‘Hungry Beautiful Animals: The Joyful Case for Going Vegan’
One of the central ideas of Brian Halteman's book 'Hungry Beautiful Animals' is that many of us are already aligned with vegan values, even if we haven’t fully embraced the lifestyle. Halteman refers to these individuals as 'vegans-in-waiting' — people who, at some level, understand the ethical, environmental, or health benefits of going vegan but have yet to integrate this practice into their daily lives. To facilitate this, the book offers a vision of 'going vegan' that is not rigid or perfectionistic, but flexible and evolving.
SARX: It’s rare to encounter a book on veganism that doesn’t feel like a rallying cry for restraint or an exercise in moral chastisement. Yet, in Hungry Beautiful Animals, philosopher Matthew C. Halteman presents an entirely different narrative. This book is an invitation—a love letter to life in all its forms—that reframes veganism not as a sacrifice, but as a path to abundance, joy, and flourishing.
Hungry Beautiful Animals positions itself as a ground-breaking contribution to the vegan movement, challenging both vegans and non-vegans alike to rethink how we approach this lifestyle. Halteman’s premise is simple yet radical: veganism should not be defined by what we give up, but by what we stand to gain. For too long, the vegan message has centred on suffering, shame, and scarcity. Halteman flips the script, focusing instead on the beauty and joy that a plant-based life offers—for humans, animals, and the planet.
At the heart of Halteman’s work is a powerful reimagining of veganism as a practice rooted in creativity, compassion, and community. Drawing on over two decades of teaching, writing, and personal experience, he offers readers a vision of “going vegan” that is not rigid or perfectionistic, but flexible and evolving.
One of the book’s central ideas is that many of us are already aligned with vegan values, even if we haven’t fully embraced the lifestyle. Halteman refers to these individuals as “vegans-in-waiting”—people who, at some level, understand the ethical, environmental, or health benefits of going vegan but have yet to integrate this practice into their daily lives. He acknowledges the barriers that often hold us back — cultural, emotional, and practical —a nd offers ways to navigate them with grace and patience.
The book takes us through the profound ways in which animal products are interwoven into our identities, from the roast dinners that evoke family memories to the leather jackets that signal status and style. Halteman doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the difficulty of breaking these attachments. But instead of guilt or judgement, he offers a compassionate invitation to consider how we might begin, step by step, to create lives of greater joy and alignment with our deepest values. SOURCE…
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