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We connect with animals on many levels, whether walking a dog,
riding a horse, observing gorillas at the zoo, playing with a teddy
bear as a child, or even simply watching them on TV and in movies.
We call our sports teams Wolverines, Bobcats, Grizzlies, and
Panthers. We can be gentle as a dove, fierce as a grizzly, or as
agile as a cat. Some of us may even dream of being reborn as a
different species. We typically accept these connections for what
they are, taking for granted what is really a remarkable -- and
necessary -- part of our existence.
In Ask Now the Beasts, acclaimed nature writer Ruth Rudner explores
the eternal and complicated connections between humans and
animals.In a series of true stories about her own interactions and
observations of some of the many animals that have crossed her path,
she writes about the powerful ways that animals interact with us
spiritually, activate our imaginations, and tie us to the ancient
past. Moving between domestic and wild, Rudner finds meaning and
appreciation for the way in which each animal exists fully in its
own world -- and how that world relates to ours.
REVIEWS
Publishers Weekly
The author of these heartwarming essays writes, "All my life I have
wondered what it feels like to be a horse." Rudner (A Chorus of
Buffalo) has driven for hours to find a homeless dog, lost her heart
to a pack mule and fallen in love with a baby gorilla because she
believes that connecting with animals, whether domestic or wild, is
as important as connecting with people. Rudner cites a passage in
the book of Job: "But ask now the Beasts/ And they shall teach
thee," and she demonstrates the wisdom of this by telling of the
experiences she has had with dogs, cats, coyotes, wolves and other
animals, showing how they have changed her life. For example, from
her horse she learned to deal with an unfamiliar obstacle in the
road--it's difficult at first but in the end "simply a step on a
path." By watching a colony of penguins, she learned to accept that
death is a fundamental part of life. Her compelling message is that
because we share our planet with the animals, it's important to seek
connections with them so that we may learn how to live in balance
with the natural order of things.
Library Journal
Journalist and animal lover Rudner (A Chorus of Buffalo) draws on
her newspaper and magazine articles to ruminate on our relationship
with animals, showing a great deal of creativity in her astute
observations about pets, wildlife, and zoo creatures...Ask Now
the Beasts is an enjoyable read that will appeal to general
readers.
Kirkus Reviews
"I have spent my life with animals," writes the author in the
introduction to this sensitive and eclectic collection in which past
relationships with dogs, horses, cats and birds are discussed and
idealized. Rudner writes of wolves silhouetted against the full moon
at Yellowstone; reintroducing peregrine falcons to the wild; a
coyote "hitchhiking" on a ski trail by Old Faithful Lodge. Domestic
animals aren't given short shrift: there's Champ, a handsome sorrel
colt with a white diamond blaze; Ace, an agile trail horse; and
Lion, the formerly feral tabby...Rudner has some astonishing tales
to tell.
Maxine Kumin, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, author of Jack and
Other New Poems
You don't have to live with dogs or horses, backpack in the
wilderness or stay at a raptor center to be totally beguiled by this
vivid book. Rudner writes unsentimentally but with true sentiment
about a wide variety of creatures--falcons, seals, penguins,
coyotes, bears, even gorillas--to say nothing of dogs she has loved
to the ends of their lives. Horses are everywhere in these pages,
patiently serving in pack trains and under saddle. And they are also
at liberty, galloping joyously across their open spaces, pure grace
in motion. Pure grace in motion is how I see this fine book.
Brenda Peterson, author Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals
Here are spirited stories from a woman who follows animals with the
wise eye of her heart. Rudner speaks for all of us who cherish
interspecies kinship: 'It is not anthropomorphizing to fall in
love,' she writes. 'It is simply falling in love.' An inspiring and
life-giving book.
Sy Montgomery, author-swineherd, The Good Good Pig: The
Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood
Ruth Rudner is a writer of breathtaking sweep. In these pages, she
writes with brilliance and wisdom about what really matters: the
connection between people and the rest of animate creation. Whether
she is showing us how to pull a string of mules, or how a peregrine
falcon brought her the sky, every one of her stories surprises with
shocking beauty and timeless truth. I read this book in one sitting,
but will continue to think about her words for a very long time.
Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven and Winter
World
It is not necessarily rare to encompass fact with feeling. But Ruth
Rudner encompasses both, and with wisdom...Ask Now the Beasts is a
thoroughly engaging read.
Jeffrey Masson, PhD, author of When Elephants Weep: The
Emotional Lives of Animals
One of the warmest, most charming, generous, humorous books
about animals I have read. Like listening in on a lovely, lively,
passionate fireside chat about animals with a wise and kindly and
keen observer.
TheStar.com
Ask Now the Beasts: Our Kinship with Animals Wild and Domestic
by Ruth Rudner is a series of concise but thoughtful reflections on
her experiences observing animals. She tells moving stories about
the dogs and horses in her life and then moves seamlessly into her
interactions with penguins, gorillas, seals and falcons. This book
is both emotional and logical. Rudner discusses her feelings and
failings with a deep sense of honesty. She writes about animals in a
way that shows us how to be a better human.
TCM Reviews.com
Ruth shows that animals can be a vital part in our development an
understanding of the worlds around us.
MindConnection.com
Engaging...thoroughly enjoyed this book.
paperback; 5/11/2007; ISBN:
1569243883; ISBN13: 9781569243886
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Ask
Now the Beasts: Our Kinship with Animals Wild and Domestic 