Book cover of Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect

Book description

Nonhuman animals have many of the same feelings we do. They get hurt, they suffer, they are happy, and they take care of each other. Marc Bekoff, a renowned biologist specializing in animal minds and emotions, guides readers from high school age up—including older adults who want a basic introduction…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Animals Matter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I couldn’t conclude this selection without citing this book by Marc Bekoff.

Marc has dedicated most of his life to teaching others animal compassion and respect. In Animals Matter, this Colorado-based author and renowned scientist, explains how non-human animals have many of the same feelings we do. And he teaches us how to respect and love other beings we share the planet with.

The author is informative and at the same time easy to understand for the general public. Icing on the cake, Jane Goodall wrote the foreword of this book. So, read, enjoy, and share!

From Maddalena's list on what animals feel and think.

If you love Animals Matter...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Animals Matter?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 67 books like Animals Matter.

Browse books like Animals Matter

Book cover of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel
Book cover of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
Book cover of Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,395

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Animals Matter, you might also like...

Book cover of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

Need to Know by Nicholas Reynolds,

The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

Book cover of Tsunami

Tsunami by LeeAnn Pickrell,

On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

5 book lists we think you will like!