Weaver is a thoughtful eater who thinks before she chews…she mulls over questions we all should be anxious to answer about our food: Is meat healthy or just a guilty pleasure? Is eating it humane, to animals and to the planet? Do vegetarians really get enough protein? With wit and sensible reasoning, Weaver shares her ruminations with an assortment of experts…And she writes beautifully and deliciously about food—be it carnivorous, vegetarian, vegan, or raw. I’m hungry!

—Elle magazine, nonfiction reader’s selection

A mouthwatering excursion through environmental and food issues with what may be a surprising denouement for most readers.

—Booklist

There is no simple answer to the question of whether or not we should eat meat, and what I love about this book is that Tara isn’t daunted by that. She takes on the topic with real intellect and heart, engaging it in its full complexity, and the result is an honest, insightful, and wonderfully nuanced book.

—Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, orangette.net

The Butcher and the Vegetarian is a heartfelt exploration of the complications of eating meat in our culture. I learned enormously, laughed, and was moved to tears. Tara is a generous, impassioned writer with stories you have not heard before. This book will make you think.

—Shauna James Ahern, Gluten-free Girl and the Chef, glutenfreegirl.com

Tara Austen Weaver is our travel guide on a captivating carnivore journey through meals, morals, and finding the life we want to live. The Butcher and the Vegetarian reads like the best meals taste: Tender, searing, and just a little bit spicy.

—Rebekah Denn, James Beard award-winning journalist, eatallaboutit.com

Tara Austen Weaver has written a sweet and funny account of her adventures in meat eating. Her vegetarian upbringing makes the story special; and her journey will gently nudge even the most devout carnivore. If you are worried about your health and the health of your fellow animals, Austen’s revealing memoir is a must-read.

—Novella Carpenter, Farm City: the Education of an Urban Farmer, novellacarpenter.com

Farmer-writer Wendell Berry teaches us that “Eating is an agricultural act.” In her memoir, “The Butcher & the Vegetarian,” Tara Austen Weaver demonstrates that it is a personal act as well. In a quest for better health, Weaver, a lifelong vegetarian, embarks on a self-guided meat-eating journey that challenges not only her palate, but her upbringing, identity and sense of place in the world. With grace and humor, Weaver takes us along for the bumpy ride, and just when you think you’ve got her all figured out, she surprises you, over and again. This is a woman who dances to the beat of her own whisk.

—Kim O’Donnel, Licking Your Chops: A Meatless Guide for Meat Lovers, true/slant.com

PRESS MENTIONS

The Butcher & The Vegetarian in New York magazine’s Grub Street
Mentioned in Newsweek (No More Sacred Cows)
Profile of Tara in Women’s Wear Daily (Meat, Please)