The Penguin Podcast is back! Listen Now
How to Love Animals

How to Love Animals

In a Human-Shaped World

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

We love animals, but our relationship with them is laced with self-doubt. We watch nature documentaries and cat videos, and pamper our pets. Yet we also know that most farm animals lead miserable lives and many wild animals are losing their homes. We reluctantly accept this as the price for human progress; no one wants a philosophical debate every time they buy a sandwich. The truth is that the way we treat animals is not only irrational and unethical - it's unsustainable.

Henry Mance sets out on a personal quest to see if there is a fairer way to share our planet with the other species who enrich our lives. He goes to work in an abattoir and on a pig farm, and meets chefs, hunters, activists, scientists and conservationists who want to redefine how we think about animals.

Even on a planet shaped by human activity, we can find the space to allow other sentient beings to thrive - to put our love for animals into practice. This is not a book about what animals can do for us, but what we can do for animals. Thoughtful, provocative and witty, it is ultimately a story of discovery and hope - and of a future that might just become a reality.

© Henry Mance 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Reviews

  • Convincing and urgent
    Guardian

About the author

Henry Mance

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.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more