Rating: 
Summary: THOUGHTFUL, INTELLIGENT--JUST WONDERFUL!
Review: ANIMAL GRACE is a potentially life changing book. Ms. Randour approaches the topics of spirituality and the state of grace animals possess and that which can be achieved between humans and animals by not only delving deeply into the subject(s), but by addressing them from an unexpected standpoint. The standard approach is (of course) the emotional, but Ms. Randour instead makes MORE than just an emotional case, she makes an intellectual one. As a result, her arguments and points will not only touch your heart, they will (more importantly in many instances) touch your MIND. Why? Because they're LOGICAL and challenge any thinking person to stop and reconsider many things normally taken for granted. It is one thing to tug at someone's heart, but quite another to challenge someone intellectually to question their own thought process. And that is the beauty of this book, it touches the reader on so many levels: emotionally, intellectually, and finally, spiritually. Simply put: This is an amazing book, and I only wish everyone could read it. If ANIMAL GRACE does not speak to you, then I don't know if anything ever will. I was already a lover of animals and nature and believed in the spirituality of all living things before I read this book, but by the time I had finished it (less than a day after I'd started it), I had begun to question my own feelings and beliefs and have since gone from dabbling in vegetarianism, to becoming a vegetarian. Obviously, this book spoke to me very deeply, but the most amazing thing about this wonderfully written and surprisingly touching book is that it manages something few books of this kind ever do--it absolutely crushes apathy. And it manages to do so without preaching or pushing any views on the reader. Do yourself, the animals of the world, and the world itself a favor...PLEASE read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Animal Grace: A passionate and practical book
Review: As a practicing Buddhist, I was thrilled to find "Animal Grace." I look for books that combine practical spiritual advice that I can follow on an everyday basis with an in-depth and comprehensive spiritual understanding. "Animal Grace" does that in spades. This is a passionate and insightful book that moved me greatly. Mary Lou Randour invites us with skillful storytelling into the lives of animals and shows us how we can rediscover neglected parts of ourselves there. Then she gently moves us to realize that we don't have to be afraid of encountering suffering. As Joanna Macy, a Buddhist writer said about "Animal Grace," "(it shows)how shared pain can open us to live more responsibly and more joyously." I recommend this touching and compelling book most highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: I enjoyed this book. I like the exploration of practical spirituality and this book discusses the role of animals in this exploration and learning. I love the chapter "What animals can teach us about spirituality" - very good. One of my favorite thoughts in this whole book is "When we get down to the essence of spirituality, however, it is simply about love." What a wonderful concept. And if you like this idea, buy this book. You can also find concepts like this on a web site I just found, spirituality.com.Enjoy !
Rating: 
Summary: Vegetarianism
Review: I was disappointed in this book, having read the reviews.
It is a treatise in support of vegetarianism, anti vivisection, and animal liberation. It should be advertised as such. I was looking for more than a lecture on the spritual values of non meat eating, and animal liberation, as valuable as they are. Some occasional beautiful tiny glimpses into animal behaviour were moving, indeed, but hardly enough to warrant purchase of the volume. I think it was highly overrated by all.
Rating:
Summary: Vegetarianism
Review: I was disappointed in this book, having read the reviews.
It is a treatise in support of vegetarianism, anti vivisection, and animal liberation. It should be advertised as such. I was looking for more than a lecture on the spritual values of non meat eating, and animal liberation, as valuable as they are. Some occasional beautiful tiny glimpses into animal behaviour were moving, indeed, but hardly enough to warrant purchase of the volume. I think it was highly overrated by all.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, but NOT about communicating with animals
Review: I wasn't sure what this book was about when I bought it, even after reading the description and reviews. It kept coming up in my search for books on Animal Communication, so I thought I would check it out.It is definitely NOT about communicating with animals. For books like that, see Penelope Smith, Ted Andrews, etc. This book was a wonderful read on how to increase our spiritual attunement/connection to animals. Animals have so much to teach us, especially by their examples. It was thought provoking and gently written.
