Book Review: The Ultimate Vegan Guide

New to veganism? Whether you’re terrified, or just wondering where to begin, Erik Marcus’s most recent book, The Ultimate Vegan Guide: Compassionate Living Without Sacrifice, is worth reading. In this comprehensive guide,  Marcus answers many common questions about veganism—the how to, what not to, and where to questions—designed to help you make a successful, informed, and healthy transition to a vegan diet.

Without sufficient motivation or adequate information, going vegan may seem like a terrifying challenge involving numerous sacrifices.  However, the The Ultimate Vegan Guide is filled with useful information on how to take the first step and happily embrace a vegan diet.  Assuming that his audience is already considering veganism or is already motivated to adopt a vegan lifestyle, Marcus has devoted only the first two chapters to the ethics of animal agribusiness.  After the technical writing, the following chapters are written as a practical guide to going vegan.  Each chapter is devoted to a different aspect of being vegan and provides information based on personal experiences. For the information that he is unable to provide, Marcus has provided links and further reading suggestions on numerous topics including vegan nutrition, vegan cookbooks, online recipes, and activism outreach. This quick read gives beginners like me a thorough––yet easy-to-follow––handbook of excellent advice on how to survive in a non-vegan world.  

The Ultimate Vegan Guide was suggested to me when I first decided to become vegan.  The book gave me information on how to become mentally prepared for the transition, get the proper nutrition, and prepare core, healthy, vegan foods.  Marcus also provided helpful advice on finding good cookbooks and surviving in supermarkets. Not only did I learn to shop smartly, but I also learned of internet resources which have helped me survive at non-vegan social dine-outs and restaurants. Because of the advice in The Ultimate Vegan Guide, I’ve found my transition to veganism to be quite easy.