Service Animals Books

This really is a very good book. He really explains things very well. The chapters are layed out in a logical order and there are quizes and questions along the way. The book is well written too. I would recommend this book to a student, but it wouldn't be my first recommendation. There are others like Marieb & Martini that I like because the style of writing isn't quite as dry as Tortora. It still is an excellent book though. One of the best.

This book is outstanding. It has the most informations you need to know about human A & P. The book also encloses interactive CDS for learning. The book and the CDs rock educationally. I never have doubts about the authors and the information because the book is super professional and educational. I LOVE THE BOOK AND THE INTERACTIVE CDs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used this book for my undergraduate A&P course, and now that I'm in medical school, I appreciate it even more! It puts complex concepts in such understandable, clear language, with very helpful diagrams and graphics. In many subjects, it has done a much better job explaining something than my medical school professor or textbooks have done. Several of my classmates are considering forming a Tortora fan club in honor of this invaluble resource. Definitely worth the money, and they type of book you will want to keep on your bookshelf forever.

While the book itself is very informative and easy to read, there are several publishers. Be sure when you order this book that it is the month, year, and publisher that you need. The edition number, and/or ISBN # of the book is not enough. For example, the Eighth Edition was printed at several different times, and while the content of the book remains the same, not every Eighth Edition book comes with study guides, cd-roms, or term abreviations on the inside covers of the book.

My study group and I used this book for our college anatomy and physiology classes. We found that the text was quite easy to comprehend and the pictures of muscles was very clear and precise. We also used the following 3 books when we were preparing for our midterm and final exams.
Anatomy and Physiology Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations
Volume 1 (ISBN; O971999619)
Volume 2 (ISBN: 0971999627)
Key Facts for Anatomy and Physiology (ISBN: 0971999694)

Anatomy and Physiology Study Guide: (Volume 1 and Volume 2) are outstanding study guides. It showed us the kind of questions to prepare for when we took our exams. We saw many of the type of questions asked on our exams from studying these study guides. Also, Key Facts for Anatomy and Physiology focused on the key ideas asked on the exams. I guess this is why me and my study group all got over 90 averages in our classes. This was our exact study plan. First, read important stuff in Tortora's textbook to get a really good understanding of A and P. For the test, we prepared heavy by studying the last 3 books described and using Tortora's book as a reference.

I bought the book for my Anthropolohy class. The book is not bad. It's a bunch of essays put together in this book. Some of them are interesting, others a little long.

At first I thought I had read this book already, and while it's technically possible, I think I am getting that sensation because Wade Davis recycles his stories and essays over and over again. By now I think I've read everything he's written (or getting very close, at any rate) and I love it all. He has great stories. But like a drunk uncle at a Christmas party, they are changing as he gets older and they are also getting a little tired. By my count, I've heard about the running of the borders in the Andes about 6 times now, and it's fascinating, it's a really great tradition and Davis tells it well, but honestly, I expect more from a man who's travelled around the world, lived with the Penan and in the Amazon and in Haiti and in the Stikine...he's got to have more stories than that. So in that respect I found this book frustrating because I kept skipping ahead for something that didn't sound like something I'd already heard. And that's a shame because his stories are enticing and he writing style is engaging, I'm just hungry for more new material.

_Shadows in the Sun_ is a collection of essays on biodiversity, from both an anthropological perspective as well as from a biological standpoint. The brilliance of the book is the way in which Daivs illustrates the juxtaposition and similarity between the two.

Davis takes you from the rainforests of Indonesia to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, voudon practices in Haiti, toad licking in the Amercan southwest, "surviving" in the Canadian arctic. In each essay, the tremendous variety of life (animal - including human - plant and fungal) and its adaptation to its environment is discussed in detail.

I give it four stars rather than five due to the underlying lament of the loss of bio (and cultural) diversity that is taking place worldwide. Certainly this is a just concern, and Davis is not the first to draw attention to this. However by only discussing the damage the modern, industrialized world is causing without addressing ways of elimintating the harm being done makes such observations a moot point. Even with this criticism, however, I highly recommend this book. It is a wonderful read.

How tough are we, really? When I was twelve I can assure you that I was not killing polar bears and whales; but Wade Davis introduces the reader to just such an Inuit boy. The boy is special in that he carries on a tradition of providing his community with sustenance; but he is one of many such boys and men in his community. Shadows in the Sun is filled with cultural activities that seem bizzare, terrifying, beautifully exotic, outrageous, and downright strange to those of us whose culture is surrounded by electronics, mass media, and mass prefabrication. It is a beautifully written book that samples human diversity as a threatened and disappearing art form.

How tough are we, really? When I was twelve I can assure you that I was not killing polar bears and whales; but Wade Davis introduces the reader to just such an Inuit boy. The boy is special in that he carries on a tradition of providing his community with sustenance; but he is one of many such boys and men in his community. Shadows in the Sun is filled with cultural activities that seem bizzare, terrifying, beautifully exotic, outrageous, and downright strange to those of us whose culture is surrounded by electronics, mass media, and mass prefabrication. It is a beautifully written book that samples human diversity as a threatened and disappearing art form.