Rating: 
Summary: What it means to have animal grace touch your life.
Review: In my seventeen years in private practice as a psychologist, I came to realize that some measure of spiritual understanding greatly aids a person to recover from emotional trauma and to mature into a well-integrated human being. During those years that I listened to my patients, I also saw that spiritual development had to do with getting outside of one's self by reaching out to the larger world. Paradoxically, one part of the cure for someone who is in pain or need, and is seeking wholeness, is eventually to transcend one's self by extending compassion to others. At one point in my life I began to falter on my own spiritual journey, as many of us do at one time or another. When animal grace touched my life I was able to use the lessons I had learned from my practice, renewing my spiritual journey with a vigor and purpose I had never felt before. As this grace infused my life, I became aware of the countless animals that surround our lives, and in response to that recognition, began to act on their behalf. The powerful lesson learned from this experience inspired me to write "Animal Grace." I know first hand that a spiritual relationship with animals can transform a person's life and I wanted to encourge others to explore this possibility for their lives. "Animal Grace" is about the countless opportunities, which we can find in the everyday activities of our lives, for spiritual growth in our relationship with animals. It also shows how to make our relationships with animals reciprocal--how to give back to them in return for the many gifts they bestow upon us. Animals can teach us how to trust, help us mourn, coax us to love, and bolster our courage. When we are in the company of other animals we recover essential and neglected parts of our selves. Joanna Macy, Buddhist writer, recognized one of the important messages of "Animal Grace" when she commented on my book. She said that when we enter the company of other animals, we can learn "how not to be afraid of suffering we encounter there, and how shared pain can open us to live more responsibly and more joyously." The essence of true spiritual joy is to open our hearts and minds to the conditions of other creatures, and to respond to them with care. Dr. Jane Goodall echoed this understanding in her own assessment of "Animal Grace when she wrote, "Mary Lou Randour invites us to open our hearts and minds to the animal lives all around us. She shows us with powerful storytelling and compelling scholarship that by serving the crucial cause of animals we can also enrich our spiritual lives immeasurably. That is a message I heartily endorse and join with her in making." I look forward to hearing from others about how animal grace touched their lives and shaped their spiritual understanding.
Rating:
Summary: THOUGHTFUL, INTELLIGENT--JUST WONDERFUL!
Review: Mary Lou Randour, Ph.D, and her book advocating the healing relationship of animals, in the engaged Buddhist vein, is a hopeful book for the betterment of people and for animals. Mary Lou, director of programs, for PsyETA (The Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is as connected to the animal kingdom as Brother Wayne Teasdale is to the spiritual. For animal lovers, this is a book that has long been dreamed, and will be an excellent read for cross referencing with the literature on animals, ecology, nature writing, and political advocacy groups. This is a must read for those who want to contribute with passion and compassion. I highly recommend Animal Grace.
Rating:
Summary: The Gracefulness of Animal Relations
Review: Mary Lou Randour, Ph.D, and her book advocating the healing relationship of animals, in the engaged Buddhist vein, is a hopeful book for the betterment of people and for animals. Mary Lou, director of programs, for PsyETA (The Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is as connected to the animal kingdom as Brother Wayne Teasdale is to the spiritual. For animal lovers, this is a book that has long been dreamed, and will be an excellent read for cross referencing with the literature on animals, ecology, nature writing, and political advocacy groups. This is a must read for those who want to contribute with passion and compassion. I highly recommend Animal Grace.
Rating:
Summary: Spirituality and Animal Relationships
Review: Ms. Randour has captured the essense of humankind's natural bonding with other animals. We seek connection to nature, our ground of being, and we can find this through relationships with fellow animals. Ms. Randour experiences a sense of joy and liberation when she feels attuned to the needs and passions of other creatures, and many other animal protectionists relate similar experiences. Choosing to not contribute to animal suffering, she finds, is not a sacrifice. Rather, it is a spiritual act that affirms and strengthens her bonding with the natural realm. The book is well-written and readily accessible to a wide audience. I recommend it highly.
|
