What the Animals Taught Me

January 1, 2012

When Marohn (The Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder) rented a farm in Northern California, she expected a quiet respite where she could work undistracted. She never imagined that her hideaway would become a refuge for animals in need or that horses, donkeys, deer, and sheep would change her life in profound ways. Like Kathy Stevens's Where the Blind Horse Sings and Susan Richards's Saddled, Marohn's book is about the transformative human/animal bond. Using the poignant stories of the animals under her care, Marohn describes the connections forged and the lessons she learned from their journeys to wellness. She follows each story with a specific message she wants to convey, neatly packaging each episode with its intended moral. VERDICT A quick read for New Age animal lovers who enjoy rescue stories served with a side of spirituality, this is an endearing look into what can be gained by building relationships with the four-legged, the feathered, and the fleeced and how animals can teach us to live kinder, fuller lives.--Melissa Culbertson, Homewood, IL

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Marohn, a freelance writer, was renting a house in rural Sonoma County. While gazing out of her window one morning, she saw a tiny white horse come trotting onto the property and approach the gate, where two full-size horses and a donkey were watching. Pegasus, as Marohn later named her, had gotten loose from a farm nearby. When she kept reappearing, Marohn offered to keep her and found herself with the beginnings of an animal sanctuary. When Pegasus had a health problem requiring her to eat very short grass, two ewes and a lamb joined the family. The old donkey on the property had been caught from the wild, and earning his trust taught the author about letting go of the past. With animals both wild (a doe and her fawns and wild turkeys) and domestic (former battery hens, more sheep, and two new donkeys), she realized that her sanctuary was not only for the animals but for herself. Accompanying each chapter are the lessons the author learned from each animal and each challenge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)