HOW TO BE A LIVING THING

Of mice and men.

This book at first appears to be a catalog of anthropomorphisms, the assigning of human qualities to animals they don’t necessarily possess. Indeed, the author freely engages in this practice throughout. Up front, the author admits she took “liberties” with facts, “blending timelines, reimagining figures, and walking the line between fact and myth.” She says she wrote the book to focus on humans’ similarities with animals because this is rarely done. But entire fields have, for decades, focused on human similarities with other animals. (See the science of genetics, primatology, anthropology, evolutionary psychology, cognition, et al.) Even so, the book is strewn with surprisingly luminous pearls of wisdom, given that they were gleaned from a life, it transpires, filled with loss and illness. In her 20s, a death and a breakup sent her reeling. To cope, this author/artist began posting online a doodle a day. Quirky and earnest, her art and words went viral, leading to a book. In this, her latest work, the new focus on animals does become clear. When she served as a lay chaplain to the dying, it was only when she stopped trying to help them, and just sat with them, that she succeeded. “The role of the chaplain is to hold hands in the dark, not to search around for a flashlight.” She grasped viscerally, then, why the nonverbal feedback of sensitive, quietly accepting animals like horses can heal traumatized patients. She came to admire many animals—including, notably, rats. By the end, she convinces us with the power of her own story. Animals and humans share key qualities, including, despite the hardships of life, an enduring capacity to take joy in it.

An engaging book that offers life tips many readers will find inspirational.