Our Symphony with Animals
On Health, Empathy, and Our Shared Destinies
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
A leader in the fields of animal ethics and neurology, Dr. Aysha Akhtar examines the rich human-animal connection and how interspecies empathy enriches our well-being.
Deftly combining medicine, social history and personal experience, Our Symphony with Animals is the first book by a physician to show that humans and animals have a shared destiny—our well-being is deeply entwined.
Dr. Akhtar reveals how empathy for animals is the next step in our species’ moral evolution and a vital component of human health. When we include animals in our circle of empathy, we not only liberate animals, we also liberate ourselves. Drawing on the accounts of a varied cast of characters—a former mobster, a pediatrician, an industrial chicken farmer, a serial killer, and a deer hunter—to reveal what happens when we both break and forge bonds with animals.
Interwoven is Dr. Akhtar’s own story, an immigrant who was bullied in school and abused by her uncle. Feeling abandoned by humanity, it was only when she met Sylvester, a dog who had also been abused, that she find the strength to sound the alarm for them both.
Humans are neurologically designed to empathize with animals. Violence against animals goes against our nature. In equal measure, the love we give to animals biologically reverberates back to us. Our Symphony with Animals is the definitive account for why our relationships with animals matter.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this notable volume, neurologist Akhtar (Animals and Public Health) uses personal childhood trauma to launch a thoughtful discussion of the extent of, and limits to, human empathy toward animals. Empathy, she notes, helps people to lead better lives, since "we now recognize that how we interact with and treat one another... influence our health." She combines a broader investigation into cases of animal rescue and abuse with personal experience, beginning by recounting being sexually molested at age 5 by a family friend, an ordeal which she credits her grandparents' dog, Sylvester, with getting her through. She "had never known an animal before," but bonded instantly with the German shepherd mix, who gave her the courage to eventually stop her tormenter. Later sections deal with animals lost or displaced after natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, in order to suggest how losing pets can be just as devastating as losing humans. Akhtar also explores the living conditions of animals used for food, giving stark and disturbing details of hens jam-packed into cages. She concludes with suggestions on how to make a difference, such as by donating to or volunteering for animal rescue groups. Akhtar's book draws a sobering but hopeful picture of what has been done and what remains to be done to improve animals' lives.
