GRILLED: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry by Mercy For Animals president Leah Garcés tells the harrowing story of how Garcés crossed enemy lines to work with some of the world’s largest food companies in her fight to transform the food industry and put an end to factory farming.
GRILLED details Garcés’s experiences working alongside farmers and food industry leaders—encouraging change through dialogue and discussion—to reduce animal suffering and shine a spotlight on the rapidly growing plant-based food sector.
From whistleblowing rural American farmers, chicken tycoons, and hardcore activists to venture capitalists and scientists growing meat from animal cells (rather than animals), Garcés shares unexpected and thought-provoking accounts of the changemakers she encountered while striving to build a better food system.
Garcés is changing farming in the United States through this bold approach, helping directly reduce suffering for millions of farmed animals. GRILLED is a story about the power of human connection and what happens when we practice empathy toward our opponents.
“This is a book about the power we all have to transform the world when we approach our enemies with an open mind and a compassionate heart. Its message could not be more timely or relevant!”
John Mackey, Co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods
Praise for GRILLED
“Leah’s writing and her work combine a fighting spirit with a will to unite and move unlikely allies like farmers, farm workers, and even corporations. The world needs to read Grilled and heed its important message!”
David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s
“As an animal-welfare activist, Leah Garcés could have gone her entire career without speaking to a meat executive or a livestock farmer. Instead, she chose to seek them out, and the conversations she had not only changed her life—they altered the course of an industry. At a moment when every disagreement feels like a death-match and every opponent has to be an enemy, her searching, honest memoir shows us that a different path is possible.”
Maryn McKenna, TED Speaker and Author of Big Chicken and Superbug
“This is a book about the power we all have to transform the world when we approach our enemies with an open mind and a compassionate heart. Its message could not be more timely or relevant!”
John Mackey, Co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods
“Grilled is absorbing, intriguing, and moving. It will open your eyes and heart to the plight of animals at the center of the American food system.”
Melanie Joy, PhD, Author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows and Powerarchy: Understanding the Psychology of Oppression for Social Transformation
“An animal activist’s journey to the ‘other side’—the chicken industry—proves that making friends out of foes is one of the bravest, hardest, and most effective ways to create change.”
Joanna Lumley, OBE, Actress, Author, and Activist
“This book will change the way you see chicken—and our entire food system. Garcés’s determination to reform one of the world’s largest industries is nothing short of astounding. She is a force!”
Rose Marcario, CEO and President of Patagonia
“This book is inspiring to anyone who cares about animals and their suffering. But it’s more than that. It’s a crucial road map for any activist trying to make real change in the world. It’ll teach you the counterintuitive lessons of how to spark a revolution by working with your adversaries.”
A.J. Jacobs, Journalist, Lecturer, and New York Times Best-Selling Author