This book is really good in the beginning, but it's weak at the end. It is a good book, but the chapters lack order. It has some humor, and we learned a lot about wild animals. She uses complex words, but she includes context clues so we were able to figure out what they mean. We recommend this book for fourth through seventh graders and adults who love animals.

While the target audience is kids, this book is really fun reading for all ages. Not many families would dare to take in the pets that the George family did, including a skunk with its stinker gland (not the technical term, sorry), nor is it really advisable. But the George family was knowledgable about wildlife biology and knew how to take care of the animals they took in. I was surprised to find that almost every story taught me something new about animal behavior and intelligence. Reading the story may make you or your kids want to find wild pets, but imbued in each story is also a lesson in how much responsibility it takes as well. What I enjoyed the most, though, is the autobiographical nature of this book that gives a picture of an impressive family. The 3 kids had childhoods that were full of adventure, affection, and education. They have all grown up to be impressive and accomplished adults. I think one can glean some lessons here on how to raise happy kids who respect nature and how to cultivate their curiosities into independent thinking. I'm an adult now, but reading this book makes me want to be a kid rediscovering the natural world again.

This book is amazing! It is a true story about Jean Craighead George's life with wild pets. If you like wild animals, you'll love this book! Jean is the narrator of the book as well as the author. I think she would make a great animal caretaker. I really liked this book and I think you would, too, if you tried it!

All of Jean Craighead George's great nature books come from experience (she spoke with wolves, had a falcon, has seen the most magnificent places in our country) but this is the one that is entirely autobiographical (she did write an autobiography but it is out of print). Stories charming, hilarious, gross, and heartwarming grace the pages of this unputdownable book. Readers can truly enjoy this book if they read related stories like THE SUMMER OF THE FALCON, THE CRY OF THE CROW, and THERE'S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER. All will smile at the true-life details that contribute to those tales. While most of the nature takes place indoors, nature lovers will still learn further about birds, mammals, and insects. This is a truly enjoyable book for any animal lover and Jean Craighead George fan.

Have you ever taken a frog home that you found in the woods? I bet your mom told you to put it outside immediately. Well, if you went to the Georges' household, the setting of my story, that is all you would find! Tarantulas, crows, owls, fish, frogs, you name it and you will probably find it roaming freely in the house. Jean Craighead George, the mother and protagonist, was raised to love animals and keep them as her pets, so she brought up her three children the same way. You probably can't believe that someone would keep a skunk as a lovable pet, but they did!

The only animal you wouldn't hear about in their house was a bear! The Georges even had a pond, as real as one outside, in their house built by their neighbor who worked with cement. Read this book and find out why all the fish in their pond start dying. Find out why they had to get rid of a crow as viscous as a hunting dog, or how they found a baby bird as small as a cotton ball that could fit in a teacup. It is all in the amazing and funny book The Tarantula in My Purse. I learned a lot of interesting facts from this book, and other times I couldn't stop laughing. This book was absolutely terrific and fun to read!

I thought this book was amazing! The people in my story instinctively kept wild animals as pets! Even when you had to get a special permit, they got one. I think it is hard enough having just a dog as a pet. I could hardly imagine acquiring so many wild pets and having to research exactly what they need. What amazes me is that it wasn't just their mother that did all the work and research, it was the kids too! They helped out, and researched and cleaned up after their animals. The children would never, not do something because it was too messy or they were afraid. Twig, one of those children, had an owl, Yammer, which was soft, gray, and loved television. One day Yammer was watching television stiff as a board, he fell off his perch. Immediately, Twig picked him up and cuddled with him just like he was her baby brother!

This book taught me to be a little more responsible when caring for my dog. They never complained when caring for their many wild pets. I really thought this was a good book to see how you should be responsible when caring for your pet if you want more and more!

The protagonists, a family of four, loved wild animals. One of them was a hard working mother. She was divorced when her children were young, so she had to work extremely hard to keep her children and animals happy. Before Jean Craighead George had kids she would go places and research animals. This family of Jean and her three children, Twig, Craig and Luke all researched animals over the years and knew a lot about them, just by taking them as pets. From the beginning of this story, until the end when her kids left and were now adults, the Georges had over one hundred seventy-two pets! Whether they stayed for a day or a year, whether they were a bird or a snake, Jean Craighead and her family took good care of them.

I thought the characters in my book were very different from most people I know. It would take me a lot of time to get used to living in their household. I am not used to having wild animals saunter around my house. The whole George family seemed jaunty. Although they had lots of difficulties with their wild pets, they never seemed to be very solemn or act gravely. Many times, though, I thought it would be fun to play with all the baby chicks, turtles and birds. I liked how the characters got the animals to love them and do all these funny things every time they wanted to play or eat. Finally, I enjoyed how passionate they were about their pets. You never had to tell them twice to play with their animals, because that was all they did!

