Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

Published by Running Press
Distributed by Publishers Group Canada

Skinny Bitch is "a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous." Authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin write in a bold and frank manner about the foods we eat on a daily basis. They make it easy to make informed choices by providing information on a variety of subjects.

Whether you are concerned about the disturbing trend of chemically altering foods (including the surprising use of arsenic), the devastating occurrences in slaughterhouses around the world, the addictive qualities of dairy products (yep, you read it right) or the countless other subjects that are explored, the authors present much food for thought and do it in a way that everyone can understand.

This is one of the most powerful books I have read. I couldn’t put it down and even found myself sitting in bed, 2am in the morning, crying as I read the segment on slaughterhouses. That part of the book alone had such an impact on me that I switched to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle the next day. I shared pieces of that section with my husband the next day and saw from his face that he found it as disturbing as I did. Contained are quotes from actual slaughterhouse workers as they share the atrocities they have witnessed, or have been guilty of. The evident lack of humanity is simply heartbreaking.

The book also contains a lot of frightening content on the subject of the use of chemicals and antibiotics. While it was easy to understand, I also found it overwhelming. It has been bothering me for some time that food is being altered and treated so commonly and it makes it difficult to avoid many of the ingredients. They seem to be in everything.

In addition though, this book provides many practical ideas for changing your lifestyle and eating habits as well as providing countless resources for alternative food sources. I found it an immense help the next day as I set off on my quest for vegetarian information.

It’s an addictive read which packs one heck of a punch. It will probably cause your TBR (to be read) pile to grow at an astonishing rate also as it includes references from scores of fascinating titles.

I only had one issue with this book and before I share it with you, I ask that you keep in mind that this book was worth the read, and that despite my irritation that will soon become obvious, I still believe this is a book that should be read by all.

My issue was the disproportionate use of bad language. While I can swear better than any sailor and don’t usually care about the use of expletives in books I read. I found that the language was irritating, excessively used, and distracting. I believe the authors run the risk of losing readers because of this. It was a great read but I would have liked it better if the expletives had been less overbearing.

Website: http://www.skinnybitch.net/