Our Symphony with Animals
On Health, Empathy, and Our Shared Destinies
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Narrated by:
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Deepti Gupta
About this listen
A leader in the fields of animal ethics and neurology, Dr. Aysha Akhtar examines the rich human-animal connection and how interspecies empathy enriches our well-being.
Deftly combining medicine, social history, and personal experience, Our Symphony with Animals is the first book by a physician to show how deeply the well-being of humans and animals are entwined.
Interwoven throughout is Dr. Akhtar's own story of being a young girl who was bullied in school and sexually abused by her uncle. Feeling abandoned by humanity, it was only when she met Sylvester, a dog who had also been abused, that she found strength for both of them.
Against the backdrop of her inspiring story, Dr. Akhtar asks, what do we gain when we recognize our kinship with animals? She travels around the country to tell the stories of a varied cast of characters - including a former mobster, an industrial chicken farmer, a Marine veteran - and comes face to face with a serial killer.
Through storytelling that is entertaining, profound, and touching, Dr. Akhtar reveals what happens when we both break and forge bonds with animals. She demonstrates how humans are neurologically designed to empathize with animals, and how violence against them goes against our nature. In equal measure, the love and friendship we give to other species biologically reverberates back to us.
Humanity's compassion for animals is the next step in our species' moral evolution and a vital component of our own health. Our Symphony with Animals is the definitive account for why our relationships with animals matter.
©2019 Aysha Akhtar (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Stories of the Dogs Who Changed My Life
- By: Melissa Jo Peltier, Cesar Millan
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto, Cesar Millan
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In this inspiring book, best-selling author and "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan uses decades of experience to reveal the many ways that dogs and people can enrich each other's lives, sharing eight essential life lessons imparted by a group of very special dogs he's trained over the years. From his roster of celebrity clients to his reality television series, Cesar Millan is America's most sought-after dog behavior expert. In this affecting book, he shares eight heartwarming stories about the dogs that have inspired him the most.
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Insightful
- By Sandy Alstrin on 12-23-17
By: Melissa Jo Peltier, and others
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What the Animals Tell Me
- By: Sonya Fitzpatrick
- Narrated by: Carol Irwin
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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If you could talk to your pet, what would it say to you? How do animals communicate with people? And what's the best way for people to communicate with animals? In this insightful audiobook, renowned pet psychic Sonya Fitpatrick teaches listeners about the secrets of the animal world and how to learn the telepathic language of animals. Dogs, cats, reptiles, horses and wild animals of kinds have a story to tell.
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Total Fake
- By kortega on 09-02-23
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The Undocumented Americans
- By: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- Narrated by: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to write about being undocumented for the first time using her own name. It was right after the election of 2016, the day she realized the story she'd tried to steer clear of was the only one she wanted to tell. So she wrote her immigration lawyer's phone number on her hand in Sharpie and embarked on a trip across the country to tell the stories of her fellow undocumented immigrants—and to find the hidden key to her own.
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Raw, heartbreaking - we can do better by others
- By RapaciousReader on 04-11-20
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Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
- Stories About Pets as Teachers, Healers, Heroes and Friends
- By: Carol Kline, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and others
- Narrated by: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Abridged
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Animals bring out the goodness, humanity, and optimism in people and speak directly to our souls. This joyous, inspiring, and entertaining Chicken Soup collection relates the unique bonds between animals and the people whose lives they've changed: such as the dolphins who helped a paralyzed woman heal when doctors offered little hope; the dog who brought life into a failing marriage; the kitten who helped a mother mourn; and the flying squirrel who taught a man the power of laughter.
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sad
- By Em on 03-26-22
By: Carol Kline, and others
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Cat Daddy
- What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean
- By: Jackson Galaxy, Joel Derfner
- Narrated by: Jackson Galaxy
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his 13-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home. When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny's previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up.
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10 Stars!!!
- By Dawn J on 12-04-12
By: Jackson Galaxy, and others
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Until Tuesday
- By: Luis Carlos Montalvan
- Narrated by: Luis Carlos Montalvan
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalvan never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home, however, the pressures of his physical wounds, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. In constant physical pain, he soon found himself unable to climb a simple flight of stairs or face a bus ride to the VA hospital. He drank; he argued; he cut himself off from those he loved. Then Luis met Tuesday, a beautiful and sensitive golden retriever....