So, do you think you love animals? Well, you should read this book to see how much you could really love animals and find out interesting facts. This book was terrific, it taught good morals and made you laugh, it even taught you some cool facts. I encourage you to read this book.

I was required to read this book for a college course, and am glad I was! Although this book was graphic and at times difficult to read emotionally, it conveys a powerful message, with data to back it up. Even if you are unsure of the statistical lingo, the authors do a wonderful job of clarifying and explaining the results of their study. This book is an excellent example of how severe the effects of animal cruelty can be and that changes in society are desperately needed.

This book by Linda Merz-Perez and Kathleen M. Heide provides for a valueable resource for animal avocates and people concerned with interperonal violence as well. I found this book to be very helpful in assisting me in my studies to understand the connection between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. From theories as to why people commit such crimes to case studies, this book keeps you interested. Not only is it interesting but also educational. Many other resources regarding this subject are included in this book. They prove that cruelty to animals is a cause for concern and leads to the perpetuation and continuance of violent crimes against people. I recommend this book to everyone, especially parents and people involved in child care, so as to broaden the knowledge society has on the link between cruelty to animals and human violence in hopes of reducing the violent tendencies of our society. We owe it to ourselves, the animals, and each other to become more educated on problems in our society, such as interperonal violence and animal cruelty, and what we can do to help reduce these occurences in our population. This book should assist people in taking a step in the right direction. This book provides much insight and background for those already in the field of victim advocacy (whether they are human or animal victims.) It supports, with fact, what may be seen as only an opinion, therefore giving respect to the views of animal advocates like me. The background this book and its references have given me have provided me with more confidence to continue on in my crusade to help animal and human victims of violence.

This book is a great resource for anyone concerned with the field of animal welfare or anyone seeking to grasp a greater understanding of the link between animal abuse and human violence. By giving a clear concise definition of animal cruelty, and examples of various types of aggression and violence people engage in, the authors show the complex nature of the issue. The compilation of various studies conducted by credible animal welfare professionals provides a wide spread knowledge base for the reader to draw from. Due to the magnitude of facts from the studies, it is necessary to have a highlighter in hand while reading to note the crucial conclusions that can be drawn from the studies. The purpose of this book is clearly to make society aware of the link between animal cruelty and human violence. This book was one of the first works to broach this topic and because of the ability of these two authors to present the facts in a conclusive manor; my hope is that others will become more aware of the realities of the problems at hand.

"Animal Cruelty Pathway to Violence against People" takes an in-depth look at the link between animal cruelty and violence against people.Starting with chapter one, this book gives the reader the background knowledge to be comfortable enough, even with no prior knowledge of the subject, to get through the rest of the book with ease of understanding. The book itself is not meant in any way to breeze through for leisure.Reading it takes a lot of energy (to absorb so much information some of it rather disturbing). I found a lot of the information unsettling and depressing, but of course understood the need for that. Some of the information given is difficult to grasp and understand at first, but the authors do not leave you with out detailed guidance and explanation. This book helped me greatly in participating in and performing in the class I read it for.
I came away empowered and highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a greater understanding of the mysteries of cruelty and violence. I know I will look to this book for information frequently. It is an invaluable resource.

"This book is a must have for anyone working in or interested in the animal welfare or human services fields. Most of us already in these fields find our time to relax and enjoy a good book very limited or otherwise nonexistent, and may find writings related to our work to be very technical and mundane. Linda Merez-Perez and Kathleen Heide have combined years of experience to develop a very clear, concise, intriguing work on the link between animal cruelty and increased human violence in the pages of "Animal Cruelty: Pathway to violence against people". Within these pages you will find a wealth of knowledge spanning the history of the relationship between animal cruelty and human violence, the current state of this relationship, methods used to evaluate this relationship, case studies that will pull at your heart, and suggested avenues of approach to both further increase awareness of the correlation between animal cruelty and increased human violence, and steps that can be taken to reduce these instances. After reading this book I am compelled to purchase a copy for both our County Adult and Child Social Services Departments and the County Animal Control Administrator in hopes of building a combined relationship to combat both animal cruelty and human violence in our area."
Jennifer Sherian - Manager, Animal Protection Society of Durham, North Carolina

I recommend this book highly but be prepared to cry when you read some of the stories. In one story, a dog gets in front of a rattlesnake to save a little baby and gives up his own life doing so.
The author does a splendid job of explaning how animals have compassion for other animals and human beings.

If you are not animal lover, you will be after reading this book. It is a gem!

I recently finished this remarkable book. I must say I listened to it (from a tape from the Blind Center) while working on a portrait of a dog for a friend. I have always believed in the compassion of animals, having several 'Animal Angels' in my own life. Kristin's stories of true compassion verify what every animal owner & lover knows in their own heart. One of the saddest comments, after asking prominent Scientists, were that animals performed the compassionate acts out of self interest. After all of the stories, as well as my own experiences, I can say thankfully ,that we are living in a time of changing thoughts. I am more than happy to recommend this book to all of my friends, and lovers of animals of all kinds.

