First meeting of the SFVS's Book Club held at Chinatown Branch Library

 

What lovely people!  We gathered at the Chinatown Branch of the Public Library to discuss The Impactful Vegan by body-builder Robert Cheeke. I was happy to see it was inter-generational because for a long time it seemed that most members where those who began the SFVegan Society back in 1968!  Last night (January 15, 2026) we had people after that!

Some people hated the book because the author, a vegan body-builder, says that, while we should be vegans,  donating $100,000 to vegan outreach would be more impactful because it would save more animals than the ones we don't eat.  

I was startled by the response of the attendees when I told them that I was an extremist and really obnoxious, inviting my friends to  a Day after Oscars party with dishes representing the movies but stating that any food brought in had to be free of animals or animal products in honor of Joaquin Phoenix, who spoke so eloquently in defense of animals in his Oscar acceptance speech in 2020.  They thought that was "awesome."   

Below you see a member showing off his vegan shoes.  

 

I asked Google AI, "Has any mainstream periodical (like the New York Times) reviewed The Impactful Vegan?"  This was the answer:  

While mainstream media like The New York Times covers veganism broadly (discussing trends, health, and culture), specific, prominent reviews for a book titled "The Impactful Vegan" aren't immediately evident in these general searches, suggesting it might be a niche book or the coverage focuses on the broader plant-based movement rather than individual titles unless it's a major bestseller. Searches point to articles about the vegan movement (its perceived decline, media bias) in major outlets like The Atlantic, The Guardian, and Financial Times, but not direct reviews of The Impactful Vegan. 

To find out for sure, you might need to:

• Check book review sections of major papers directly.
• Search specific vegan/plant-based publications, as they are more likely to cover such books.
• Look for the author's name, as reviews might focus on their other works or personal brand.

But it lead to this link:  https://sentientmedia.org/postmortem-on-veganism-is-premature/#:~:text=It%20was%202020%2C%20and%20documentaries,the%20U.S.%20than%20ever%20before.

That's Perspective

Critics Declared Veganism Dead in 2025. Here’s What Those Obituaries Are Missing.

The massive scale and influence of the meat industry shouldn’t be underestimated. by Jessica Scott Reed writing for the Sentientmedia.org