About the book as a bookclub book - What makes this such a wonderful bookclub book -what other clubs have said.

* Since everyone who reads Etre the Cow gets something different out of the existential parable, it automatically makes it an excellent topic of conversation for book clubs.

* Everyone who's read the book has much to say about it. Never a simple "I liked it", "it was great" or they didn't. There will be no shortage of commentary on this book, especially in a club setting.

If readers dissect the symbolism in the book, they will see parallels between today's world and Etre's pasture.

The book not only tells you what it is like to be a cow, but by extension, what it is to be human.

Author Q&A

1. What was your inspiration for writing ETRE THE COW?

During the recession of 2008 and 2009 millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes, their life-savings, and their self-worth. I was one of them. I too became a victim of the economic downturn when my position at a major U.S. corporation was suddenly eliminated. I felt tossed aside, discarded and abandoned. As I drove home with my termination papers in the passenger seat of my Jeep I passed the cow pasture at the end of my block. I had passed this cow pasture every day on my way to work, but never really looked at the cows. I stopped and looked into their sad cow faces, and that's when I realized we share a common story. I went to live with the cows-I studied them, I communed with them.

2. Had you had any experience with livestock before?

No. I am from New York. I am a doctor and did my medical training in NY City. I still do not have a lot of experience with cows. Cows are dangerous animals. Depending on the breed, mature cows can weigh anywhere from a few hundred pounds to two-thousand. According to the CDC roughly 20 people are killed each year by cows. Hundreds more are injured. Cows can be aggressive and they have been known to attack people without provocation-especially dams (mother cows) and bulls. So I studied cows, but from a safe distance. I watched how they interacted with each other and how they interacted with people.

3. What did you learn about cows?

Cows are much more intelligent animals than most people realize. They are emotional creatures and in some cases they are disturbingly rational. There have been many instances where cows have escaped imminent slaughter or attempted to escape it. Cows are also very humble creatures. If you look closely enough, some of them are aware of their own indignity. I suspect some cows realize they are fenced in, powerless, and occupying one of the lowest links of the food chain. You can see it in their eyes.

4. Are you a vegetarian?

No. But I do prefer to eat chicken and fish-for general health reasons and now for moral reasons. After writing this book it has become increasingly difficult for me to eat beef. Many people who have read ETRE THE COW have stopped eating beef altogether. Now I have a fuller understanding of why people decide to be meatless.

5. The most notable author to utilize animal allegory as a form of social criticism is George Orwell. His classic 1945 novella, ANIMAL FARM, served as a critical indictment of totalitarian governments. How does ETRE THE COW compare to ANIMAL FARM, and what aspects of contemporary society is ETRE THE COW criticizing?

Other than the allegorical form and the pastoral setting there are few parallels between ETRE THE COW and ANIMAL FARM. In fact there is a critical difference between the two books. In Orwell's ANIMAL FARM three power hungry pigs compete for absolute power. In ETRE THE COW there is a complete lack of power. Etre is utterly powerless. Depicting this powerlessness is the social critique. In Etre's world and ours the impotence is so thick it binds. With millions of lost jobs, lost homes, and lost savings-haven't many ordinary people lost a substantial amount of power over their very own existence? We are all fenced in and powerless to some extent.

6. The verb "etre" means "to be" or "to exist" in French. The Farmer's boy, Jacques, sings lullabies in French. Is there a reason why you choose French?

Yes. The main crisis in ETRE THE COW is an existential one. Etre is fighting for his life in a literal sense, but in a figurative sense he is struggling for significance, for recognition, for existence. What does his cow life mean? And who gets to decide what his life means? Since the French have a long tradition of existential literature, like the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, the language seemed natural. Plus I speak a little French. The French lullabies in ETRE THE COW, like Frère Jacques and Alouette-Alouette, are recognized by most native English speakers-but few know the meaning of the words. So I wanted to create a setting that was familiar, but unfamiliar. On the surface Etre's world seems very different from our own, but on a deeper level our worlds are very similar.

7. This is not a children's book. There is a brutal slaughter scene, and Etre kills the Farmer's boy. He deliberately crushes the boy under his hooves. Why does Etre kill Jacques?

Etre loves Jacques, and in the simplest sense Etre hopes to stop the processing of cows by killing the boy. Sometimes we have to kill the things we love in order to live. But also in a metaphorical sense, the boy represents naïvete-more specifically he represents Etre's naïvete. After Etre witnesses the carnage inside the slaughterhouse Etre's world unravels. He has many revelations about his life and about the world. So Etre's naïvete dies. So by killing the boy, Etre is actually killing his own naïvete.

8. The cows don't say "moo" in ETRE THE COW. Why?

If you have ever heard the sound cows actually make, it sounds nothing like "moo." So I wanted to create the "familiar, yet unfamiliar" sound cows make by using a more phonetic "unghf" and "anghf." Interestingly, these sound very similar to a human groan. Cows "mooing" sound a lot like very frustrated people. It's as if cows have something to say, but it is bottled up in their cow bodies. I tried to create that sensation.

9. What do you hope readers will learn from reading ETRE THE COW?

The book has meant different things to different people, so I think the discoveries will be individualized. However, I do hope the central message of ETRE THE COW will resonate with most readers. We are all cows in a sense. We are all defined by the fences that surround us, and the pastures we graze on. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can break down your fences and seek greener pastures. You can challenge fate. You can change your destiny. Push your limits and define your own life.

10. You were part of the original cast of the hit CBS reality show Survivor. The show is now celebrating its tenth year. Did your experiences on Survivor help you in writing ETRE THE COW?

Yes. Especially the humiliating parts of it.