These stories are warm and inspiring. My 12 year old daughter has read it a few times now, cover to cover. Great for anyone to read who loves and appreciates animals. This book really grabbed me.

These stories are warm and inspiring. My 12 year old daughter has read it a few times now, cover to cover. Great for anyone to read who loves and appreciates animals. This book really grabbed me.

This is a great book to share with my 5-year-old granddaughter. It explains service dogs at her level - in a way she understands and learns, as well as enjoys!

"Buddy is more than my friend, he's my arms and my legs." The characters are the Little Boy and Buddy. The Little Boy has a bad body disease called Muscular Dystrophy and needs Buddy to help him most of the time. I recommend this book for people who like learning what dogs can do. Also I think that this book is for people by the age of 6-10. The theme that I think goes along with this book is Friends can come in all shapes and sizes. I think that this book has good details and good pictures. So if you want to learn who Buddy really is I suggest that you read this book. by Pari Lynn

What a lovely story about the joy and independence a dog can bring to a child's life. Every child should now the unconditional love of a "buddy", whether it's their own beloved pet, or a dog that visits them when they need a little extra doggie love.

This book demonstrates the complex dynamic of helper dogs and their owners. It is beneficial to readers of all ages. How often have you come into contact with a helper dog and wondered why you couldn't pet them? They are so well-behaved and friendly looking - why not? Well, if you read this book, you will learn why not. Buddy the golden retriever is a hard-working helper, but he is also a good friend to his owner. This would be a great addition to any school library.

This was a good book to explain to children what a service dog does. The kids I have read the book to all seemed to understand and enjoy it. There is one picture I don't like, though, because the boy looks mad and the dog looks scared. I don't want people to get the idea that you have to be mean to make a dog obey you.

Good argument for the rights of animals, but sometimes a bit too "deep." Regan is a philosopher, afterall. Great book for those familiar with the topic and who want to deepen their arguments, but probably not the best read for someone just getting introduced to the philosophy of the rights of animals.

Of all the books I read in college, this one has nagged me the most. It offers a completely logical case for giving animals their own "right to life." Most of the book is an education in ethics philosophy - necessary background if one is to reflect on one's own moral decision-making when it comes to other living beings.

A Christian who believes that humans deserve higher moral consideration precisely because they are humans will not find the book particularly swaying. If one is to cite gospel for making moral decisions, Regan basically asks, "So ... WHICH gospel/scripture?" as there are many faiths that purport to receive the truth from a god or gods. Most Christians have a ready answer to that question - but one backed up by faith, not logic. Regan aims to show that our secular beliefs about human rights to life logically do not exclude - but rather, should include - other animals.

One woman in our class rejected Regan's thesis and conclusion when she learned that accepting his arguments logically necessitated a pro-life, anti-abortion stance. For that reason, a pro-life Christian might give Regan's book a closer, more sympathetic look.

Where Regan's case breaks down is in where to draw the line. Do we make it illegal to fish? To step on ants? To deal with this problem he creates a construct called "Subject of a Life" and establishes several criteria to decide which animals can be food and which ones can't. But it is hard not to see arbitrariness of whatever criteria we establish. In a sense, we are right back to where we started: refering to our personal biases as moral benchmarks.

Why do YOU exclude animals from deserving a right to live, to be eaten, skinned, etc? Is it because they aren't as smart as humans or don't have sophisticated language? Is it because the scripture you believe to be true says it's okay to kill them for your purposes? Is it because you can ... and just don't feel that guilty? Is it a morality of expedience that we choose to follow when we kill an animal that feels pain and enjoys its life?

Read this book and the questions will nag you, too.

What surprised me the most about this new edition of Tom Regan's 1983 classic "The Case for Animal Rights" is how little of the book bears directly on the animal issue: while chapters 1 through 3 are concerned with such questions as whether animals are conscious, have beliefs and desires, and can be considered to have a welfare; and the last chapter deals with the application of Regan's moral philosophy to the treatment of animals, the great bulk of the book (chapters 4 through 8, more than half of the volume) is devoted to what I understand modern philosophers call "meta-ethics", i.e. the kind of thinking one has to engage in before one actually gets to the point and starts fleshing out actual moral principles and rules.

This discrepancy between what the title announces and what the book actually focuses on is all the more annoying as Regan keeps avoiding what appear to be highly relevant issues by claiming they "fall outside the scope of the volume", so much so that one almost feels now and then that he is using animal rights as a selling point for a book whose main preoccupation is flogging the dead horse of utilitarianism (or as an excuse for the cute Durer rabbit on the cover.)

"The Case for Animal Rights" does have its virtues, though, if you are prepared to be patient with its inordinate length and ad hoc redefinitions of its scope. First, its "rights view" approach to the animal problem is an improvement over Peter Singer (a.k.a. Dr Death)'s utilitarian defense of animal welfare, the many flaws of which Regan convincingly points out. And second, the fine-grained conceptual distinctions Regan develops do help the reader clarify his thinking on the issues raised, though he himself misses a few distinctions he should have made (his attack on what he calls the "innocence principle" for instance ignores the principle of double effect and therefore targets a straw man.)

