Like An Animal: When Being Human is Not Enough

“When we listen to our own animal selves, we hear who we are, and the world changes.

When we become true to ourselves as animals, we listen not exclusively with our minds, or with our hearts, or with both. We listen with our whole bodies.”

Every once in awhile, I read a book that makes me feel deeply. I may or may not feel what the author had in mind, but the writing is so fresh and evocative that it reaches me in a place that seldom gets what it needs. When I read Like An Animal: When Being Human is Not Enough, it looked like prose but felt like poetry. The author, Jane M. Broccolo, left enough room for me to interpret her thoughts and experiences in my own context, and I rather enjoyed that. I might not agree with her in every way, but I certainly agreed with her essential points: we are all “Beauty” inside, and we are all animals deep down. Our essence of love and innocence is actually animal, not human.

Ms. Broccolo took me on a satisfying journey into another person’s experience of seeing Divinity in all creatures, and sometimes in other humans – even darkly disturbed humans (yes, she even saw the Divinity within her rapist). It was the most mature, honest, and raw writing I’ve experienced in a long time. Her partnership with her dachshund, Sweetgrass, was something I could relate to as well. How does she think that the animal nature is  superior? Could it be that they have not lost the thread to their Divinity? Could it be that they are fully present and authentic? These were the answers I found, but Like an Animal has led me to a few more questions — and questions are far more exciting than answers.

This book was powerful and sensitive; I highly recommend it.

*Since I have reviewed books in the past provided by Hay House for the purpose of an honest review, I need to say that this book was not one of them. I was not induced to write about this book by anything other than a good experience. I hope you enjoy it too.