During the quarantine, many people, including celebrities, have used their platforms to spread the word about veganism and how its positive impact on one’s self, animals, and the environment. The alleged link between the coronavirus and meat consumption has also been a key talking point globally. With more and more people choosing veganism, it is evident that not everyone feels comfortable to share the word about their dietary and/or lifestyle choices due to the negative stigma. We took a look at alternative forms of activism and explored why bookcrossing could a less direct, but impactful way of spreading awareness on key animal and environmental related issues.
However, there are a lot of possible ways of being an activist, other than publishing content on social media. Influent authors and writers have largely deployed the issues concerning animal rights and meat consumption across the years, using the most appropriate words and arguments. For this reason, in a time when gathering and social activities, in general, not permitted, BookCrossing may be the right channel to keep activism alive.
What is book crossing?
The idea of BookCrossing was born in 2002, in Idaho (USA). On the official Book Crossing’s website, it is defined as ‘the World’s Library. It’s a celebration of literature and a place where books get a new life. BookCrossing the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book passed from reader to reader, it can track and thus connecting its readers.’
Books can be ‘set free’ everywhere, one can choose to leave them in a public place, such as a café, a restaurant, or a library, or send them to individuals directly.
Alternative Forms Of Activism: which are the best books to share?
As previously mentioned, the literary community has always written about animal rights. And the problems related to meat consumption, especially during the last few years. In this article, there is a list of titles and authors that may be useful. For the sake of BookCrossing, there are several short but effective publications that will certainly hook someone’s attention. Below you can find two animal-friendly books that you can share with the world.
Black Beauty – Anna Sewell
This novel is written in 1877 and the only book was written by Anne Sewell. It published with the aim of exposing the working conditions of horses in all the existing fields. The most interesting point is the narrator. The story told by the point of view of a carriage horse that firstly employed for fox hunting. There are several editions, even for children. It is a good starting point for those who have just approached these matters.
Naked Empress or The Medical Fraud – Hans Ruesch
This book was first published in 1982 and it deploys the moral and scientific issues related to vivisection. It is one of the most famous books about this specific topic and it is very persuasive. This is not easy reading, due to the cruel facts and practices that it reports. But it surely helps to develop a strong point of view.
