Customer Reviews

Kinship with All Life

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When I drove my Sheltie to the Vet to be spayed, she was shaking violently. Yet she was in that car *every* morning, riding with me on my errands. How could she know *this* morning was different? So, AS AN EXPERIMENT, I changed my view. (I'd been apprehensive as well) I told the dog, mentally, what was going on and also told her that she did not need to be afraid. I told her that she may experience some discomfort after this procedure, but it would be minimal and this surgery was in her best interest and there would be a good outcome. I told her that Love was present at the vet's office and the presence of Love forbade the entrance of fear. Her shaking quickly stopped and she laid down comfortably in the seat.

My childhood dog (he passed years ago) also was very sensitive to thought.

Boone's book - Kinship with All Life - proves that these examples are not the exception but the rule. Reading this book (just recently) has changed me forever. One of my all time favorites. I have always assumed dogs were "not too bright" but I have now have great respect for their capacities.

This book is a quick read, but it causes a real paradigm shift in thought. Nothing IN THE UNIVERSE will look the same after you read Boone's little treatise on animals.

One last note - In every book I've read about life after life, there is one constant theme - When the departed talk about returning home to say good-bye to loves ones, they always add "No one in the room could see me or hear my words, but the dog kept barking at me and looked right at me..."

Dogs see through the veil that obscures our own thoughts.

rosethorn@home.com

When my friend gave me this book to read, I groaned inwardly. "Oh no," I said to myself, "not another cutsy-cutsy book about animals." Boy was I wrong! This little book is one of the most profound I have ever read. I certainly will never look at another creature ever again without recognizing the consciousness inhabiting it.
The majority of the book is about the author's consciousness-raising experience with an amazing dog named Strongheart, who taught the author that every creature has within it an aware being. The story of the author's unfoldment of awareness is simply mind-blowing. I am going to buy and give away copies of this little book to all of my friends. It's NOT just about animals, and communication with them, but about life, the universe, and everything (no joke!). From his interaction with animals the author gained insight into the nature of existence itself.
Even if every story in the book was made-up, it still wouldn't detract from it's impact -- these are well-written stories which all have a deep and inspiring message.
I can't recommend this book highly enough, I consider it a must-read for every human being. Published in 1954, it is still in print, which should tell you something about the quality of this narrative.
Enlightening and inspirational!

I haven't the ability, as Boone claims, to befriend and charm the flies from the air or persuade armies of ants to peacefully retreat from my kitchen. Nor have I sat with skunks and gazed at the moonlit evening sky, but I was intrigued.

This read was well worth the small investment of time. I read it while my wife and I were expecting our first child. Late in the pregnancy we started filling our nest with baby necessities. To save money we borrowed a crib from a casual, but generous colleague of my wife. I've never been to their home before and I doubt that my wife had either. As soon as we stepped out of our car, their dog began pacing, barking, growling and getting really worked up. I could imagine lots of reasons: we're strangers; we're a threat to the woman and her child; we're taking their sentimental crib that contains all of their scents, etc.

I've been bitten by strange dogs before, but I shrugged and thought this would be an ideal time to try out Boone's advice. I approached the dog, not the host, when the door was opened. While the dog backed up growling and posturing, I mentally told the dog that we're invited guests; that we are expecting a baby that we'll love just like this family loves theirs, that they're lucky to have such a loyal and brave dog in their home; how pretty the dog is; how if she calmed down I could pat her and tour the house; that we'll return the crib afterwards and so on. Well, to the astonishment of my wife, myself and most of all the hostess, the dog calmed down, wagged her tail and licked my face! I was glad to make a new friend. The hostess kept going on and on about how she couldn't believe that I was able to calm this particular dog - and so fast! I have had similar experiences with other animals whose 'owners' caution me 'don't like anybody'.

I had never heard of the author, Strongheart (pre-Lassie & Rin Tin Tin) before Wayne Green mentioned it on a talk show. The title is off-putting as it sounds so impossibly enlightened, but after reading several glowing reviews, I began to look for it.

