The Slow Food NYC Book Club debuted this evening at Book Court, featuring David Kirby’s latest, Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy and Poultry Farms on Humans and the Environment. Featured as special guest star was the author himself, which made it a hybrid book club/author appearance event. Kirby spoke quite passionately (and graphically) about the horrific conditions farm animals endure before they’re slaughtered, and how the industry wreaks havoc on its employees’ physical and mental states as well.

The event was a shocking look at an industry whose secrets had at one time even surprised the author (e.g. arsenic in chicken feed to give the meat that pearly look; “no added growth hormones” means they’re usually not added in the feed but via injection). Kirby also challenged the Obama Administration to make good on the promises that helped get him elected. (Kirby pointed out that Barack Obama won Iowa largely with his anti-factory farming campaign, while Hilary Clinton turned Iowans off by cozying up to the agri-business pork producers.) I didn’t think it could be possible to relate tales of the agri-business through provocative storytelling, but Kirby did it.

The event itself came from Slow Food member Carol Dacey-Charles, who chose this book because “it carries our same philosophy [and] shows the social, health and environmental impact of large-scale industrial farming.” And in keeping with the desire to harvest local talent, the author resides in Brooklyn.

So how does the story end? You’ll have to pick up the book—I sure did. You can also learn more about Slow Food NYC here. On tap for next month will be Diet for a Hot Planet with another local author, Anna Lappé.