The China Study. Manipulated facts?

I recently picked up a copy of The China Study after having seen it referenced countless times in veg*n sources. I was hooked from the moment I picked it up and thought it was a great (if a little dry) and informative read.

I did kind of wonder if I loved it because it reinforced everything I believe or if it really was that great and conclusive. Perhaps I did notice that experiments were done using casein instead of whole food with protein, or instead of using meat, eggs, and so forth. Also, linking saturated fats to disease is fine with me, but to make the assumption that saturated fats equal meat was I feel perhaps one step too far as there are plenty of saturated fats in plant foods.

Either way, I was happy to ignore these kinds of things and went away with the message that a plant-based whole foods diet is the healthiest.

I since lent this book to my sister-in-law who lives on a mostly vegan diet as my brother has cancer and has since turned vegan to try and beat it. And she is finding it incredibly sensationalist and patronising. I was going to lend this to my mother to help change her views on vegan diets (in the hopes Dad can kick his diabetes), and now I'm reconsidering.

I'm wondering what other peoples views were of The China Study. Were you already vegan? Did you read it doubting vegan diets and it actually made you decide vegan was great? Or did it just reinforce what you already think?

Do you have any other book recommendations which are science and vegan vs disease based? I have read Skinny Bitch and loved it but wonder if it would really influence my parents on beating diabetes as it seems quite light and based on losing weight more than anything else.