There are two things I love about the new paperback version of PETA founder and president Ingrid Newkirk's book, One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World. First—and most importantly—it includes a brand-new essay written by none other than actor Mickey Rourke. In his contribution, which is exclusive to the new paperback version, the Golden Globe winner writes about his struggle to overcome his personal demons and about the six rescued dogs who helped him succeed.

"There isn't much worse than being a 'has been,' being used to sitting at the best table in the fanciest restaurant just by showing up, and then reaching a point where the restaurant won't even take my call," he writes. "It was a humbling experience for me, and the dogs were the biggest help in getting me through because I could see that the dogs from the pound are like me. Bad things have happened to them, too, and they bear the scars."

Second, the lighter version is easier to stick in my purse, so I can have it handy to read while commuting.

One Can Make a Difference now fits conveniently into vegan handbags across the country.

Other celebrity contributors to One Can Make a Difference include Sir Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Brigitte Bardot, and so many more. The new paperback version is available here, so check it out!

Written by Amanda Schinke

Today is Gandhi's birthday, and it's also the second day of Vegetarian Awareness Month. I can't think of a better way to celebrate both than by giving a vegetarian diet a try.

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Gandhi ardently advocated nonviolence and campaigned to end poverty, expand women's rights, encourage self-reliance, and promote peace and respect for all living beings. He believed that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

If you think about the billions of animals who suffer in America's filthy, crowded factory farms and who are cruelly killed in slaughterhouses every year, it's clear that this nation has a long way to go to become "great" and "moral."

So if PETA's sexy babes haven't yet inspired you to go vegetarian, check your pulse. Then read Gandhi's book The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism and PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's The PETA Practical Guide to Animals Rights.

Written by Karin Bennett