Our Wild Calling: Book Review
How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives – and Save Theirs
In Our Wild Calling Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives – and Save Theirs, Richard Louv invites readers to explore the profound connections between humans and animals, weaving together captivating stories and compelling research. Louv’s conversational tone and deep empathy shine as he highlights the benefits of these bonds for our mental health, community well-being, and environmental stewardship.
The book is both a call to action and a source of hope, urging us to reimagine our relationships with wildlife in a time of ecological crisis. Louv blends personal anecdotes with interviews from scientists and animal lovers, creating a rich tapestry of insight and inspiration. His concept of the “reciprocal relationship” between humans and animals challenges us to see ourselves not as separate from nature but as part of a larger, interconnected web.
“When we are close to animals, when we watch them, touch them, when we learn to read their sounds and movements, we find another way of knowing, one that goes beyond words and into the realm of the senses, emotions, and spirit.” ~ Richard Louv
Ideal for nature enthusiasts, animal lovers, and anyone seeking a renewed sense of purpose, Our Wild Calling is an enlightening and heartwarming read. It reminds us that the future of our planet depends on rekindling these vital, primal connections.
Book Blurb
“Audubon Medal winner Richard Louv’s landmark book Last Child in the Woods inspired an international movement to connect children and nature. Now he redefines the future of human-animal coexistence. In Our Wild Calling, Louv interviews researchers, theologians, wildlife experts, indigenous healers, psychologists, and others to show how people are connecting with animals in ancient and new ways, and how this serves as an antidote to the growing epidemic of human loneliness; how dogs can teach children ethical behavior; how animal-assisted therapy may yet transform the mental health field; and what role the human-animal relationship plays in our spiritual health. He reports on wildlife relocation and on how the growing populations of wild species in urban areas are blurring the lines between domestic and wild animals. 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.”
