Description
*A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 IN THE TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, FINANCIAL TIMES AND BBC RADIO 4 THE FOOD PROGRAMME*
*A GUARDIAN 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK*
We all love animals, but does that make their lives happier?
With factory farms, climate change and deforestation, this might be the worst time in history to be an animal. In an age of extinction and pandemics, our relationship with the other species on our planet has become unsustainable. What if we took animals' experiences seriously - how would we eat, think and live differently?
Henry Mance sets out on a personal quest to see if there is a fairer way to live alongside other species. He goes to work in an abattoir and on a farm to investigate the reality of eating meat and dairy. He explores our dilemmas around hunting wild animals, over-fishing the seas, visiting zoos, saving wild spaces and owning pets. He meets the chefs, farmers, activists, philosophers, scientists and tech visionaries who are redefining how we think about animals.
This is not a book about what animals can do for us, but what we can do for animals.
About the Author
Henry Mance is the award-winning Chief Features Writer at the Financial Times. He has contributed to a number of other publications including Tatler, GQ and Radio Times. He lives in London with his wife and two young daughters, plus their cat and various frogs.
Reviews
Convincing and urgent * Guardian *
This fascinating book makes a persuasive, sanctimony-free case for treating animals more humanely * The Times *
A thoughtful and galvanising book * New Statesman *
Wise, funny, moving and incisive. I loved it * Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist *
Compassionate. funny and utterly readable * i Newspaper *
Smart, provocative and funny, this book also throws down a huge challenge to all of us. You'll never look at your dog - or a glass of milk - in the same way again. -- Helen Lewis
Written with humour and humanity, Mance's argument is both convincing and urgent: we need to make dramatic changes to our lifestyle if we want to prevent ecological catastrophe. -- P.D. Smith * Guardian *
This fascinating book makes a persuasive, sanctimony-free case for treating animals more humanely. -- Ben Cooke * The Times *
How to Love Animals is compassionate, funny and utterly readable. What's more, Mance does something of enormous value: he surprises himself and the reader, too... In marrying this openness with his clarity of vision, Mance offers a new window on the climate emergency. -- Clea Skopeliti * i Newspaper *
Persuasive...wry and on occasion laugh-out-loud funny. Like all the best reporters, Mance possesses an open mind and a strong moral compass, he's thorough and game for anything and he's good at drawing people out... After reading this thoughtful and galvanising book, I've realised that it's better to keep trying to live in a way that shows compassion and respect for animals, and to sometimes fail, than to give up altogether. -- Sophie McBain * New Statesman *
Through vivid reporting and conversations with abattoir workers, activists, chefs and conservationists, Mance exposes the awful way we treat the creatures we so often profess to love. * Financial Times, *Books of the Year* *
Unsentimental, hugely enjoyable [and] full of fascinating details... Stylishly written and deeply researched, Mance...makes a powerful case in this important book, which calls for radical change to the way we eat, farm and manage wildlife in this human age. -- Gaia Vince
[Mance's] lively first book argues for a profound reassessment of humans' relationships with other species ... He is a skilful writer who never shies away from painful stories, and leavens even the grimmest episodes with humour. He also has a rare ability to couch strenuous ethical arguments in terms that are warmly familiar. * Economist *
A brilliant book of moral philosophy, environmental insight, and compelling argument... [this] book...deserves the widest possible audience. -- Edward Davey * Resurgence & Ecologist *
Wise, funny, moving and incisive. I loved it. -- Tim Harford
A whip-smart, thought-provoking and thrilling investigation into one of the most essential moral issues of our time. Eye-opening as well as moving, challenging as well as frequently amusing, How to Love Animals surprised and fascinated me. -- Lucy Jones
Henry Mance believes that the bad things we do to animals are the result of our failure to think through the consequences of our actions. How to Love Animals will remedy that failure, in a highly readable, informative and entertaining manner. -- Peter Singer
This clearsighted book offers a clarion call to not only foster greater sensitivity toward the animal world as a whole, but to recognize the Earth as more than just a "human-shaped" space. An urgent, humane, and exceptionally well-documented book. * Kirkus Reviews *
Entertaining and thought-provoking, even if you loathe vegan sausage rolls. -- Piers Morgan
A panoramic overview of our current relationship with those with who we share our planet. -- Lucy Kehoe * Geographical *
Book Information
ISBN 9781787332089
Author Henry Mance
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint Jonathan Cape Ltd
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 669g
Dimensions(mm) 243mm * 165mm * 37mm