A tale of two kingdoms, mirroring the reflective insight of animals and
closing eyes of human kind. Animal Envy is a clarion call!"
—Patti Smith
"It's good to see Ralph Nader turning his attention to the way we treat
animals. Whether you love or hate the unusual framework he has chosen, the
ideas he presents are important and demand our attention."
—Peter Singer,
professor of bioethics, Princeton University, and author, Animal Liberation
"Ralph Nader's Animal Envy is a stimulating, wide-ranging, and
forward-looking book. By using a digitally converted language that is
understandable across species, diverse nonhuman animals—from insects to
whales—are able to communicate with one another and also with human animals.
In an ensuing global assembly called 'The Great Talkout,' a panoply of
animals not only tells us who they really are and what they want and need to
flourish, but also shows how they can be of great benefit to us—a win-win
for all. Along the way we meet many fascinating beings, including the insect
triad—the Earthworm, the Monarch Butterfly, and the Honey Bee—who plea for
the end of pesticides. Using results from research on the cognitive and emotional lives of
animals, Mr. Nader weaves in plausible stories of what we can learn about
their agenda if we take the time to talk with and listen carefully to them.
All in all, Animal Envy is a highly original and visionary book that made me
think deeply about human-animal relationships and how they must change as
other animals plea for less violence and appeal for compassionate
coexistence in the Anthropocene, an epoch that truly has become the rage of
humanity."
—Marc Bekoff, author of The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion,
and Coexistence in the Human Age (forthcoming, Beacon Press)
“As to be expected from a book by Ralph Nader, Animal Envy is hard to
pigeonhole—being equal parts science fiction, philosophy, science and nature
reporting, tragedy, and comedy. What is clear is that the book provides a
wildly imaginative, illuminating, often hilarious (and sometimes politically
incorrect) look at the fraught relationship between humans and the fellow
creatures with whom we tenuously share a fragile home. Most important, the
book is a desperate plea (from the animals themselves) that we change that
relationship before it is too late for both them and us.”
—Eric R.
Glitzenstein, animal and environmental attorney, and co-founder of Meyer,
Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP, one of the nation’s premier public interest law
firms
"Ralph Nader brings all of his formidable integrity and intelligence to this
most important discussion of all: relations between humans and the rest of
the world. We humans owe Nader a deep thank you for creating this crucial
and far-reaching book."
—Derrick Jensen, author of The Myth of Human
Supremacy
Named by the Atlantic as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history, and by Time and Life magazines as one of the hundred most influential Americans of the twentieth century, Ralph Nader and the dozens of citizen groups he has founded have helped us drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, and work in safer workplaces. Nader continues to be a relentless advocate for grassroots activism and democratic change. With Animal Envy, he is raising the stakes yet again with a book that could restore America to itself once and for all.
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