Richard Louv struck a nerve with his Last Child in the Woods, which diagnosed a host of physical and psychological ills as symptoms of nature-defi cit disorder. Simply put: if we get outside more, we’ll feel better. We’ll feel even better—and treat the planet better—Louv shows in Our Wild Calling (Algonquin, $27.95) if we cultivate relationships with animals. Making his case with stories buttressed by studies, Louv shows how bonds with animals have changed people’s lives, and often that of the animals as well. Moving and thought-provoking, these accounts—featuring dogs, foxes, crickets, turtles, elk, wounded birds, and others—illustrate how relationships with animals ease loneliness, connect us to something larger than ourselves, and stimulate empathy and generosity. This “magic” lies behind the increase in service and emotional support animals, and it will also serve as the foundation for new kinds of relationships with wild animals—to the point that we can stop the crises of the Anthropocene and move instead into an era “where we advance through a deep sense of shared connection with other living things.” As reflected in new accommodations to animals in urban spaces, such as wildlife corridors and biophilic architecture, and even granting legal rights to rivers and land, we’re already taking the first steps.
