Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
With a New Afterword by the Author
Slaughterhouse is the first book of its kind to explore the impact that unprecedented changes in the meatpacking industry over the last twenty-five years—particularly industry consolidation, increased line speeds, and deregulation—have had on workers, animals, and consumers. It is also the first time ever that workers have spoken publicly about what’s really taking place behind the closed doors of America’s slaughterhouses.
In this new paperback edition, author Gail A. Eisnitz brings the story up to date since the book’s original publication. She describes the ongoing efforts by the Humane Farming Association to improve conditions in the meatpacking industry, media exposés that have prompted reforms resulting in multimillion dollar appropriations by Congress to try to enforce federal inspection laws, and a favorable decision by the Supreme Court to block construction of what was slated to be one of the largest hog factory farms in the country. Nonetheless, Eisnitz makes it clear that abuses continue and much work still needs to be done.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Brutal yet Inspiring
Customer Rating:
After reading the prologue, I was not sure how to approach Eisnitz's book. It jumps right into her story of collecting affidavits and interviews in an attempt to expose USDA's failure to uphold federal standards. Her collection was brutal and disturbing. After each interview, I felt disgusted by my naive trust in the meat industry for the first 21 years of my life. She develops an argument against the meat industry's current business standards and operations by conveying its negative social and environmental externalities not through statistics and scientific research but through human experience.
Towards the end of her story, she really cracks into the heart of the problem. She explains that too many people have turned a blind eye. The information is right in front of them, but they refuse to accept that their way of life is socially and environmentally distructive. She concludes by saying that, despite her many set backs, she accepts that all she can do is tell her story and the stories she has collected. Some may open their eyes but many will choose to ignore her.
This book compelled this reader and refuse to accept the status quo. Bravo! Bravo! Encore!
If you care about animals, don't buy this book from Amazon
Customer Rating:
Amazon dot com kills animals by supporting the fur industry.
I liked the book, but am saddened that I bought it from a company that SELLS FUR. I am sick and sad that I ever gave Amazon a single dime. I am not the only one. Amazon execs should understand that there are many more people out here who are offended at the butchering deaths of helpless animals for ridiculous VANITY, than there are people who would actually go to amazon to buy their FUR COATS. I ask that others please reconsider buying any more products from these people until they stop selling fur, and stop sending out cookie-cutter form letters to those of us who give a damn about the lives of others. (No, it is not enough to claim that they're merely trying to "give the customer what they want even if it offends some people. Would they say that if I wanted to buy heroin? If I wanted to buy a nuclear weapon? If I wanted to buy an Indonesian House Boy??? Not good enough. Some things are so reprehensible that society demands that they NOT sell them. Although, I'm sure that if they could, they would, so long as it was profitable.)
Take the profit out of death and join me in boycotting Amazon. And tell your friends. There are hundreds of other sites that sell great books, often cheaper, that do not profit from the deaths of innocent animals.
EXCELLENT!!! if you dare...
Customer Rating:
This book was excellent. This is a must read for anyone who eats meat, or who doesn't. It's a real eye opener on just how cruel, filthy, and terrible the meat industry is. It's very easy to turn a blind eye when you eat a great steak or some chicken wings, but the only reason to eat meat is your taste buds. Read the book, you will be shocked. You may cry! You may give up meat. It's shocking, unadulterated, dirty truths that we ALL need to know!
A must read for everyone
Customer Rating:
No matter if you eat meat or not, this is a must read for everyone! Eisnitz investagates the truth of the meat packing industry and finds facts that will gross you out and make you really think about what's going into your mouth! Very informative and a quick read for those in a time crunch!
Not just hype and guilt
Customer Rating:
I was unsure about buying this book. I am an avid reader and had it suggested numerous times. The book is shockingly upsetting. It was written like an investigative report. The book has changed my life. I had never thought about the human exploitation side of the meat industry. I must warn you the thought of using any animal products for me or my family is out of the question now.
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