All for Animals: Tips and Inspiration for Living a More Compassionate Life [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

For instance: this week at work I found myself getting up and walking around my cubicle and engaging myself in a conversation with a fellow who was talking about killing chickens for research and tossing off casual remarks like "Well, if you have to kill an animal, why not a chicken?"

We had a spirited yet amicable discussion. In the end, the fact that I've been a mostly a vegetarian since I was a teenager wasn't sufficient ammunition against the fact I was wearing leather shoes. But because the discussion was kept at a friendly level, what I took away from it wasn't animosity against this other person, but self-examination about those leather shoes. Had I not read this "nice little book," I know I would have overheard my coworker and thought, momentarily, "Gosh, that's not right," but brushed it off and not got up and talked with him. And was I beating myself over the head about wearing leather? No, not at all: I was just calmly (but steadily) wondering about it.

Karen Lee Stevens has something special to offer in a world that stampedes to become polarized and politicized around animals as an "issue." The deep beauty of this book is its ability to reach out to the human species with warmth and subtle depth and say: I understand that you can't do everything all at once, just try this one little thing and see if you like it. I am eager to see Ms. Stevens continue and expand upon the gifts she has to offer, and I challenge savvy booksellers to place this title not just among the animal-related offerings but in the (human)self-improvement category as well.

Do you have a special animal companion in your life? When you look into his or her eyes, what do you see? Do you consider this animal an integral part of your life--a member of the family? Most of us give our companion animals a great deal of affection and would never allow them to be hurt, abandoned, or abused. In return, they give us unconditional love and devotion.

This book allows you to explore many ways in which you can show even more love and appreciation for your own companion animals and gives you the opportunity for learning how to co-exist with all the animals who share our earth.

All for Animals doesn't describe painful animal experiments or show graphic pictures of animal suffering. Instead, the book offers quick and easy ways you can be kinder to animals and treat them with more respect. Even if you choose to do only a few things suggested in this book, you'll feel good about yourself for helping the animals.

Each chapter in All for Animals contains an uplifting, inspiring story about animals by such well-known authors as Gina Spadafori (author of Dogs for Dummies, Cats for Dummies, and Birds for Dummies) and Greg Louganis, Olympic gold-medal diving champion (For the Life of Your Dog), coauthored with Betsy Sikora Siino.

Additionally, story contributions have been made by Pets: Part of the Family, pets.com, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the National Humane Education Society, and many others.

Karen Lee Stevens is the founder of ALL FOR ANIMALS, a Santa Barbara, California-based pro-animal organization. Karen's love of animals began in early childhood where she spent countless hours as a volunteer at the Santa Barbara Humane Society. Through her Web site, online newsletter, and numerous magazine and newspaper articles, Karen seeks to educate consumers about cruelty-free living and respect for all animals. A graduate of San Diego State University's Business Administration and Marketing program, Karen now makes her home in Santa Barbara, California.

I enjoyed reading about Karen and Cassidy and I learned a lot about animals. As a publisher, author of 27 Books, 109 revised editions, six translations and over 500 magazine articles, I, too, love to write with a furry friend on my desk. My late cat Cricket helped me for more than 20 years. His passing resulted in a book about aging, declining, grieving and memorializing cats: The Older Cat: Recognizing Decline & Extending Life.

I recommend Karen's book to everyone who likes to read about animals. You will discover the responsibilities of animal guardians and what you can do to help our companions...