Review: Everything I Want to Do is Illegal

Recycla recently read Everything I Want to Do is Illegal and thinks this is a must-read for any Eco Warrior who is interested in eating locally and seasonally.

Written by Virginia farmer and food guru Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, the book draws upon his decades of experience as a farmer.  Salatin writes with great passion and not a little humor about why Americans do not have the freedom to choose the food they purchase and eat. He discusses how the official system favors industrial farming and corporate food, which makes it all that more difficult for the small farmer to make a living.  Salatin also talks about how child labor laws impacted his children’s work on the farm, surprise food inspections, and the great lengths he’s had to go to in order give his clients the freshest and highest quality food possible.

As with any book that talks about beef, swine, and poultry farming, there are a couple of anecdotes that might or might not turn your stomach a bit, but overall it’s not disgusting.  (Well, unless you’re a vegetarian…)

Everything I Want to Do is Illegal is an excellent addition to any Eco Warrior’s library.  (And by “library” Recycla means all the books you read, not just the ones you buy; Recycla is a big fan of her local public library.)  If you are looking for other books about local farming and local foods versus industrial farming, Recycla also recommends Fast Food Nation, Don’t Eat this Book, and Animal Vegetable Miracle.

Tell the Eco Women:  What good eco books have you read lately?