I remember it so clearly – sitting slumped against the wall of my kitchen late one summer night, with the book Skinny B**** in one hand and a chicken-cutlet sandwich in the other. It is no overstatement to say that that night, this book shifted my entire universe.

Skinny B**** (a title that may not suggest a whole lot of profundity), written by former models Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, is essentially a diet book. Written in a colloquial, funny and down-to-business (and foul-mouthed!) tone, Skinny B**** is exceptionally entertaining, empowering, and engrossing. Most importantly, the witty authors use humor, sarcasm and attitude to advocate a vegan diet.

The book contains lessons on how to analyze ingredients, reasons to go organic, denouncements of corrupted health agencies, and more. But what most affected me were the sections about the truth of the animal food products industry. The authors discuss new studies about the health dangers of meat, dairy and seafood. In addition, they list out every raw, gritty detail of the horrific processes of animal slaughter. Lastly, they stun the readers with shocking statistics and information about the devastating effects of factory farming on our environment.

I put that chicken sandwich down and never picked up another.

Although this in-your-face, tough-love book received mixed reviews, it has ranked at a high spot in popular culture among fellow anti-meat-industry books. Skinny B**** was an international bestseller and a #1 New York Times Bestseller for over a year. It ranked at 209th place in the United States, and 10th place in the United Kingdom, at 10th place by May 2007. It has also been translated into 20 languages and has 2 million copies in print.

What makes this book so important to me? It so deeply impacted my lifestyle and who I am. Now every second of my life, I am in tune with the choices that I make in what I eat, primarily for the wellbeing of the global environment and billions of animals. In this way, I feel like I am constantly aware of the world around me. I can wake up every morning knowing that I am creating positive energy for my health, nature and living creatures. I am beyond grateful that this book passed into my hands, and I take every chance that I can to pass it on to others.