Synopses & Reviews
A landmark work,
The Bond is the passionate, insightful, and comprehensive examination of our special connection to all creatures, written by one of America's most important champions of animal welfare. Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States, unveils the deep links of the human-animal bond, as well as the conflicting impulses that have led us to betray this bond through widespread and systemic cruelty to animals.
Pacelle begins by exploring the biological and historical underpinnings of the human-animal bond and reveals our newfound understanding of animals, including their remarkable emotional and cognitive capacities. In the book's second section, Pacelle shows how the bond has been disastrously broken. He takes readers to a slaughter plant shuttered for inhumane practices, as well as the enormous egg factory farms of California. We visit Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas to speak with NFL star Michael Vick, then serving his sentence for dogfighting. Pacelle paints a portrait of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and highlights the heroic actions of residents and volunteers to reunite pets with their owners. Pacelle's narrative also leads the reader to remote locations in which conflicts over the killing of wildlife continue to play out from the fields outside of Yellowstone National Park where bison are slaughtered with the encouragement of federal authorities, to the ice floes of Atlantic Canada where seal nurseries turn into killing fields.
In its final section, The Bond takes on the arguments of opponents and critics of animal protection and spotlights the groups and industries standing in the way of progress from the National Rifle Association and agribusiness organizations like the American Farm Bureau, to surprising adversaries like the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Kennel Club. Ultimately, Pacelle points the way to a new, humane economy one not built on extraction, suffering, and killing, but on the celebration, stewardship, and care of animals.
An eye-opening must-read, The Bond reminds us that animals are at the center of our lives, they are not just a backdrop. How we treat them is one of the great themes of the human story.
Review
"A monumental achievement. Majestic in sweep and beautifully written." Jeffrey Masson, New York Times-bestselling author of When Elephants Weep
Review
"For everyone who cares about animals, The Bond is not to be missed." Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation
Review
"If the animals knew about this book they would, without doubt, confer on Wayne Pacelle, their highest honor." Jane Goodall
Review
"The Bond is the best overall book on animals I have ever read. Brilliant and moving." John Mackey, CEO and Co-founder of Whole Foods Market
Review
"The Bond is at once heart-breaking and heart-warming. No animal escapes Wayne Pacelle’s attention; nor should his book escape any human animal’s attention." Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times-bestselling Author of Inside of a Dog
Synopsis
An eye-opening must-read, The Bond reminds us that animals are at the center of our lives, they are not just a backdrop. How we treat them is one of the great themes of the human story.
Synopsis
“If the animals knew about this book they would, without doubt, confer on Wayne Pacelle, their highest honor.”
—Jane Goodall
“The Bond is the best overall book on animals I have ever read. Brilliant and moving.”
—John Mackey, CEO and Co-founder of Whole Foods Market
“The Bond is at once heart-breaking and heart-warming. No animal escapes Wayne Pacelles attention; nor should his book escape any human animals attention.”
—Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times Bestselling Author of Inside of a Dog
The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, the worlds largest animal protection organization, Wayne Pacelle brings us The Bond, a heartfelt, eye-opening exploration of the special bond between animals and humans. With the poignant insight of Animals Make Us Human and the shocking reality of Fast Food Nation—filled with history, valuable insights, and fascinating stories of the authors experience in the field—The Bond is an important investigation into all the ways we can repair our broken bond with the animal kingdom and a thrilling chronicle of one mans extraordinary contribution to that effort.
Synopsis
By the beloved and wildly popular host of the PBS Kids show Dinosaur Train, here is the book every parent needs: a rousing call to connect our kids to the natural world, filled with tips and advice.
Synopsis
From the beloved host of PBS Kids’ Dinosaur Train, an easy-to-use guide for parents, teachers, and others looking to foster a strong connection between children and nature, complete with engaging activities, troubleshooting advice, and much more American children spend four to seven minutes a day playing outdoors—90 percent less time than their parents did. Yet recent research indicates that experiences in nature are essential for healthy growth. Regular exposure to nature can help relieve stress, depression, and attention deficits. It can reduce bullying, combat illness, and boost academic scores. Most critical of all, abundant time in nature seems to yield long-term benefits in kids’ cognitive, emotional, and social development.
