The Good Eater

An enlightening and delicious look at how vegans – and their critics – are redefining the way the world eats in the twenty-first century.

For years, there has been no doubt that widespread consumption of meat is both environmentally destructive and morally dubious. A growing chorus of scientists, health experts, and activists champion the benefits of a mostly plant-based diet. Nevertheless, change has been slow to arrive, and the chasm between Americans' appetites and our collective needs seems impossibly vast. We know we must transition to a more plant-based world. But what would such a world look like, and how do we realistically get there?

One group of people has been grappling with this question for decades: vegans. Once mocked for its hempy puritanism, the vegan movement has grown from a fringe identity into a veritable cultural juggernaut, primarily through the power of persuasion. Who better to guide society into a greener future? Yet conflict over these questions persists. Is the healthful vegan lifestyle appealing – or alienating? Are high-tech meat alternatives merely a repeat performance of harmful fast-food values? Is modern veganism itself misguided – a wrong answer to the right questions?

In The Good Eater, Harvard-trained sociologist (and vegan) Nina Guilbeault vividly explores the movement's history and its present-day tensions. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of how social change happens, with profound implications for our plates – and our planet.