Who started the Animal Rights Movement in America?

Historian Ernest Freiberg will join us to talk about his latest book,

A Traitor to His Species.

What makes a great picture book?

Called a caught honoree, Christian Robinson will join us to talk about the art of the picture book.

Alexander Altar will have an update from the publishing world.

Plus, we'll talk about what we and the wider world are reading.

This is the Book Review Podcast from the New York Times.

It's November 6th. I'm Pamela Paul.

Ernest Freiberg joins us now. He is the head of the history department at the University of Tennessee.

And his most recent book is called A Traitor to His Species.

Henry Berg and the Birth of the Animal Rights Movement.

Ernest, thanks for being here.

My pleasure. Thank you.

All right. We have to start with the obvious question because this is not a household name for most people.

Who was Henry Berg?

Well, he was the founder of the ASPCA and brought the idea of an animal welfare movement,

animal rights laws to the United States right after the Civil War in 1866.

Your area of expertise is 19th and 20th century social and cultural history.

It's easy to see why your last book, The Age of Edison, looked at the effects of electricity

on society. What got you from there to looking at Henry Berg and the birth of the animal rights

movement?

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