Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals

by Karen Dawn

The animal rights movement has reached a tipping point. No longer a fringe extremist cause, it has become a social concern that leading members of society endorse and young people embrace. From Michael Vick's dog fighting scandal to CNN's airing of the eye-opening film Blackfish, animal rights issues have hit the headlines--and are being championed by students and senators, pop stars and producers, and actors and activists. Don't you want to be part...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061351857
• ISBN13: 9780061351853
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 2.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A witty, well-cited, and humorous take on animal rights

I read a copy of this from my local library and decided that it's worth having in my permanent library. There are around 8 chapters on various topics, but the author, Karen Dawn, does a great job of breaking each topic into bite-sized pieces that make this an easy read. She intersperses animal-friendly comic strips and celebrity quotes every few pages. I found that instead of making the pace seem choppy, it instead provided an alternative endorsement of her ideas and make the book an easy read. I'll admit that the one chapter I really had a hard time reading was the one on animal testing. I don't consider that a failure on my part as I skimmed it and got what I needed to get out of it. Because she breaks up each topic into such digestible pieces, it's not only an easy read but something I'm going to have on my library shelf for reference. Her arguments are polite, witty, and well-referenced. She's not militant in her views and her easy-going style make it easy to gravitate towards her side of things. In the interest of full disclosure, I was a vegetarian/near-vegan when I read this book, but there are chapters on household pets and animals in the entertainment industry that got me thinking enough to potentially change my future behavior. I could see how someone would dismiss this type of book as nutty stuff, but really, it's not. It's merely stating various talking (or thinking) points with the goal of getting you to think differently about things that you normally don't think about. She has a huge bibliography in the back so she did her research. The book is short on the really gorey photographs that one might find in a pro-animal book such as this, and I appreciated that. She spends the last chapter talking about how to effectively get people thinking about animal rights via peaceful and non-annoying methods, which is a great way to exit the book as you then feel as if you can help make a difference all by yourself.

Life Changing

This book could have been written in a overly-dramatic, highly inflamatory way; however, it is carefully written, balanced, and even manages to use humor in at most unexpected places. Once you know, you can never go back to looking at milk, eggs, meat, fur, pets, circuses the same way ... and it's all for the good. Why not seek to move through this world with great awareness and compassion for all life with whom we share the planet?

Comprehensive and fun! Go figure.

Animal activists ARE crazy. And after reading this book, you will understand why. In it, Karen Dawn tackles a daunting task, to take some of the most heinous and barbaric crimes we humans commit against the animal kingdom and shed light on them in a gentle, entertaining, and even fun manner. And she succeeds. You will meet some of the most "radical" activists, filmmakers, nutritionists, conservationists, authors, and their celebrity supporters. Through remarkable, heartwarming, as well as heart-rending stories Dawn encourages us to take a step back, rethink our philosophies and actions, and to take responsibilities for our choices. TTM is littered with excellent information, great quotes, and a plethora of valuable links and ideas for creating a more compassionate world. A pleasure... and a treasure!

highly recommended!

If you're looking for a comprehensive and easy-to-read introduction into animal rights issues, this book is great. Karen Dawn juxtaposes a wealth of funny and moving anecdotes with top-notch research, witty commentary, hilarious cartoons, and a parade of guest appearances by pop culture icons. Will make you both laugh *and* think.

What's all the Fuss about Animal Rights?

What brilliance! It is by far the best, most practical, balanced, logical, and well written book on animal rights and animal welfare I have ever come across. I have read many. Karen Dawn writes that it's not "all or nothing" that there are compassionate steps we all can make -- every one of us. It answered all my questions about many areas of animal abuse I wasn't aware of. It's important to know what your money supports when you patron places like Sea World or the Circus. How about that fur collar? It might come from a dog or cat. It might be labeled fake, but really be from a domesticated animal. What about the horse meat industry? Cattle ranching supports horse slaughter. Love horses? Don't eat cows. Seriously. It's all connected. All people, meat eaters too, can take steps to help animals live better. You learn about this in a very, very insightful way with humor and compassion. There's no name calling or holier than thou in this book. Karen rocks! It's not about perfection, it's about progression.