What the Animals Taught Me is a collection of stories about rescued farm animals in a shelter in Sonoma County, California, and what these animals can teach us. Each story illuminates how animals can help us see and embrace others as they truly are and reconnect us with the natural world. Wishing to escape the urban rat race, freelance writer and editor Stephanie Marohn moved to rural northern California in 1993. Life was sweet. She was a busy freelancer. In return for reduced rent, she fed and cared for two horses and a donkey. Her life was full. Then, more farm animals started to appear: a miniature white horse, a donkey, sheep, chickens, followed by deer and other wildlife. Each one needed sanctuary either from abuse, physical injury, or neglect. Marohn took each animal in and gradually turned her ten-acre spread into an animal sanctuary. Each chapter of What the Animals Taught Me focuses on the story of a particular animal that became part of Marohn's life. She shares what she learned from the sheep she rescued from an animal collector, the abused donkey she helped nurse back to health, and many others to remind us that animals have much to teach us about love, compassion, trust, and many of the qualities we so often try to cultivate in ourselves. A deeply inspiring collection, What the Animals Taught Me awakens our hearts and reminds us that our best life teachers sometimes come covered in fur.
"In this deeply insightful book, Stephanie Marohn explores, through each heartwarming story, the nature of our relationship with animals and the often unintentional harm we may inflict on some of those we believe we love. What the Animals Taught Me leads to important questions. How well do we communicate with animals in our care? How do we react when we see someone abusing a dog or a donkey? Maroh
Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE
"One of the best books I have ever read on the way animals open our hearts and teach us unforgettable lessons about life. It is written with a heart-stopping purity and simplicity and can be read by anyone at any age with great joy."
Andrew Harvey, renowned author, religious scholar, and mystic
"What the Animals Taught Me recounts Marohns inspirational personal journey. An illuminating account of her touching experiences with rescued animals, it describes the animals deep inner lives and demonstrates how the connections we make with fellow animals can inspire and teach us about ourselves."
Gene Baur, founder of Farm Sanctuary and bestselling author of Farm Sanctuary: Changing He
