Hop Studios | author photo by Eric B. Dynowski
Our Wild Calling
How Connecting With Animals Can Transform Our Lives—and Save Theirs
“Through fascinating stories of human-animal interaction, Richard Louv urges us to be open-minded about animals and reposition our species inside the natural world.”
—Frans de Waal, New York Times bestselling author of Mama's Last Hug
Richard Louv’s landmark book, Last Child in the Woods, inspired an international movement to connect children and nature and has now sold over half a million copies. Co-founder of the Children & Nature Network and winner of the Audubon Medal, Louv has become theexpert on radically improving mental and physical health through our relationship to the natural world. In his newest book, OUR WILD CALLING: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform our Lives—and Save Theirs (Publication Date: November 5, 2019; $27.95), Louv redefines the future of human-animal coexistence by exploring our deep bonds with other animals and calling for a transformation in how we view, treat, and inhabit our environment. Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, calls the book “remarkable,” adding that it “will help everyone break away from their fixed gaze at the screens that dominate our lives and remember instead that we are animals in a world of animals.”
Through interviews with researchers, theologians, wildlife experts, indigenous healers, parents, teachers, psychologists, Louv reveals how dogs can teach children ethical behavior, how animals in urban areas are blurring the lines between the domestic and the wild, and what role the human-animal relationship plays in our spiritual well-being. He explores urgent topics such as biodiversity, inter-species health, and unprecedented conservation practices – including the proposal to set aside half of the planet for nature and wildlife and the assisted migration of invasive species. Louv also introduces readers to pioneering biologists who practice “practical anthropomorphism” as a way to do better science, naturalists now helping thousands of people learn bird language, scientists developing new ways communicate with pets and wild animals, and animal-assisted therapists and teachers challenging the fields of mental health and education.
In a world consumed by technology and constant digital communication, Louv says, “Our relationships with other-than-human beings can have a profoundly positive impact on our health, our spirit, and our sense of inclusiveness in the world.” Nearly everyone Louv interviewed had a story to tell about a life-changing interaction with an animal, from a beloved family pet to a chance encounter with wild animal, that moved them towards a greater understanding of the other species. At the center of these stories is what Louv has named the “habitat of the heart,” or the deep connection between a person and another animal, and how, through these connections, we can begin to heal ourselves and our wounded planet.
With climate change at the forefront of international debate, Louv’s call for a more empathetic approach to the relationship to our habitat and the creatures we share it with will help to serve as an antidote to human loneliness and preserve life on Earth. Frans de Waalsays, “Through many fascinating stories of human-animal interaction, Richard Louv urges us to be open-minded about animals and reposition our species inside the natural world.” OUR WILD CALLING makes the case for protecting, promoting, and creating a sustainable and shared habitat for all creatures—not out of fear, but out of love. We hope you’ll share this incredibly timely, topical, and poignant book with your audience.
— Algonquin Books
Explore more: read reviews | purchase the book | find resources
Hop Studios