Striking at the Roots
A Practical Guide to Animal Activism


Strike at the Roots of Animal Cruelty! Animal activists shine a bright light into the dark recesses of factory farms, vivisection labs, fur farms, product-testing facilities and animal “training” complexes. Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism brings together the most effective tactics for speaking out for animals. Activists from around the globe explain why their models of activism have been successful – and how you can become involved. Concise and full of practical examples and resources, this manual for success will show you how many of the world’s most engaged activists effectively speak to the public, lobby policymakers and deal with law enforcement – all while keeping their eyes on the prize of achieving victories for animals. This book will empower you to make the most of your skills. From simple leafleting to taking direct action, each chapter clearly explains where to begin, what to expect and how to ensure your message is heard. Mark Hawthorne adopted a vegetarian lifestyle soon after an encounter with one of India’s many cows in 1992 and went vegan a decade later. His articles and book reviews have appeared in Satya, VegNews, Vegan Voice, Hinduism Today, Lapis.com and daily newspapers across the US. He serves on the outreach advisory council for Animal Place, a farmed-animal sanctuary and education center in northern California.
REVIEWS & ENDORSEMENTS
  • From publicizing an issue to taking action, from feeding a large group to running a rescue center, activists will find this guide from veteran animal-rights crusader Hawthorne detailed, straightforward and highly practical, even if your cause isn’t animal rights. Drawing on his own experience and those of his colleagues, Hawthorne provides advice from a number of perspectives on a long list of methods: leafleting, letters and articles, protests, corporate campaigning, internet outreach, direct action and government lobbying. Though it’s concerned throughout with inter-species justice, providing an adequate introduction to the principles, history and progress of the animal rights movement, as well as numerous animal rights resources, the book’s tips on tabling, organizing protests, effective letter-writing and other matters are just as easily applied to any cause. Concise guidance, an empowering tone and a large, global community of voices make this book eminently useful for anyone organizing a movement, though Hawthorne’s optimism can belie the often difficult path to change. ~ Publishers Weekly
  • Brilliant, easy to read, full of real-life experiences and practical examples. If you want to make your life count, influence others and save a few thousand lives, this book is your roadmap. Give it to everyone you know! ~ Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
  • Striking at the Roots by Mark Hawthorne is an eloquent reminder that in this age of big organizations, big money, and big media, it’s still the individual activist who makes the real difference. Clear, practical guidance on everything from letter writing to civil disobedience is combined with inspiring and edifying stories of people from around the world who are making their voices heard for the animals. A must-read for both the veteran activist and the person who wants to get involved but isn’t quite sure how to get started. I wish it had been available when I got started as an animal activist, and I’m certainly glad it’s here now. It ranks with the best guides to animal advocacy that have ever been written. ~ Norm Phelps, author of The Longest Struggle: Animal Advocacy from Pythagoras to PETA
  • Striking at the Roots is a practical field guide for animal rights activists that covers a wide spectrum of strategies and tactics for dealing with the media, the courts, the streets, and those foul dark places of horror where animals are so cruelly treated, and where compassionate activists must reluctantly venture, in pursuit of effective intervention. If you are serious about helping animals, then you should seriously read this book. ~ Captain Paul Watson, founder and president of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  • Mark Hawthorne demonstrates that anyone, regardless of the resources at their disposal, can and should get active for animals. His advice for positive, results-oriented advocacy will help advance the cause of animal protection. For anyone interested in what they can do to garner wins for animals, Mark’s book is a great place to start. ~ Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States
  • Striking at the Roots is an eloquent and inspirational guide to action for animals. The power to change society rests with each and every one of us – it’s not enough to change ourselves, we have an obligation to planet Earth, to the web of life itself, to change others. This book motivates and informs, puts the passion into compassion and will save lives. ~ Juliet Gellatley, founder and director of Viva!
  • Mark Hawthorne once again reminds us of the power of one. Striking at the Roots is a complete roadmap for animal activists, from letter writing to guiding those who may find themselves arrested. It directs readers to available resources, organizations, and individuals. But it goes beyond the general guide book by including passionate stories from national leaders and grassroots activists from several countries. It also considers the emotional toll on activists by offering guidance for finding one’s emotional level of activism and includes suggestions on maintaining some peace of mind while engaged in the struggle; this is a major contribution. Striking at the Roots is a compassionate and valuable tool for activists. ~ Dorothy H. Hayes, author of Animal Instinct
  • In Striking at the Roots, Mark Hawthorne manages to set before us the full horrors of man's inhumanity to animals without leaving the reader feeling helpless and puny. He has talked to campaigners in many countries, analyzing what works and, having done so, can signpost the way to positive action. His writing is lucid, shrewd and results-driven. He advises on everything from talking to the public at a street stall to affecting a change of policy at a major corporation. There is also guidance on how to survive emotionally the knowledge that, second by second, money and prestige come to those who mass produce, abuse and dispose of animals. His message is that the task we face is immense but that when people of compassion apply themselves skillfully, we have what it takes to change the world. ~ Andrew Tyler, Director of Animal Aid
  • There is not a single page of this book from which I did not learn something valuable! ~ Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep and The Pig Who Sang to the Moon
  • Many people want to help end animal abuse but don’t know where to start. This book is an excellent guide for everything from casual, spare-time activism to full-time careers. ~ Dan Piraro, creator of “Bizarro”
  • Whether you’re new to the world of animal advocacy, a longtime vegan, or traveling somewhere between these points in your life’s journey, STRIKING AT THE ROOTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ANIMAL ACTIVISM is one book you’ll want to read. Activists from all walks of life can glean new tips, tricks, strategies, and perhaps even some much-needed motivation from author/activist Mark Hawthorne’s introductory guide to acting on behalf of animals. STRIKING AT THE ROOTS offers an overview of the many types of “animal activism” that advocates may engage in. These range from traditional to high-tech, visible to behind-the-scenes, and dramatic to low-key. No matter your personality, interests, and talents, you’re sure to find an action you can take to help your fellow earthlings RIGHT NOW. The important lesson to take away from STRIKING AT THE ROOTS is that we all have a part to play in this struggle – and that we must all work together, pooling our complementary skills and insights, if justice and compassion are to prevail. ~ Kelly on www.smiteme.net
  • As movements mature, their foundations solidify. The most telling illustration of this can be found in the printed word, which grows into such a thorough record of a struggle that naysayers cease having credibility. The animal-rights movement may have passed this threshold recently, and first-time author Mark Hawthorne’s Striking at the Roots certainly adds to the awakening. Hawthorne offers a handbook full of activist activities, beginning with basic leafleting before graduating to direct action,in a work equally effective for the beginner and the seasoned activist alike. Striking is the complement to Ethics Into Action, and should be kept within easy reach at all times. ~ Joseph Connelly, Vegnews, California
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