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Very Good Book
- By Char on 08-05-11
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My Life Among the Serial Killers
- Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers
- By: Helen Morrison M.D., Harold Goldberg
- Narrated by: Helen Morrison
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
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Dr. Helen Morrison has profiled more than 80 serial killers around the world. What she has learned about them will shatter every assumption you've ever had about the most notorious killers known to man.
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Boring reader,boring writing
- By P. Minor on 02-03-08
By: Helen Morrison M.D., and others
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One Day
- The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America
- By: Gene Weingarten
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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On New Year’s Day 2013, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Gene Weingarten asked three strangers to, literally, pluck a day, month, and year from a hat. That day - chosen completely at random - was Sunday, December 28, 1986, by any conventional measure a most ordinary day. Weingarten spent the next six years proving that there is no such thing. That Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be filled with comedy, tragedy, implausible irony, cosmic comeuppances, kindness, cruelty, heroism, cowardice, genius, idiocy, and much more....
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I'm giving this book more credit for its concept
- By J. F. Boyd on 12-24-19
By: Gene Weingarten
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Ever By My Side
- A Memoir in Eight [Acts] Pets
- By: Dr. Nick Trout
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Nick Trout has captivated audiences with his books that take us behind the scenes into the heartwarming - and sometimes heartrending - world of veterinary medicine. In a perfect follow-up to his first two books, he turns his lens inward and offers a funny, moving, and thoughtful, memoir about the animals he's had all his life. Nostalgic, warm, and insightful, Ever By My Side is about the power of animals to shape our lives....
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This guy is no James Herriot!
- By Crochetaway on 10-11-12
By: Dr. Nick Trout
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You Had Me at Woof
- How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness
- By: Julie Klam
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Julie Klam was 30, single, and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, wondering if she would ever meet the man she could spend the rest of her life with. And then it happened. She met the irresistible Otto, her first in a long line of Boston terriers, and fell instantly in love. You Had Me at Woof is the often hilarious and always sincere story of how one woman discovered life's most important lessons from her relationships with her canine companions.
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dog lover in virginia
- By Margaret on 01-17-11
By: Julie Klam
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You Can Go Home Now
- A Novel
- By: Michael Elias
- Narrated by: Sophie Amoss
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Nina is a tough Queens detective with a series of cold-case homicides on her desk - men whose widows had the same alibi: They were living in Artemis, a battered women’s shelter, when their husbands were killed. Nina goes undercover into Artemis. Though she is playing the victim, she’s anything but. Nina knows about violence and the bullies who rely on it because she’s experienced it in her own life.
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Excellent Suspense!
- By shelley on 06-30-20
By: Michael Elias
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A Small Furry Prayer
- Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
- By: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Steven Kotler was 40 years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs - then 10, then 20, and then they lost count - bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico....
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Great book
- By Shirley on 08-29-11
By: Steven Kotler
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Our Wild Calling
- How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives - and Save Theirs
- By: Richard Louv
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Richard Louv's landmark book, Last Child in the Woods, inspired an international movement to connect children and nature. Now Louv redefines the future of human-animal coexistence. Our Wild Calling explores these powerful and mysterious bonds and how they can transform our mental, physical, and spiritual lives, serve as an antidote to the growing epidemic of human loneliness, and help us tap into the empathy required to preserve life on Earth.
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Sharing our world
- By Scott Br on 10-06-21
By: Richard Louv
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Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog
- 101 Stories about Life, Love, and Lessons
- By: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Amy Newmark, and others
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean, Phil Gigante
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Dogs have always been considered companions and playmates that brighten and enrich our lives but they are also wonderful and amazing teachers. The lessons we learn from our canine friends come in all shapes and sizes, just like they do. In this audiobook, dog lovers share what they have learned from our greatest heroes and healers. Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog will delight listeners with humorous, heartwarming, and inspiring stories about lessons our canine friends have taught us.
