Our Symphony with Animals, Aysha Akhtar
Our Symphony with Animals, Aysha Akhtar
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Our Symphony with Animals
On Health, Empathy, and Our Shared Destinies

Author: Aysha Akhtar, Carl Safina

Narrator: Deepti Gupta

Unabridged: 11 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/30/2019

Categories: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Pets

Synopsis

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 how deeply the well-being of humans and animals are entwined. Interwoven throughout is Dr. Akhtar’s own story of being a young girl who was bullied in school and sexually abused by her uncle. Feeling abandoned by humanity, it was only when she met Sylvester, a dog who had also been abused, that she found strength for both of them. Against the backdrop of her inspiring story, Dr. Akhtar asks, what do we gain when we recognize our kinship with animals? She travels around the country to tell the stories of a varied cast of characters―including a former mobster, an industrial chicken farmer, a Marine veteran―and comes face to face with a serial killer.Through storytelling that is entertaining, profound, and touching, Dr. Akhtar reveals what happens when we both break and forge bonds with animals. She demonstrates how humans are neurologically designed to empathize with animals, and how violence against them goes against our nature. In equal measure, the love and friendship we give to other species biologically reverberates back to us. Humanity’s compassion for animals is the next step in our species’ moral evolution and a vital component of our own health. Our Symphony with Animals is the definitive account for why our relationships with animals matter.

About Aysha Akhtar

Aysha Akhtar, MD, MPH, is a lieutenant commander in the US Public Health Service, a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and a consultant editor for the Journal of Animal Ethics.

About Carl Safina

Carl Safina is the author of several books, including Voyage of the Turtle, The View from Lazy Point, and Eye of the Albatross. Carl’s work has been recognized with MacArthur, Pew, and Guggenheim fellowships, and his writing has won Orion, Lannan, and National Academies literary awards. He lives on Long Island, New York.

About Deepti Gupta

Deepti Gupta is an Audie-nominated narrator and actress based in Los Angeles. Fluent in Hindi and Urdu, her career spans across India, Singapore, Pakistan, and the United States. She has earned praise from the New York Times for her performance in the feature film Walkaway.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader

Dr. Aysha Akhtar is a neurologist and leader in the field of animal ethics. This book is her memoir combined with scientific fact and a deep love for animals. Reading this, I felt instantly understood by Dr. Akhtar, and I learned a vast amount. At the heart of the book is her research on the connecti......more

Goodreads review by Michael

I read a LOT for work. Specifically, I read a LOT about animals: scientific journals, anecdotes, social media posts, daily news briefs, books, manuscripts, and so on. It's part of my job. I got a copy of Our Symphony with Animals as a standard practice: I know Dr. Akhtar to be a solid writer and tho......more

Goodreads review by Nathan

Emotionally flaying, insightful, disarming, re-affirming. That, to begin, describes what we have here: A magnificent work of how we (that is, humans) connect with animals, how our empathy affects how we interact with anything non-human, how our rationalizations blind us to empathy hidden within (and......more

Goodreads review by Nicole

I enjoyed being immersed in the stories of individual humans' relationships with animals. They're like love stories, in a way, each unique and heartwarming, some harrowing. While I, of course, hate to see any living creature suffer needlessly, I am not of the opinion that society should stop livesto......more

Quotes

“The scientific story of how humans are designed to bond with animals—and the cost, to us and to the rest of animate creation, of breaking that bond.” Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author

“Takes us from one example to another of animals making our lives better. Being there for us without judgment regardless of the circumstances, animals have an immense healing power that science is only beginning to grasp.” Frans de Waal, New York Times bestselling author

“Highly recommended for a global audience.” Psychology Today

“[Akhtar] has the scientific chops to make a strong case for animals as our co-equals, worthy of compassion and respect. That recognition, she implies, will make us better people.” Washington Independent Review of Books

“This deeply affecting book reveals just how important animals are to human health and happiness.” Shelf Awareness

“Akhtar’s book draws a sobering but hopeful picture of what has been done and what remains to be done to improve animals’ lives.” Publishers Weekly

“A heartfelt call for compassion for all living species.” Kirkus Reviews

“Themes of vulnerability, injustice, redemption, and love are woven into a moving narrative that drew me in and kept me hungrily turning the pages.” Jonathan Balcombe, author of Second Nature

“In this notable volume, neurologist Akhtar uses personal childhood trauma to launch a thoughtful discussion of the extent of, and limits to, human empathy toward animals…She concludes with suggestions on how to make a difference.” Publishers Weekly

“[A] important and illuminating work. For all the feel-good tales of animal empathy at its best, Akhtar also offers harrowing examples of extreme and graphic viciousness that will be tough going for sensitive readers.” Booklist

Awards

  • Amazon.com bestseller
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