humane’ is simply false; the claim to being more healthful is a lie; the cost to the environment is often even worse than from conventional animal farming; and there is the added insult of duplicity.”
—Glen Merzer, author, Food Is Climate and Own Your Health

“Lies poison everything. Humane hype not only injures animals by hiding the harms they suffer but also hurts people by tricking them into betraying their own ethical commitments. Coming at the problem from every angle, the diverse contributors to this essential volume not only expose the lies but also explain why they have been so persuasive. Read this book to make sure you haven’t been hoodwinked and to learn what you need to know to refute the fictions that coax so many people who care about animals into literally buying into cruelty.”
—pattrice jones, author of Oxen at the Intersection and founder of VINE Sanctuary

 Features a range of thought-provoking essays from 18 experts who lay out every aspect of animal agriculture’s modern propaganda machine. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how powerful forces are working furiously to program consumers to continue eating meat and dairy, even in the face of that industry’s crippling impact on the climate, wildlife, farmed animals and human health. The book puts the lies into sharp focus. As people become increasingly aware of the animal agriculture industry’s cruelty and environmental destruction, its marketers, PR agents and lobbyists are reacting by doubling down on “humane” and “sustainable” labeling and humanewashing marketing campaigns. Given the news media’s dependence on this very industry for advertising dollars and the paucity of government oversight, it’s crucial that people get educated on how to see through this duplicitous marketing. This book is like a pair of binoculars, putting the lies into sharp focus.
—JaneUnchainedTV.com

About the Author

Hope Bohanec has been active in animal protection and environmental activism for thirty years and has published the book The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat? She is the Executive Director of Compassionate Living and the host of the Hope for the Animals Podcast. Hope co-founded the Humane Hoax Project, the Ahimsa Living Project, and has organized numerous online and in-person events including the Humane Hoax Online Conference, the Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar, and the Sonoma County VegFest. Over the last three decades, Hope has worked for the national non-profits United Poultry Concerns and In Defense of Animals and has contributed chapters to two anthologies.

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