The Bond - by Wayne Pacelle (Paperback)

About the Book

The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, the world's largest animal protection organization, delivers "The Bond," a heartfelt, eye-opening exploration of the special bond between animals and humans.

Book Synopsis

"If the animals knew about this book they would, without doubt, confer on Wayne Pacelle, their highest honor."
--Jane Goodall

"The Bond is the best overall book on animals I have ever read. Brilliant and moving."
--John Mackey, CEO and Co-founder of Whole Foods Market

"The Bond is at once heart-breaking and heart-warming. No animal escapes Wayne Pacelle's attention; nor should his book escape any human animal's attention."
--Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times Bestselling Author of Inside of a Dog

The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, the world's largest animal protection organization, Wayne Pacelle brings us The Bond, a heartfelt, eye-opening exploration of the special bond between animals and humans. With the poignant insight of Animals Make Us Human and the shocking reality of Fast Food Nation--filled with history, valuable insights, and fascinating stories of the author's experience in the field--The Bond is an important investigation into all the ways we can repair our broken bond with the animal kingdom and a thrilling chronicle of one man's extraordinary contribution to that effort.

From the Back Cover

In countless fascinating ways, our relationship with animals is an essential part of the human experience. Now, one of the world's leading champions of animal welfare offers a dramatic examination of our age-old bond to all creatures. Wayne Pacelle explores the many ways animals contribute to our happiness and well-being, and he reveals scientists' newfound understanding of their remarkable emotional and cognitive capacities. Pacelle also takes on animal cruelty in its many varieties, as well as stubborn opponents of animal protection--from multinational agribusiness corporations to the National Rifle Association and even our own government. An instant classic, The Bond reminds us that animals are at the center of our lives, not just a backdrop, and how we treat them is one of the great themes of the human story.

Review Quotes

"The Bond is a monumental achievement: Majestic in sweep and beautifully written, there is hardly any topic about animals that Wayne Pacelle has not touched and along the way, illuminated. He seems to have been everywhere and seen everything to do with animals, observing with deep compassion matched by an incisive intelligence. There is so much information in his book, that every reader, no matter how well versed, will learn something. I can't think of any other book this is so valuable. It is truly wonderful!" - Jeffrey Masson, New York Times Bestselling Author of When Elephants Weep
"For everyone who cares about animals, The Bond is not to be missed. Wayne Pacelle, who has done so much to make animal welfare a major cause in America today, gives us his perspective on everything from animal intelligence to zoos, and from factory farming to his role in the rehabilitation of Michael Vick. Heart-warming, informative, thrilling, inspiring, disturbing: The Bond covers the full range of our interactions with animals." - Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation and Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University
"If the animals knew about this book, they would, without doubt, confer on Wayne Pacelle, their highest honor." - JANE GOODALL
"The Bond is the best overall book on animals I have ever read. Brilliant and moving, it will change the way we see the world and the way we see ourselves." - JOHN MACKEY, CEO and Co-founder of Whole Foods Market
Majestic in sweep and beautifully written, The Bond is a monumental achievement. I can't think of any other book that is so valuable. It is truly wonderful!" - JEFFREY MASSON, New York Times bestselling author of When Elephants Weep
"Pacelle has the credentials of a crusader. ... His bestselling book explores humankind's bond with animals, animal intelligence and animals' cognizance of human feeling." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"An engaging and optimistic meditation on the future of humananimal coexistence ... The Bond is very affecting, not only as a call to action but in its hopefulness." - Capitol File magazine
"Pacelle speaks about the powerful bonds we have with animals as well as the 'normalized cruelty' they experience. ... In his work with the Humane Society, Pacelle has brought about about legislation and policies regarding the treatment of animals. In his years with the society, he has seen his share of uplifting moments with animals as well as travesties, many of which he documented in the book. That juxtaposition is what Pacelle continues to confront; he'd like to see a world in which our moral values sync up with animals as much as they do people. " - Los Angeles Times
"In his more than quarter century career fighting for animals, Wayne Pacelle has witnessed the best and worst of human behavior toward animals. ... Pacelle looks at the history of the human/animal connection, in The Bond. From St. Francis of Assisi to Genghis Khan and Cesar Millan, he explores the complicated, even paradoxical, role of humans as both protector and persecutor of living things. ... Even as Pacelle describes the growing body of research showing animals not only feel pain and suffer, but clearly exhibit more complex emotions, such as compassion and lasting trauma, he searches for answers as to why our agricultural industrial complex continues to lobby for the right to abuse animals, aided in no small part by such seemingly unlikely allies as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Kennel Club. To be sure, the battles to create a humane world for living creatures remain. But the rallying cry for animal protection has grown louder." - Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Bond is an important read for anyone concerned about our responsibility as humans to all animals. ... Pacelle clearly respects his readers enough to provide details the responsible citizen and consumer must understand, he sensitively and skillfully drops the curtain at just the right moments. ... The Bond speaks to universal ethics as well, arguing that our treatment of animals is 'a measure of who we are.'" - Christianity Today
"Every now and again a book appears that truly has the potential to change the ways in which we view and interact with non-human animals ("animals"). The Bond by Wayne Pacelle is such a work. ... My simple suggestion is to read this wonderful book, read it again, don't give it away but share its important messages, and do something right now to remedy the horrific treatment of other animals. Every individual counts and each of us can make positive difference in the lives of animals with little effort." - Psychology Today
"A new and important title is The Bond by Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States. It explores mankind's unique connection with not just the pets we know and love, but the animal kingdom in toto. As stewards of the planet (whether we're worthy of it or not) we are bound to also protect the animals who share the planet with us, as most are not able to defend themselves from humanity's benign neglect or outright cruelty. It will resonate with many, and not just animal enthusiasts." - Washington Post Book World
"A revolutionary book . . . Pacelle is a fearless leader in today's modern animal protection movement ... The Bond exposes so much cruelty, yet offers great hope in forward thinking and real changes. In all his experience, one theme sticks out, Pacelle says, and it is that sacred bond between humans and other animals who share the Earth. If we would just return to that natural, wonderful bond a world of good can come for all of us." - Denver Post
"In The Bond, Wayne Pacelle makes a compelling case for more compassion toward animals. .... uplifting .... Because he believes indifference to animal suffering is morally indefensible, Pacelle expects us to act with conscience." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"In his call to arms, Pacelle explores the human-animal bond and the way we've thwarted it." - People (3.5 out of 4 stars)