From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.
You eat like a pig. Your place is a pigsty. You're hogging all the limelight. Pigs equal insults in many a mind. This book hopes to set a few records straight and give you a basic grounding in how to choose, own, raise and care for your pig, regardless of what your intentions are. I'm an almost lifelong vegetarian so I would never eat a pig, but I do like the animals. Ignorantly associated with squalor, pigs are not dirty animals - unless they're forced into being so by their human predators. They're also smart - more than dogs even - and among the most intelligent animals in the world.
But they are exploited hugely. Whether your plan is to do that or to have one as a pet, this book will set you up with the basic information you will need to make smart choices and to care for your animal competently. It's laid out according to the following section headings (although there's an introductory section, which for once I did read, that's not included in the content listing for some reason):
- Bon Appetiti
- Food All year Round
- The International Pig
- Sausageology
- Everything But the Squeal
- Pigs and Humans
- The Mythological Pig
- Chinese Zodiac
- Wit and Wisdom
- Fame!
- Worth Their Weight in Gold
- The Perfect Pigsty
- pigs as Pets
- A rainbow of Breeds
- A rainbow of Breeds
- Vietnamese Potbellied Pig, Odssabaw Island Hog
- Danish Protest Pig, Meishan
- Gloucester Old Spot, Large White
- Black Iberian, Mulefoot
The book is amusing and colorful, with entertaining illustrations and enough information to set you on the right track without being a PhD dissertation. I commend this as a worthy read for anyone wanting to pig out and go hog wild!