Yet teachers, parents, and other caregivers lack a basic understanding of how to engender a meaningful, lasting connection between children and the natural world. How to Raise a Wild Child offers a timely and engaging antidote, showing how kids’ connection to nature changes as they mature.
Distilling the latest research in multiple disciplines, Sampson reveals how adults can help kids fall in love with nature—enlisting technology as an ally, taking advantage of urban nature, and instilling a sense of place along the way.
Synopsis
From the bestselling author who writes "the most utterly compelling translation of dog to human I have ever seen" (Jeffrey Masson), a groundbreaking guide to giving our dogs the happiest, healthiest lives
Synopsis
From the best-selling author who offers and#8220;the most utterly compelling translation of dog to human I have ever seenand#8221; (Jeffrey Masson), a joyful chronicle of a dog that is also a groundbreaking answer to the question: How can we give our dogs the happiest, healthiest lives?When Ted Kerasote was ready for a new dog after losing his beloved Merle and#8212; who died too soon, as all our dogs do and#8212; he knew that he would want to give his puppy Pukka the longest life possible. But how to do that? So much has changed in the way we feed, vaccinate, train, and live with our dogs from even a decade ago.
In an adventure that echoes The Omnivoreand#8217;s Dilemma with a canine spin, Kerasote tackles all those subjects, questioning our conventional wisdom and emerging with vital new information that will surprise even the most knowledgeable dog lovers. Can a purebred be as healthy as a mixed-breed? How many vaccines are too many? Should we rethink spaying and neutering? Is raw food really healthier than kibble, and should your dog be chewing more bones? Traveling the world and interviewing breeders, veterinarians, and leaders of the animal-welfare movement, Kerasote pulls together the latest research to help us rethink the everyday choices we make for our companions. And as he did in Merle's Door, Kerasote interweaves fascinating science with the charming stories of raising Pukka among his dog friends in their small Wyoming village.
Funny, revelatory, and full of the delights of falling in love with a dog, Pukkaand#8217;s Promise will help redefine the potential of our animal partners.
About the Author
During his seventeen years with the Humane Society of the United States, including seven years as president and CEO, Wayne Pacelle has played a leading role in making HSUS, the nation's largest animal protection charity, into a dynamic public force and voice for animals. Taking a special interest in law reform, he has been the leading strategist in getting animal protection laws enacted by direct action of the electorate, designing winning campaigns in a dozen states for ballot initiatives that outlawed cockfighting, factory farming practices, bear baiting, and a host of other inhumane practices. He has become the voice and face of the humane movement in this country.
Table of Contents
and#160;1.and#160;Too Soon Overand#8195;1
and#160;2.and#160;The Clocks of Dangerand#8195;8
and#160;3.and#160;Loaner Dogsand#8195;24
and#160;4.and#160;Houndy Labsand#8195;35
and#160;5.and#160;Sifting the Genesand#8195;43
and#160;6.and#160;On a Farm in Minnesotaand#8195;67
and#160;7.and#160;Duration of Immunityand#8195;74
and#160;8.and#160;At Our Startand#8195;94
and#160;9.and#160;Outward Boundand#8195;112
and#160;10.and#160;Building the Dikesand#8195;137
and#160;11.and#160;In the Time of the Big Lightand#8195;160
and#160;12.and#160;Carnivore to Monovoreand#8195;175
and#160;13.and#160;Should a Wolf Eat Corn?and#8195;187
and#160;14.and#160;Real Food, Many Formsand#8195;209
and#160;15.and#160;Whom Shall We Eat?and#8195;224
and#160;16.and#160;The Worst Word in the Worldand#8195;243
and#160;17.and#160;Dog Speedand#8195;266
and#160;18.and#160;The Bad Good Deathand#8195;291
and#160;19.and#160;Shelters to Sanctuariesand#8195;309
and#160;20.and#160;Chanceand#8195;323
and#160;21.and#160;The Flip Side of Spay/Neuterand#8195;330
and#160;22.and#160;Not Long Enoughand#8195;353
and#160;23.and#160;Forever Youngand#8195;367
With Great Thanksand#8195;385
Notesand#8195;389
Indexand#8195;439
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Wayne Pacelle