BACK  l  CONTENTS

ALL HEAVEN IN A RAGE:
ESSAYS ON THE EATING OF ANIMALS
EDITED BY LAURA MORETTI

How did that hamburger end up on your dinner plate? What’s really in that 12-piece bucket? If you’ve ever wondered about America’s meat consumption and their lack of compassion for animals, look no further than the book, “All Heaven In A Rage. This book will remove the blinders that most humans wear and take you into the world of greed, science, and death inside factory farms and slaughterhouses. Through a series of essays on various themes, Laura A. Moretti’s compilation will bring you to tears and disgust on the unconscionable treatment of animals by corporate giants.

The book carries quotes, poems, and essays. The opening quote, “I am the voice of the voiceless”; by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) sets the pace for the hard-hitting facts that follow. There are personal stories, such as that of Dancer, a dairy cow that watched five of her calves be torn away from her at less than 48 hours old. They were doomed for “veal” consumption. After an accident severed one of her teats, Dancer was put up for a slaughter auction since she was no longer able to produce the average 25,000 pounds of milk per year that is expected of each dairy cow. However, that day ended in good fortune for Dancer, who was purchased at the auction by an animal sanctuary that noticed she happened to be pregnant. Fortunately, she was able to keep her sixth calf.

The essay, “All Heaven In A Rage”, by Jim Mason, who also co-wrote “Animal Factories” with Peter Singer, is excellent and to the point. He quickly states a timeline on the stages of the plight of animals — beginning with biblical times and ending with the 850 pounds of meat, egg, cheese and dairy products that an average American eats per year. He also touches on points regarding the commercialization of the animals we eat. Jim Mason does a fantastic job of painting a picture that illustrates how all of this evolved in such a short time period. His timeline, although disturbing, shows us all what a sad world we live in, that we, as humans, have let this happen.

The second chapter, “And No One Gets Out Alive…” is a collection of material solely based on slaughterhouses. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly happens to animals after they enter, you will now find out. Greed is the animals’ enemy and when dollar signs abound every year, the end result will be the same. More farms and slaughterhouses mean more deaths. These people will stop at nothing, which brings us into the final essays of the book.

These essays deal with the effect of the factory farming industry on the earth. An essay by John Robbins puts a firm grasp on the terror that we have put forth on mother earth. His words spoke volumes to me and really touched my heart. He sheds light on a lot of issues that need attention. So if your looking for more information concerning farm animal welfare, take a look at these great investigating, heart felt essays. They will educate you and prepare you with answers to questions that are often directed at vegans and animal rights supporters.

BACK  l  CONTENTS