Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat [Hardcover]

A beautiful and clear-eyed examination of the world of pigs and pig farming. With his engaging prose and soulful, riveting stories, [Estabrook] illuminates the complexities of the pig industry and the desperate need for reform.Estabrook puts his substantial reporting, storytelling, and writing talents in the service of the pig. He documents the horrors perpetrated in America on this miracle creature, but he also describes the ways to break away from those horrors. . . .Estabrook tells two powerful stories here. The first is about the appalling ways in which Big Pig raises animals. . . . The second is about how skilled animal husbandry and respect for the intelligence of pigs produces . . . a far more satisfying life for farmers and pigs alike.Estabrook, a reporter of iron constitution and persistence, has dug deep into the truth about the American pork industry without losing his sense of humor and humanity. Gruesome on one hand; funny on the other.Estabrook turns his keen journalistic eye to pig production . . . [and] provides balance in the engaging tales of farmers and processors who are thoughtful and eminently human. . . . [A] must-read.BeforeEstabrook demonstrates his skill with words to tell compelling true stories&authoritative yet approachable.Masterfully blends storytelling with succinct explanations of policy and science&a must-read.Cogent, level-headed.Excellent&a more balanced and nuanced complement to muckraking works on similar subjects by Upton Sinclair (An eye-opening investigation of the commercial pork industry and aninspiring alternative to the way pigs are raised and consumed in America.