However, I was very dissatisfied with several points of the book. For instance, Regan claims his approach is not anti-human. But this is belied by his (Darwinian) assertion that humans are in no fundamental way different from the beasts, and that some beasts are actually superior to some humans (any belief to the contrary being "speciesist" and based on "prejudices... insulated by... religious beliefs.")

I also found Regan's attack on what he calls "perfectionist" ethics (according to which "what individuals are due, as a matter of justice, depends on the degree to which they possess a certain cluster of virtues or excellences") to be based on nothing more than a politically correct, leftist penchant for egalitarianism, and an inability to recognize that the two kinds of system are not mutually exclusive, but complementary. Classical liberalism for instance, is politically egalitarian and economically perfectionist. (Perfectionism is then redefined p325 to give it much more unsavoury connotations, perhaps because Regan himself felt he had a weak case against it.)

Most objectionable of all is the idea that "the harm that death is, is a function of the opportunities for satisfaction it forecloses" (p324.) Though this enables Regan to reassert that humans are generally more worthy to live than beasts (since they can enjoy types of satisfactions that elude even our closest mammalian cousins) and can therefore throw the odd dog out of the lifeboat, it is a huge step back from the Christian respect for the sanctity of human life, all the more so as this position is compatible with the idea that "the death of a normal, adult animal is... a greater harm, than the death of a less aware, retarded human" (p314.)

"The Case for Animal Rights" is not the definitive treatment of the subject I expected it to be. While it presents itself as *the* "rights view" on the issue, it is only a rather idiosyncratic approach within that category, one that will not fit a Christian framework without major modifications. However, though I am very concerned with the potential consequences of some of Regan's more objectionable principles, I think it is a step in the right direction, given that the natural law tradition is utterly deficient on the issue, and modern defenses of animal welfare had so far been made from points of view utterly inimical to this tradition.

Other reviewers all seem to be Animal Rights advocates, interested in a sound justification for their preconceptions. I read this work for a different reason -- because I was interested in a non-theistic AND non-utilitarian justification for ethics. Tom Regan does an excellent job as a moral philosopher presenting an alternative way to look at ethics, and I stongly recommend this book for that reason.

As for justifying animal welfare, I found it less convincing. Regan's reason for rejecting Singer's argument for utilitarianism is because utilitarianism could sometimes justify sacrificing an animal, and he wants a moral guideline that will not allow that. Well, this is certainly assuming your conclusion, and made me wonder how much of the work was honest reasoning, and how much was a political spin document.

But the ultimate problem for me in accepting the arguments was in two areas. First, the absolutist nature of rights (either you have them, or you don't and they are non-negotiable) flies in the face of what is reasonable in the world. If a fish is not conscious, it has no rights, and if it is, its rights equal mine, even though its consiousness may be so marginal that we are extremely uncertain whether it even exists. Instead, for any consciousness-based rights system to be funcitonal, it must be based on DEGREE of consciousness, so a fish has less rights than a mouse, who has less rights than a mature human. (If mice have as many rights as humans, then almost all human activity is unacceptable -- plowing/tilling kills small rodents, as does driving, as does ANY construction work of any kind -- his mine rescue example neglects that all his options, including digging the mine in the first place, disturbs the soil fatally for some small rodents.) But Regan will not accept this, partially because any such scheme would be extremely difficult to work out, but primarily because it would allow the use/abuse of animals in some cases -- a consequence he will not accept (per his rejection of Singer) even if the reasoning for it is valid.

The second objection is that this scheme takes no account of the welfare of future beings. Extinction to him is a concern of corporatist ethics, when all that matters according to him are the individuals CURRENTLY involved. But an ethics which cannot provide a rationale to prevent future ecosystem destruction, or to prevent mass extinctions say by a comet impact 100 years in the future of individuals who are not alive today and therefore do not compute for rights calculations is deeply flawed in providing moral guidance.

These weaknesses are correctable, and this work could be improved to become a fairly compelling and general moral guideline. But to do so will result in drastically weakening the justification for animal welfare in his work, so I expect they will not be adressed, and this work will remain an interesting, but ulimately unconvincing excercise, serving solely to rally the faithful.

As I suggested long ago in my review of Peter Singer's _Animal Liberation_, while I applaud Singer for pointing out numerous ways in which our treatment of animals could be improved, I don't find his "utilitarian" ethical arguments very persuasive.

But Tom Regan's now-classic book -- this one -- is a different story. This is a tour-de-force of ethical argumentation that makes the titular case about as well as it's ever going to be made. Regan doesn't simplify any issues and he's very much alive to fine ethical nuances. And he sets out his case with both rigor and vigor.