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Awesome Book
- By AmyDavis on 04-24-17
By: Jack Canfield, and others
What listeners say about Our Symphony with Animals
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sojourner
- 09-02-19
This is a must read!!!!!!! I was blown away. 👏👏👏👏
It has been many years since one book created such a huge paradigm shift. Perhaps it was because I had never considered animals in a serious thoughtful way before.
I am telling everyone I know to read /listen to this book. If more of us read it, it could change the world we & animals inhabit.
You will not regret the time listening to it. Repeat—this book will change your mind!!
I’ll always be thankful that it came my way via Terry gross’s interview.
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9 people found this helpful
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- A
- 01-27-21
Love all the personal stories
This book is full of personal stories on how animals impact people's lives and their wellbeing. Really well done!
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3 people found this helpful
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- MM
- 06-25-21
Mental Health/trauma Triggers
As someone studying animal behavior, vegan, and animal activist this book is very educational and filled with so many insights on why I lead the life I do and why I advocate for animal equality. It exposes so many things and connections I was unaware of. However, being a former trauma victim and childhood trauma survivor the graphics of abuse, animal torture and murder are very hard to digest and listen to, leaving me wincing in between each sentence in multiple chapters. Because of this I'm only able to do small portions of the book at a time because it becomes too overwhelming and activating for my system. However this book holds so much value for the trajectory of my life and I will continue to stick with it, taking each chapter in a little at a time because I would like to hear the rest of what the author has to say. Aside from potential trauma triggers, I am enjoying the information but the one thing that I find irritating is the character impersonations. Her regular voice is fine when she's reading the book. I have no issue with that, but when she is recounting firsthand quotes from others, she goes into these different voice impersonations and I find that really annoying. I typically associate voice impersonations with children's books yet this is not a children's book so it kind of throws me off. I would prefer if she just read in one voice without doing the character impersonations.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Mayerlin
- 05-02-20
Great Book!
A journey of growth and awareness beautifully told. Very informative with a message that makes the world a better place.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sandy S
- 03-04-23
Very shocking but true
I am an animal rescuer for over thirty years and have seen many of the things that have been described in this book. It’s so heartbreaking to see what someone can do to animals and get away with it. I am so glad to hear about so many organizations that are out there to help give the animals their right to live with no abuse, starvation and forced breeding.
I am 76 years old and said when I was a teenager that if someone will hurt and abuse animals they will do it to humans with no remorse. I shed tears in many sections of this book and wished there was more I could do for them. I have taken the names of the organizations to contact to help them with their causes and definitely will try to do a lot more for the homeless and their pets. My pets have helped me through many hard times that humans can’t with just the companionship so I can understand how much they help the homeless. My pets ALWAYS come first!! They have a heart and soul too.
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- Beth A. Pouliot
- 03-16-24
Touching
I enjoyed intense book. True facts. Could relate from molestation to animal abuse. Love it very much.
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- Beth
- 11-26-21
will change how you see animals
i was very moved by this book. the author took on the difficult task of exploring the world of farmed animals, sharing personal details about her past and stories of compassion, love and most of all respect for the animals we share our planet with.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Freddie frenzy
- 11-19-22
Very informative. Thought provoking. Must listen.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. However, I broke down in tears on more than one occasion. At particular intervals, I couldn't wait to get home and pet and cherish even more my two furbabies. The mistreatment of animals this book educates us about left me with sadness, and vivid examples that I hope to soon forget. In its rawness, it beckons us as humans to better understand and care for animals thereby better caring for ourselves. The narrator was excellent. Highly recommend this book.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-26-21
Enjoyed it all the way
This book took me through a roller coaster of emotions, from sadness to anger and smiles.
The reader made a good job at separating her voice from the other characters during the conversations, and I felt like it was the author who was reading it.
I also liked that online resources were provided for those who want to get involved with helping animals after reading the book.
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- Alicia
- 08-13-23
thank you Dr. A
Brought tears to my eyes, but good ones. A well written compilation of Powerful stories about the strong bond we build with our animal friends (other stories contrast the loss of this valuable attachment and it’s consequences)
Thank you for sharing Dr. A.
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