If you would prefer a printed softbound version of When Vegans (Almost) Rule the World, you can pick one up for just $11.99 at Amazon. Kindle eBook coming soon! Available in either softbound or Kindle/Nook/etc. eBook at Amazon viviansharpe.com

Book Review: The Vegan Way 21 Days to a Happier, Healthier Plant-Based Lifestyle that Will Transform Your Home, Your Diet, and You by Jackie Day review by Marla Rose Every so often, a new book arrives at my doorstep and it’s something altogether different and expands the vegan toolbox in an exciting way that is new for us. The new book by Jackie Day, The Vegan Way: 21 Days to a Happier, Healthier Plant-Based Lifestyle that Will Transform Your Home, Your Diet, and You, is one such example. Skillfully written with warmth, wit and depth, I believe that Jackie, who also runs the popular blog My Vegan Journal (http://myveganjournal.com), will break through defensiveness with her accessible but knowing tone; consider this book both a primer on “why vegan” and “how vegan,” as well as the next best thing to one’s own personal guide to transitioning. With each of the 21 days broken up into an information-packed chapter, Jackie educates while puncturing myths and helping to point people toward a more integrated, compassionate choice. The publisher, St. Martin’s Press, certainly gave the words Jackie provided a beautiful platform, too, with lots of beautiful photos and full of helpful user-friendly visual elements. With chapters divided up by subject - for example, Day 5 is on the egg industry and vegan replacements and Day 16 is on traveling as an herbivore - Jackie gracefully handles the various concerns and questions that arise with a graceful, confident tone that doesn’t ever condescend but is clearly coming from someone who’s been around the vegan block a time or two. (As a vegetarian since 13 and a vegan since the 1980s, her ease with the subject is evident.) An award-winning educator and longtime advocate, Jackie knows how to talk about these topics that often make people feel defensive and uncomfortable in a way that defuses, using her warm but unwaveringly honest voice. With more than 30 easy recipes shuffled through, colorful sidebars and photos, inspiring “thought for the day” quotes and simple checklists with every chapter, as well as really helpful sections nimbly covering a wide range in topics rarely seen in other vegan literature (her guidance on finding vegan options in public assistance programs and creating a swoon-worthy plate stood out to me), this is really the only book someone need for the practical help as well as the education needed for an informed, graceful and enjoyable transition. I appreciate that the author doesn’t pull any punches. Her sections on the subsidization of animal agribusiness and the dairy industry, for example, are rightfully enraging and heartbreaking. She doesn’t leave people feeling gutted, though. Jackie offers readers useful tools and strategies for how they can get their power back by living in alignment with their values without sacrificing taste, convenience or anything else. With her welcoming, inclusive voice, her fantastic research and knowing guidance, The Vegan Way leaves no stone unturned but is a highly readable and inspiring book. Know anyone who is looking to go vegan in the new year? Someone just looking to become better educated on the subject? Someone who is already vegan but would like some communication tips from a master? The Vegan Way is for you. I highly recommend it. © 2013-2016, Vegan Street