"An absorbing examination of why humans feel affection and compassion for certain animals but are callous to the suffering of others." Publishers Weekly ― Reviews

"This eyeopening book makes us question what we really mean when we say we love animals. Anyone who has ever loved a dog or a cat or a hamster or a bird will find abundant food for thought here." John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, The Food Revolution, and Healthy at 100 ― Reviews

"An altogether remarkable book that could transform the way society feels about eating animals." Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of The Face on Your Plate ― Reviews

"A thoughtful book full of substance and style. It should be required reading for anyone interested in what we eat and why." Kathy Freston, author of the New York Times bestselling Veganist and Quantum Wellness ― Reviews

"One of the most thoughtprovoking books in decades. The realization that we've been conditioned throughout our entire lives to think and act a certain way toward animals, and that we've been so disconnected from ourselves and our fellow beings, gives us a chance to make our choices freely." Heather Mills ― Reviews

This groundbreaking work, voted one of the top ten books of 2010 by VegNews Magazine, offers an absorbing look at why and how humans can so wholeheartedly devote ourselves to certain animals and then allow others to suffer needlessly, especially those slaughtered for our consumption.

Social psychologist Melanie Joy explores the many ways we numb ourselves and disconnect from our natural empathy for farmed animals. She coins the term "carnism" to describe the belief system that has conditioned us to eat certain animals and not others.

In Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows Joy investigates factory farming, exposing how cruelly the animals are treated, the hazards that meatpacking workers face, and the environmental impact of raising 10 billion animals for food each year. Controversial and challenging, this book will change the way you think about food forever.

Melanie Joy
Melanie Joy, PhD, is a Harvard-educated psychologist, celebrated speaker, and the author of six books. Joy is the eighth recipient of the Institute of Jainology’s Ahimsa Award, which was previously awarded to Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, and her work has been featured by numerous national and international media outlets, including the BBC, ABC Australia, NPR, and the New York Times. Joy is also the founding president of the international organization Beyond Carnism, and she has given her acclaimed carnism presentation and trained advocates in over fifty countries.

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword to the Tenth Anniversary Edition xi
1 / To Love or to Eat? 1
2 / Carnism: “It’s Just the Way Things Are” 12
3 / The Way Things Really Are 25
4 / Collateral Damage: The Other Casualties of Carnism 63
5 / The Mythology of Eating Animals: Justifying Carnism 85
6 / Through the Carnistic Looking Glass: Internalized Carnism 105
7 / Bearing Witness: From Carnism to Compassion 125
Afterword 141
Book Group Discussion Guide 151
Endnotes 156
Resources 177
Selected Bibliography 178
Index 193

“Melanie Joy’s book is an important and groundbreaking contribution to the struggle for the welfare of animals. It helps us step outside the box of ‘carnism’ so that we are better positioned to think critically and be a part of the solution, helping to create a more compassionate and sustainable world.”
—Yuval Harari, from the foreword