Probably most of us won't have any problem agreeing that at least some nonhuman animals are conscious, but there _have_ been people who have denied it (most famously, Rene Descartes). So for completeness, Regan begins with a careful discussion of the question. Avoiding simplistic answers and over-eager claims about research on e.g. animal language, he mounts a solid case that at least some nonhumans do possess consciousness.

(Some of his arguments are a bit weaker than he thinks they are, although I still agree with his conclusions. For example, he argues that possession of language skills can't be an indicator of consciousness because human infants are presumably conscious before they acquire a language; how else, indeed, would they acquire it? But this shows only that _present_ possession of linguistic ability isn't a necessary condition of consciousness; it doesn't show that the ability to _learn_ a language isn't such a condition. As I said, though, I agree with his conclusion; I'm merely criticizing the way he gets to it.)

The remainder of the book is a wide-ranging discussion, not just of animal rights, but of ethics generally. Even aside from Regan's nominal topic, the volume could serve as a fine introduction to ethical thought in general. (Among its many highlights: a short refutation of Jan Narveson's "rational egoism" that could double as a refutation of Ayn Rand's even sillier version.)

In the end, what this gets us is a careful case for regarding mammalian animals which are at least a year old as possessors of "rights." (Regan also argues that for other reasons, we could and should want to extend "rights" to other animals; he has limited his discussion to mammals in order to keep to what he takes to be a fairly clear-cut case.) These "rights" do not, he holds, trump every other ethical consideration under the sun; in particular, in emergency situations in which either (say) a human being or a dog (or a million dogs) must be killed, we should kill the dog (or dogs) every time. These "rights" are _prima facie_ moral claims -- strong, but not indefeasible.

What I think Regan has successfully shown is that living beings don't have to be moral _agents_ in order to count in our moral deliberations. And with most of what he says on this subject, I heartily agree; in particular I think he has made just the right distinction between moral agents and moral patients, and correctly argued that moral patients have _some_ sort of "right" to consideration.

I cannot, however, follow him _quite_ all the way to his conclusions -- for example, that we are morally obliged to be vegetarian and to refrain from using animals in all scientific research. Mind you, I've been a vegetarian myself and I think there _are_ good reasons for avoiding meat; I just don't think they're morally conclusive. I agree completely that many current practices are inhumane, and I also agree with a point Regan argues repeatedly: that moral limitations on what we can do with animals do _not_, as such, interfere with the operation of the free market. But I'm still not altogether sold.

(The problem -- to put it briefly and inadequately -- is that I think Regan assigns too much to moral _patients_ in the way of "rights." I'm not persuaded that in order to have a "right," it's enough that someone else could make a moral claim on your behalf. In other words, I disagree with Regan's contention that moral agents and moral patients are entitled to exactly the _same_ sorts of moral consideration.)

I don't, however, mind admitting that Regan has changed my mind on some points and may yet change my mind on others. If I ever _do_ change my mind on this last point, he will be in part responsible.

And at any rate I highly recommend this volume to any readers interested in the topic of animal rights. Moral reasoning doesn't get any better than this.

Opening with quite a heart-wrenching tale that truly draws in the reader, and then never losing steam, Regan has written a highly intriguing argument in favor of animal rights. Running the gamut from factory farming to animal experimentation, and including the use of animals for entertainment purposes, Regan covers every angle and both sides to each argument. Of course, his degree in philosophy doesn't hurt when providing the reader with convincing evidence and sound logic. However, it must be noted that this book is highly accessible, even with the philosophical arguments posed herein.

Interwoven within the arguments both for and against animal rights are firsthand accounts of not only visits to factory farms and the like, but also Regan's own personal "muddling" journey from lackadaisical animal lover to animal rights activist. One might even see much of their own personal journey reflected in these pages. Furthermore, Regan is never condescending of those who have yet to make the jump to activism, for he himself took some time to blossom into the activist he is today.

The only reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because much of the material is indeed recycled. For the seasoned animal rights activist, there is not much new to be found within these pages. However, if you are on the fence about animal rights, and perhaps are on your own "muddling" journey from animal lover to activist, this book is inclined to push you towards the latter, and for good reason. This book is very highly recommended for anyone curious about animal rights. The book ends on a positive note, calling for more people to act out so that animal rights can become a reality and not just an intriguing notion. This book certainly needs to be placed in the hands of friends and family everywhere.

This introductory book summarized Mr. Regan's idea of animal rights in a very accessible way. The stories of his own "muddler's" journey were fun to read.

