Little Red Barns
Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
"We are in a fight for our lives against a rising authoritarian tide, and this clear-eyed, compelling, clarion call of a book has a message everyone needs to hear."—Astra Taylor, author of Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone
Behind the little red barns dotting the landscape and decorating so many of the products we consume is a dangerous threat. This groundbreaking investigation exposes the powerful forces at work to hide the harms of industrial agriculture, its outsize role in the climate crisis, and its links to the global rise of fascism.
Little Red Barns is the record of a harrowing journey that took investigative journalist Will Potter from factory farms to international climate summits, from Congressional hearings to neo-Nazi fascist groups. As Potter uncovers the frightening truth about animal agriculture's role in accelerating climate collapse, he shows how the authoritarian measures being taken to maintain control over this key aspect of the global food supply chain are directly linked to the proliferation and empowerment of far-right militias. Confronting a maelstrom of disturbing information, he asks searching questions about a journalist's role in the 21st century and the impact of bearing witness in a world in which we are bombarded with "news," both real and faked.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The financial forces behind factory farming have grown powerful enough to silence industry whistleblowers, investigative journalists, and even federal inspectors, according to this troubling account. Journalist Potter (Green Is the New Red) provides a wealth of examples, among them a U.S. Department of Agriculture consumer safety inspector who reported to her supervisors that electric shocks were not actually rendering pigs unconscious before slaughter, and that the animals were illegally bleeding to death; she was "relieved of her duties, placed on close supervision, and assigned to another job." Potter also analyzes the emergence of "ag-gag" laws, enacted in nearly half of U.S. states, which restrict reporting on factory farms—"even the sharing of undercover videos on social media"—and have led to journalists being tried as domestic terrorists. His reporting spotlights how these developments are endangering not just animal but also human and environmental welfare, including exacerbating global warming. Late in the book, he writes that he had nearly finished his account of "bearing witness" when the January 6 insurrection and the FBI's limited response—which the agency blamed on being understaffed—"broke my brain," as he had seen the Bureau's vigorous, over-the-top prosecution of animal welfare advocates. From there, the book morphs into a fascinating, swirling meditation on law enforcement, rising authoritarianism, misinformation, climate change, and the global spread of ag-gag laws. Readers' brains will also be broken.
Customer Reviews
great book and great author
the follow up to green is the new red is a timely examination of how the centralization of power in our society and the commodification of living beings into products is coalescing into a force that will likely doom us all if we don’t collectively act.