Book Review provided by:
Tempest
Tempest
Exclusive VP Book Review
Book Review provided by: Tempest |
Exclusive VP Book Review |
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I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I don't want to discount its value to the new vegetarian to have a book that deals quite well with many of the questions common to new vegetarians, as well as supplying information that potentially is new even to an experienced veg*n. On the other hand, given that the book often directs the reader to their website for the full articles, it might be a smarter choice to sit down at the computer and read everything on their website ( http://www.vrg.org ), and thus avoid the cost of the book.
Vegan and Vegetarian FAQ is set up in a question-and-answer format, much the way a FAQ page on a website is. The questions ran from the obvious and necessary: "What are the different types of vegetarians" to some of the trickier questions: "What is sodium stearoyl lactylate? What about other hidden ingredients?" I was impressed by the breadth of knowledge as I read "Is kosher gelatin vegetarian?" and various health related sections. Very often, however, the answers were abbreviated, and the website for the full article was given instead of including it in the book itself. I found this frustrating, and if I hadn't been reviewing the book, I wouldn't have bothered to get up and look at their online articles. An additional problem with stopping short of fully presenting the articles in their book, more than a few of the links provided were dead.
The expectation that the reader would be willing to read the book while sitting at the computer was one if its biggest weaknesses. Another disappointment was that much of the information seemed like a teaser to interest the reader in information or additional books the company would provide, for just another small fee. For the $15 price of the book, I want the full list of fast-food restaurants, guide to food ingredients, and guide to non-leather alternatives. Instead, the reader is given the opportunity to pay another $4 per "guide" for the complete information. Questions such as "Where can I find out about Vegetarian Restaurants" are used as an opportunity to promote a couple more books, conveniently available through VRG, the same group that published Vegan & Vegetarian FAQ !
Despite the fact that most of the information in the book can be also found on the VRG website, having a hardcopy of the book could come in handy. There were some articles provided in the book that are not on the website. Most of them fell in the "Unique Questions" category, such as "I love to feed the birds in my yard. Is there a vegetarian suet available?" and "How do I get rid of insects without killing them?" The health and nutrition articles were usually provided in full, and discussed in-depth enough that I would consider them the biggest strength of the book. There are some useful charts in the appendix, including an abbreviated "food ingredient" chart, and iron, calcium, and protein content in various foods. There are also enough recipes included that this book would be a good all-in-one resource when visiting friends and family.
The bottom line is that while this book does a good job of explaining the basics to new vegetarians, and even provides some new information to experienced veg*ns, you should expect to spend serious time in front of the computer if you want anything more than a brief overview of the issues. For the experienced veg*n, I'd recommend skipping this particular book. For the new vegetarian who is comfortable gathering information on the computer, sit down and read the information on their website, and then spend your money on the additional pamphlets, like the food ingredient guide, instead.
My rating would be 2 "V's" out of 4.
VegPeople Rating: |
 2 (out of 4) |
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