It is difficult to find much novelty in Regan's latest iteration of his animal rights philosophy. Most of the content is recyled; either from Regan's extensive bibliography, restatements of other animal rightists, or provocative examples of animal abuse (starting with an HBO shockumentary describing the preparation of cat in a Chinese restaurant). Regan personalizes the book by describing the path he traveled in becoming a born-again animal rightist, replete with Biblical analogy. The autobiographical section is more revealing by what is not mentioned; his revised attitude toward pet ownership. Seems that this travelogue falls short of its destination. However pursuing Regan's philosophy to its endpoint, it is to commit suicide to eliminate the suffering he (self-admittedly) continues to cause for animals and return his body to the biomass for the benefit of animals. Another deficiency of the book is the inability to draw the line between species that have rights - e.g., chickens, cattle, pigs, and those that do not. Especially problematic are such broad phylogenetic categories as mollusks and arthropods. Regan turns a blind eye to those who would tear the wings off of flies, perhaps because that would require him to condemn insecticides as well. No doubt Regan is a kindly and noble soul dedicated to espousing a philosophy and a lifestyle aimed at reducing animal suffering. However, the short-sightedness of his philosophical principle, which can be summarized as "Humans have no right to exploit animals for their benefit.", overlooks the catastrophic consequences that would ensue should we ever try to follow his advice and defy the ecology of the planet in which we evolved and in which we continue to exist.

This book doesn't provide an inescapable chain of logic leading to Regan's conclusion. Few people will be convinced of his position out of pure reason unless they were headed that direction already. However, the book is good for educating the general public about what goes on in the animal use businesses. Most people are overly optimistic about the usual procedures, and if they were more aware they might reduce their animal consumption or boycott the worst companies.

I honestly can not think of a book that I have enjoyed more than this one in my lifetime. I am already an ARA, but I think this book is written in a way that it would be a perfect choice for someone asking the question, "What exactly is animal rights, and what do animal rights activists want us to change?'
Clearly and non-condescendingly written and thought provoking, this book might just change your world-view. Buy this book today.
[...]

Before I read this book, I couldn't really say why I was a vegan. I mean, I could rattle off various problems I had with the suffering that animals endured, the health and environmental benefits, etc. Torres's book provided the theoretical support for my personal veganism. It was a revelation. I had never really considered veganism as a way to reject the capitalism-induced hierarchy that plagues society today. I never really understood what it meant to be vegan. In fact, I wasn't entirely vegan. I wavered quite a bit, knowing somewhere, deep down, that eating animal products was wrong. Making a Killing synthesized it all for me.

The writing is direct and informative. Torres draws from a wide variety of sources. And while the writing is still a bit unpolished, all writing is a work in progress. That said, Torres ties together well the various social justice movements and provides a critical analysis of the animal rights movement today.

For me, this book changed my perspective on animal rights and what it means to be a vegan.

As committed as I thought I was to the animal rights movement and specifically veganism, I learned much about the how's and why's of the current trends and how to improve the outlook for all the world's sentient beings, indeed, Gaia herself from reading Bob Torre's wonderfully insightful book.

Torres helped me clarify my position and provided me with cogent reasoning to offer up when facing opposition. Torres provided me with support and confirmed that I and my fellow revolutionaries have what it takes to make it happen, to get to the point where animals are no longer viewed as something separate from us, a commodity we have no right to use for our greedy and avaricious ends, all written in language that gets to the root of the situation.

I walk away with "the revolution will not be televised. You cannot buy the revolution" but you can buy Making a Killing and get the revolution started......

This book sensationalizes a vegan lifestyle. He writes this book to justify his vegan lifestyle.

It's an armchair animal rights book. The author does not work actively with wildlife or with farm animals.

The author ignores what farmers do to protect their crops from wild life. The author ignores what farmers do to protect their crops against insects and disease.

The book suffers from a myopic view of animal rights.

Don't eat living animals or animal-by-products and be pro-animal regardless of the circumstances. This stance is all most cult-like, rather than useful to the typical person who has friends that consume meat. The extreme stances taken by the author makes this book a difficult read.

I would definitely not suggest this book to any of my friends. There are far better choices available that cover animals rights from folks actively engaged in helping out animals. Check out "Redemption" by Nathan Winogard. I can recommend that book to my friends who consume meat.

The author is making a killing selling these books -- making money off of the oppressed. Animals in this case. Maybe the author should re-read Marx and donate money from the sale of these books to animal right foundations. Or better yet. Maybe the author should get his hands dirty and actively help protect the animals he writes about.

Making A Killing is a comprehensive overview of the animal rights movement and how it relates to other liberation movements, including civil rights movements such as worker's rights and women's rights. Bob Torres clearly explains why animals must be included in a broader liberation movement, delivering startling insights into the reality of domination, power, and hierarchy across races, genders, and species. The smart analysis draws on Marxism, anarchism, and socioeconomic theory - this book is not a light read by any means! But there is no doubt that Making A Killing will have a far-reaching effect on animal rights in theory and practice. This book is a must-read for vegans and animal rights enthusiasts, and human rights advocates would do well to take notes from this astute social justice piece as well. The message is clear: compassion, freedom, and rights must be universal for any liberation movement to succeed.

