My Favourite Books on Ethical Living

Knowledge is power.

I’m aware that I’m not the only one on this platform who enjoys reading (what a shocker). As I suspect most of you, I am a book-devourer. And as a vegan, a long-time environmentalist and all that stuff, I must say we’ve been spoilt for choice when it comes to amazing reads that inform, educate, and change our worldview. As the geriatric Millennial that I am, I am very much still for learning via books - as much as I realise that the information in them might date, there’s still something about the depth of a tangible object rather than just Googling. Plus, this is probably my age talking again but I just trust a book more. And once you’re done reading, you can keep it in your bookshelf to look back on. Okay, we done gushing about the book medium? Great, let’s move on.

All of these books have, in one way or another, been very educational to me. Each of them has taught me something new about the world, including when they were about things I already largely knew (that’s the power of a good book). But above all, they were all great reads - just really well-written and extremely pleasant to read, even when the subject matters were anything but. I’m glad to have most of them in my home, and I hope this list inspires some eye-opening reading for some of you.

Catching up on my activist reading

Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer

This was the book that inspired me to go vegan. I had already been pescatarian for many years, but reading this book, which was a birthday present from an acquaintance, taught me so much about the global industries that abuse animals that I could no longer accept any form of complicity in any of it and knew I had to transition to a vegan lifestyle. It is quite heavily focused on the US system, but there is a clarification that specifies that those outside the US should not feel comforted by that fact, as a lot of the same cruelty goes on elsewhere too. I cried and felt nauseated so many times while reading this book, and a lot of what I read still haunts me today. I wish everyone would read it.

Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion, Tansy Hoskins

This is the only book on ethical fashion that we need, plain and simple. Ethical fashion journalist Tansy Hoskins deals with the intersection of fashion and capitalism in such a brilliant and on-point way that I found myself exclaiming loudly in agreement several times while reading. From consumerism to class, racism, beauty ideals and animal abuse, Stitched Up looks at how fashion exploitation reaches so far and deep in different ways. One thing I took away from this book was that a total overhaul of our mindsets and systems is needed to truly make a change - no matter how much recycled polyester we make, many of fashion’s issues are so deeply ingrained that a societal change is required for our wardrobes, and our lives, to be a little kinder.

This is Vegan Propaganda, Ed Winters

To all of you sneering at books written by influencers: you’re wrong. Well, sometimes. Very definitely so when it comes to Ed Winters, also known as Earthling Ed - perhaps the most influential vegan YouTuber of our times. Known for his patient, informed style of debating, Ed has amassed huge viewer numbers on his videos of thoughtful conversations with strangers on animal rights. If you’ve watched some of his debates, you’ll without a doubt have been impressed by how knowledgeable Ed is - and it should come as no surprise that his book is excellently researched. I could tell that an enormous amount of work went into it, and even as a vegan of over a decade and someone who works in animal rights, I still learned so much from it. I also very much recommend Ed’s second book, How to Argue with a Meat Eater (And Win Every Time) - perfect for those awful family dinners when Uncle Bob starts going on about bacon for the fortieth time.

Animalkind, Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone

So much has been written, and otherwise produced, on the topic of animal rights with the view of sharing as much information as possible on how animals suffer. All the injustice, all the despair has been caught in words, on film, in pictures. If we want this information, it is out there. But if we are to be moved by it, we first need a better understanding of who animals are. Any kind of compassion for an animal begins when we realise that we are not dealing with a something, but a someone. This is the message of Animalkind - a book about animals as individuals. Revealing lots of curious facts about how animals live, their abilities and interests, this book will prompt a re-think of how we view them. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk (who is my boss. Well, my boss’ boss) has teamed up with bestselling author Gene Stone to create a really memorable book about all the wonderful creatures with whom we share this planet.

All worth a re-read

This is a Good Guide, Marieke Eyskoot

I love that the description of this book is “would you like to live more consciously, and rather not put a lot of time, money, and effort into it?” Because let’s face it, that’s what most ethical living advocates want, for themselves and others. After all, if living sustainably is a hassle, most people won’t do it. So sustainability expert Marieke Eyskoot has found ways to make ethical living appear sleek and streamlined - in a beautiful coffee-table book, no less. Covering areas such as home, fashion, beauty, food, work and more, Marieke’s passion shines through in this stylish little eco-living bible. This book was published a year before my own, and I remember being so inspired and like I was in such good company to be writing about these topics. Plus, I wanted to scream out loud that someone finally released a sustainability book that LOOKED good!

The Mindful Traveller, Nina Karnikowski

I could really mention any of Nina’s books on here, but I’ll go with The Mindful Traveller because of its personal memoir approach, its exquisite writing style, and its sensitive way of delivering a devastating message while staying inspiring and uplifting. Travel writer Nina details the experiences that prompted her to realise the impact of her profession on the environment - and how she, as a passionate travel enthusiast and specialist, is dealing with lowering that impact. I’ll admit that I am wildly jealous of Nina’s life, but I also admire her greatly for not sweeping these issues under the rug and instead learning ways to take responsibility. While she is still very much a traveller, Nina now wanders the world in a different, more mindful way - and she is still a massive inspiration of mine.

Honorable mention: Green is the New Black, Tamsin Blanchard

Countless books on sustainable fashion have come out since 2007, when this one was released. However, while I don’t remember many of them, I still remember sitting on my sofa in my tiny studio flat in Milan in 2011 and reading this book. I remember how inspired I was that a fashion journalist would address topics of ethics and sustainability. It felt so revolutionary. Reading Tamsin’s words, I didn’t feel alone in my desire to both wear beautiful clothes and care for the planet (ah, how young and naïve I was). Yes, the info in this book might be dated. Yes, it might have been a bit too UK-focused at the time. But without it, I don’t know if I’d ever have written mine.

Shameless self-promotion: I wrote a book about ethical living, too

So, one day, I did get enough of just reading other people’s books about ethical living and actually wrote my own. Vegan Style: Your Plant-Based Guide to Fashion, Beauty, Home, and Travel is, well, exactly what it sounds like: a guide to vegan living…without any recipes or info on protein. My message with this book is that vegan living goes beyond our plates, and that it can be luxurious and easy. I used to be so obsessed with fashion books growing up that getting to write and publish my own as an adult was such an indulgent fantasy come true. And for it to be an animal-friendly style guide - thirteen-year-old Sascha would have been pinching herself. I’m so happy that my little book is still out and about in the world. It will always be one of the things I’m proudest of in my life.

Quick note: where do I buy all these books?

The easy answer is: nowhere! I don’t buy them at all. I get most of my books from the library. Libraries are the best thing we have and we should protect them at all costs. I am a huge fan of my local library and spend a lot of time in there. But, as previously mentioned, sometimes you do want to have your favourites on your bookshelf at home, and for those purposes I often buy books secondhand on eBay or World of Books, a UK-based secondhand book marketplace. I’m not perfect and I have indeed sometimes shopped from The Website We Do Not Speak Of. I do try to stay away, but I won’t pretend like it’s never happened. If, like me, you’d like to avoid making billionaires even richer and for some reason secondhand is not an option, seek our your favourite local bookstore and support it whenever you can. Mine is Kemptown Bookshop, a little corner of heaven.

Do you have any great reads on sustainability/ethical living to recommend? Drop it in the comments and I’ll add it to my Goodreads list.