Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals

A beautiful, moving anthology of stories about the bond between humans (in this book, specifically female) and animals. I especially loved the story of Isabel the cat and what her human companion learned from her about play and healing. I recently found an interview on this site with the author of the story, Brenda Peterson (who is also a co-editor of Intimate Nature). To find the interview, go to Browse Subjects, then Non-fiction, then Non-fiction by Subject, then Women's Studies. Look down the page until you find "What Animals Can Teach Us." Then "read more..." about Intimate Nature!

As a scientist studying wolves, as the owner of several pets, as someone who loves nature and wildlife, and as a woman...this book spoke to me. It offers a vivid reminder of the very unique, emotional and primal bond that women share with animals. Narratives, interspersed with poetry, are organized loosley into several sections, focusing on diverse aspects of this bond. In one section, women who had made this communality part of their careers- studying animals in the field- share their insights as to how their work and their lives have been affected by what they study. Other sections explore the more common bond between womenand their pets, or the wildlife they find around them, and how this supplements and supports the lives they have created for themselves. The book has all the hallmarks of an epic work of fiction- humor, love, tragedy, revelation, loss- and yet never for a moment do you forget that these are real women speaking. Intimate Nature is not only about the unique bond between women and animals, but the bond we share as women as well.