Book Reviews

Hey Little Ant!

By Phillip and Hannah Hoose

Have you ever tried to explain to a child why it's important to let ants, bees, and other bugs live instead of squishing them? Hey Little Ant! is a great resource for thinking and talking about respecting other beings. It's a playful picture book featuring a rhyming conversation between a young boy and an ant. The ant is trembling in the shadow of the boy's sneaker and pleading with the boy to not step on him. The book does not dictate what choice to make but asks the reader, "What do you think that kid should do?" The Jane Addams Peace Association recognized it as a 1999 Honor Book. The book is recommended for young children aged 4-8 years. It would be a lovely addition to any classroom or home.

Being Vegan

By Joanne Stepaniak, MSEd

Joanne Stepaniak, author of The Vegan Sourcebook and several vegan cookbooks, has written a new book called Being Vegan. The book is written primarily in a question-and-answer format. It covers topics related to vegan philosophy (personal well-being and diet, theology and spirituality, global concerns, etc.), relationships (raising vegan children, living with a non-vegetarian, dealing with friends, etc.), ethical practice (including veganism on campuses, clothing, animal concerns and acti-vism, personal care products, etc.), and vegan food (reading labels, going shopping, planning meals, etc.).

This book would be extremely valuable to anyone considering be-coming vegan. It would also be useful to vegans who want to educate others about their vegan lifestyle. Questions are often answered in general terms. You may want to go to another vegan resource when looking for more specific information on where to shop, what to eat, vegan friendly travel ideas, etc. Being Vegan would also be a nice addition to any library.

The Artichoke Trail

By James Bernard Frost

The Artichoke Trail is a guide to vegetarian restaurants, organic food stores, and farmers' markets in the United States. The first section in-cludes restaurants and food stores listed by region and state. Living in Maryland, my initial instinct was to look for the Mid-Atlantic region. I was surprised to find Maryland and Washington, DC under the North-east region. New England states are also listed under the Northeast. I found that a bit confusing. Nevertheless, you will find valuable restaurant reviews and other useful tidbits for veggie-friendly eating. Lengthy, honest reviews of selected restaurants are given and in other cases, brief write-ups are offered. Unfortunately, I found a lot of information that is already out-of-date. This is due to the nature of the restaurant industry (only 1 out of 10 new restaurants survives after the first year or so).

The other section includes an extensive list of farmers' markets arranged alphabetically by state. Included is the location of each market, a telephone number for more information, and the day(s) the market runs. I was happy to see how many farmers' markets now exist across this country. This certainly is a good sign.

The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide

By Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, LMHC

The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide is a useful handbook for athletes who are interested in following a vegetarian diet. Author Lisa Dorfman, a registered dietitian, has used her own experience as a marathon runner and triathlete and her nutrition background to produce a book that includes scientific information, meal plans, menus, and food guides for athletes in many different sports. The book contains meal plans and recipes for lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans. Unfortunately, the author focuses on a number of athletes whom she calls "semivegetarian" who eat fish and chicken. Fish is included in some meal plans and recipes.

More Soy Cooking

By Marie Oser

More Soy Cooking, as its title implies, offers healthful renditions of classic traditional meals by using soy foods. For example, in the appetizer section you'll discover a recipe called Kreato-pitta, which is a phyllo "meat" pie. Tempeh is substituted for meat in this dish. You'll even find two nutritional analyses at the end of each recipe, comparing the new version of the dish to a more traditional version.

Chapters in this book include The Need for a Plant-Based Diet, Soy-Centered Cuisine (including a glossary of soyfoods), and Kitchen Tools, Techniques, and Tofu. Other chapters include Soups and Salads, Entrées, Pasta and Pizza, Selected Sides, and Desserts. Many of the recipes are not quick and easy; however, the results are well worth your time and effort.

The Inner Art of Vegetarianism

By Carol J. Adams

Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory and Neither Man Nor Beast: Feminism and the Defense of Animals, has written a new book for vegetarians who desire a deeper appreciation of the spirituality of their vegetarianism, or are interested in other spiritual practices to enhance their lives. The Inner Art of Vegetarianism is also for spiritual seekers interested in practicing vegetarianism.

Ms. Adams wrote this book because she feels there is often indifference or hostility between non-vegetarian spiritual seekers and vegetarians without a spiritual practice. Her hope is that this book will offer ways to overcome this indifference or hostility and she suggests ways that both groups can deepen their relationships.

The author starts off by stating that vegetarians are often perceived as rigid, inflexible, and unyielding. We are seen by some spiritual teachers as the antithesis of the spiritual values of openness and grace. On the other hand, vegetarians often become embittered by spiritual movements that appear to either actively protect meat-eating or passively accept it.

This book covers topics such as vegetarianism and yoga, and vegetarian cooking as meditation. Anyone interested in these subjects will find this to be a unique book.

Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen

By Bryanna Clark Grogan

This vegan cookbook is perhaps the most traditional Chinese cookbook I've ever perused. The recipes are variations on exactly the types of dishes that I've seen not only in Chinatown, but when visiting at the homes of Chinese friends' parents. Also, all four major regions of China are represented. We're not talking just egg foo young here.

The dishes are fabulous approximations of the originals, mainly because they call for so many authentic Chinese ingredients, which may prove hard to find. If you have a great little Asian market near you, you should be able to purchase everything called for. But note: as with soy sauce, not every brand of every ingredient is wholly vegan or even vegetarian. Check the ingredient listings on curries and bean pastes carefully.

The major difference between this compilation and others like it is that a lot of care was taken to incorporate "mock meats." Grogan transforms tofu into "chicken," vital wheat gluten into "pork," and seitan and mushrooms into "abalone!" Some of these transitions require pretty elemental ingredients, so be wary. However, even the "meat"-less recipes are wonderful. (The Chili Green Beans are out of this world!)

Also note that these recipes take a lot of time to prepare, though the results are absolutely worth it. Beginner cooks may find a lot of the recipes frustrating, but if you really want to make excellent vegan Chinese food, this is definitely the way to do it.