The Souls of Animals

by Gary Kowalski

Book Overview

Why do elephants bury their dead? What makes birds sing and cranes dance? Do animals appreciate art? Do they know the difference between right and wrong? Do they experience awe and wonder? In this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1577315901
• ISBN13: 9781577315902
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: New World Library
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Highly recomended

Mr. Kowalski's book is excellent. If your're an animal lover or simply want a great read, you will enjoy this book. It's not just another man's opinion, but a well cited and researched work. Kowalski shows humans are not the only sentient beings on this planet.

For the first time in a long time, I wept as I read.

I stumbled upon this book on accident. As an animal lover, it looked appealing to me though I expected it to be a generic, feel-good read. I was quite surprised! When I read the information that Kowalski had compiled, I cried. The chapters explore our questions on just how perceptive and emotional animals are. Do they feel a sense of love? Are they aware of death? Why do they play? When I read the stories that the author relates, such as the family of elephants who buried the dead and Koko the female lowland gorilla who learned American Sign Language, I was deeply moved. I had not purchased this book planning a lifestyle change but that is precisely what happened. Knowing what I do now about the intelligence and passion of animals, I am a vegetarian, living a happier, healthier life.

Must Read

A very caring look at the the world we live in. A classic book on animal spirituality Gary regales us with tales of the lives of some of the creatures with which we share the planet. He ponders and causes us to stop and give thought as well on various qualities of animals. He details and presents instances of playfulness, capacity for love, altruism, and awareness of death, in our animal brethren. Gary is a Unitarian minister and in his book, he teaches us to be more open to the possibility of our biological, cerebral, and ethereal connection with animalsLeslie BlanchardEditor A Writer's Choice Literary Journal

A humane and thought-provoking approach to our earthly kin

Gary Kowalski wrote a succint book about a subject that is verydear to me (being as I am a vegan and an ecologist). I appreciate thepondered yet caring way in which he writes. It will give you food for thought concerning our animal brothers and sisters under the sky. This book reminded me a lot of the absolutely fantastic 'When Elephants Weep',by Masson and McCarhy (I think) which I actually never got to finish reading because it depressed me too much (but I must finish it soon as the book is a masterpiece). I advise you to read 'The Souls of Animals' and to think about it (and to act accordingly).

serious and sensitive reflections on animals' inner lives

Gary Kowalski is a Unitarian minister in Burlington, Vermont whose thinking and writing about animals and their spiritual lives is clear and powerful. To questions such as "Do Animals Experience Love?, "Are Animals Aware of Death?", Are Animals Conscious of Themselves?", "Do Animals Know Right From Wrong?" and "Do Animals Have Souls" Kowalski brings a rare blend of careful observation, personal insights, scientific understanding, and moral sensitivity. The Souls of Animals is a book that, chapter by chapter, teaches us to be more open to the possibility of our biological, psychological, and spiritual kinship with animals. In a university course that I teach on animal ethics students and I found this book provided a perspective and a "voice" that, too often, is discounted or neglected in ethical analyses and debates about humans' relationships and uses of animals. This book is pleasure to read and to think about.