Consider the Turkey

Why this holiday season is a great time to rethink the traditional turkey feast

A turkey is the centerpiece of countless Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Yet most of us know almost nothing about today's specially bred, commercially produced birds. In this brief book, bestselling author Peter Singer tells their story—and, unfortunately, it's not a happy one. Along the way, he also offers a brief history of the turkey and its consumption, ridicules the annual US presidential "pardon" of a Thanksgiving turkey, and introduces us to "a tremendously handsome, outgoing, and intelligent turkey" named Cornelius. Above all, Singer explains how we can improve our holiday tables—for turkeys, people, and the planet—by liberating ourselves from the traditional turkey feast. In its place, he encourages us to consider trying a vegetarian alternative—or just serving the side dishes that many people already enjoy far more than turkey. Consider the Turkey will make you reconsider what you serve for your next holiday meal—or even tomorrow's dinner.

©2024 Peter Singer (P)2024 Tantor

A Brutal Account of the Turkey Industry

Peter Singer wants you to stop eating turkey for Thanksgiving dinner—and the rest of the year. To do that, he gives a brutal account of the turkey raising / slaughtering business in the United States. It’s gruesome, but it’s also rather impersonal. I think the book would have been much more effective if we had started with information about the turkey itself and built some greater interest in and empathy for the birds.