As a committed listener to the "VeganFreak Radio Podcast" and vegan myself, ever since Bob Torres, the author of Making a Killing a political economy of animal right , made it obvious to the listeners of his and his wifes' Podcast that he was working on a book I become eager to purchase and read his only solo documentation of animal rights. Being a professor, Torres shows a sense of very well researched and expanded upon ideas within the book all revolving around the main reason for the book, animal rights. He takes everything from the most commercialized concepts to the smaller ideas behind closed doors and expands upon their deeper sociological meanings to help provide insight to the reader on all sides of the mostly horrible animal agriculture in this country, and all over the world for the most part. His highly articulated commitment to the welfare of animals comes across boldly within every section of this book, commenting on many of the well known activists articles of literature and explaining their importance to the reader. Describing the animals, viewed from a pure profit stand-point, as being exploited and simple commodities, not the living beings that they are. These "commodities" being parallel to a companion animal, being a dog or a cat most commonly. Overall this book opens ones eyes about the truths of the horrific animal agriculture, and slaps articulated and rich words on top of the commonly looked past ideas behind all aspects of the world of animal rights. From both a political stand point and sociological stand point this book presses important issues that should be realized by all americans who care about the welfare of living beings on earth, and have an interest in anarchist ideas related to animal rights.

I had flashbacks to "Black Beauty" while reading this book, due to the all-too real uncertainties that can happen when horses change hands. There are several other parallels -- a scary barn fire, abusive handling, and a black gelding and chestnut mare reunited! Happily, "Annie" has a much more satisfying ending. Writer Ellen Feld tells the story with a familiarity borne of those who have shown horses, lived in the beautiful Vermont area, and loved Morgans. The story comes alive with Jeanne Mellin's delightful pencil drawings. Ellen, thanks for all you do to share and promote the Morgan horse!

Annie: The Mysterious Morgan Horse is just one book in a delightful series by Ellen F. Feld. Annie is a Morgan horse who has had an eventful, but rough life. Annie was the victim of harsh treatment from an abusive trainer. Because of this abuse, Annie failed to realize her potential as a show horse. Due to some extraordinary events Annie suddenly finds herself free of her torturous environment.

Annie soon finds herself in much more caring hands at the Gallant Morgan Horse Farm. Due to events detailed in the story, the owner of the farm does not know the background of Annie. Much of the story's focus is on search for information about Annie's origins by farm owner Chauncy Campbell. Because of this search, young Heather Richardson finds herself growing attached to the mysterious horse. So strong is her attachment, Heather ends up withholding information about Annie's past which she accidentally discovered. What results from Heather's decision is a good illustration of what can happen when a little, well intended lie spirals out of control.

Annie: The Mysterious Morgan Horse will appeal to younger readers, girls in particular. The characters are very well though out, and the main female character (Heather Richardson) has a strong voice. For those who are familiar with equine terminology, Annie will be an easy read. For those who do not know much about horses, the story will give a good insight into the world of horse shows, equine care, and the legend of Justin Morgan.

Children's Choice Award-winning author, Ellen F. Feld, has done it again. The latest book in Feld's Morgan horse series is Annie: The Mysterious Morgan Horse. I found myself lost in a world of mistrust, sadness, and in the end, friendship and love. Feld did a wonderful job teaching the reader about making right choices, learning to trust in others, and when to speak up against wrong doing.

I felt this book was not only for young girls, which is the readership target, but also for young boys. The story is about a Morgan horse named Polly who is mistreated. The Morgan horse belongs to an elderly lady, who likes to show horses in horse shows, but unfortunately has chosen a mean horse trainer, Mr. Spencer. Kevin, one of the trainers working for Mr. Spencer, forgets to feed and check on the horses before going out late one night. When Kevin returns to the ranch, Polly's barn is on fire. Polly escapes but Kevin tells Mr. Spencer that she didn't make it out.

Polly runs for her life through meadows and forests. She doesn't want to return to Mr. Spencer's care. After a long night of running, Polly finds another ranch with different horses. She hopes that the horse trainer there will take her in. He does but only for a short time. The man is unable to find Polly's owner or trainer and decides sells her. This becomes Polly's life for many months. Finally, Polly finds a home on Gallant Morgans. Chauncy, the owner of the horse stalls, isn't sure he'll keep Polly. Also, no one knows what Polly's name is and she's renamed Annie.

Two young girls have horses at Gallant Morgan stables and when they see Chauncy's new horse, Annie, Heather can't help but fall in love with the beautiful Morgan horse. It's Heather who finds out Annie's true identity and she does everything she can think of to save the Morgan horse from returning to Mr. Spencer's care.

Feld's books have won several awards in addition to the `Children's Choice' awards.

Reviewed by: Stories for Children Magazine editor, VS Grenier

Author Ellen Feld covers the proper care and treatment of our special friends in the form of a horse who escaped a barn fire. This capturing story of Annie: The Mysterious Morgan Horse involves a young girl who is willing to do almost anything to save this horse. When she discovers who the former trainer was and who the horse is, she's not sure she wants to admit reality. This story is a wonderful read I would suggest to young horse lovers!

Ellen Feld's horse stories have made reading an enjoyable activitiy for kids. It is nice in today's techno game world, to have an 11 year old ask for a book instead of a video game.

Parents look forward to more horse stories to this series.