I was amazed to discover the book is more pamphlet-sized, and reminds me of something you'd read at camp or in the waiting room of a doctor's office. If I were a vet, it would be amongst the leaflets and Cat Fancier, Dog Lover's Monthly titles.

Anyway, the premises all underscore respect: be attentive to each animals perspective and needs. Tell the animal all of the things that you admire about it; Be willing and open to learn. Ask them for their patience and give them your attention. If you are skeptical, I understand. I was and I am still. New ideas and friendships takes time to establish any bond, trust and comfort. If, for example, an animal isn't willing (abused, hungry or tired) or you are impatient, the likelihood of any 'kinship' or communication diminishes. Also, some animals are bred or easily conditioned to perform certain tasks like herding, retrieving and guarding. Others, like Strongheart, are exceptionally communicative and are the best kind of learners and teachers.

Currently, I have a parakeet and a stray tabby/burmese mix. Both get jealous, bored, lonely, silly and so forth depending on their circumstances. If I'm distracted, I won't notice their body language. Or if they're annoyed, they're less receptive. Boone's book helped me to consider their place in my life and they sure seem to respond.

I didn't read the book to train animals. I have since successfully called out to the bird and/or cat from the other side of the house with just a mental image, like a vivid wish. Amazingly moments later they will fly or gallop into the room ready to play and receive my affection. I don't do this constantly but if it's sincere and not a trick, it usually works. I really do try to minimize the amount of psychology I project into the mix, and simply enjoy their company.

Good luck.

I can't count how many copies I've bought of this book because I keep giving it to people. Years ago, it got me to study my cat tracking a cockroach without letting the bug know he was watching. That started my process of becoming more carefully observant of everything around me. It isn't ESP. It is, simply, paying attention. Most importantly, it is love, respect, and appreciation for All Life. By the time you finish reading (no doubt still hungry for more), you'll have gotten the message and probably given it a try. If you're serious about it, you'll find your life changing little by little and you'll discover how you can improve your relationships with others - animals or people - or insects, plants, and the planet itself. Once I chose to be somewhat of a reclusive hermit, but I couldn't do it because I have literally millions of intimate friends. The evidence of long ago that there was harmony among all on earth is still present. In choosing to stand there, we can begin to resolve our differences. We can evolve as humans. We can put an end to war and pestilence unfailingly, "whenever the human does his required part." Written in 1954, Boone's message is more important for us now than ever.

I've witnessed old Hopi farmers singing to their crops. I've been with Navajos, while deer hunting, and watched them sing to ravens...to ask them to show them where to hunt deer. I,ve talked to coiled rattle snakes, and seen them relax...and slither away. I'm surprised at the arrogance of humans, assuming..that intelligence is an exclusive domain. This book will, I hope, open closed minds to the life around them...and encourage dialogue...with other life forms.

I read this book as a teenager, and my attitude toward and relationship with animals was forever altered. Now I am in my thirties, and I cannot even begin to convey the depth of my appreciation toward J. Allen Boone. What "Kinship With All Life" teaches is not simply Boone's personal experience with the animal kingdom: it is the human potential for unity with the natural world. Boone's deep respect and understanding of animals is very accessible and achievable as conveyed through his story, which is told frankly and from the heart. Anyone who is open to receive his message can expect to receive great spiritual benefit. By narrating the story of how he went from being a common dog trainer to having a profound connection with animals of all types, Boone taps into a level of reality and wisdom rarely recognized--a level that I believe is fundamental to our understanding of who we are in the larger scheme of things. I wish everyone could read this book, for the benefit of animals everywhere and, ultimately, the human race itself.

Being human is a lonely affair. At least, for most of us. Part of the problem is that we don't give equal recognition to any life form unless it is limited to two legs. After reading Kinship With All Life, I guarantee that your loneliness will significantly diminish, unless you are one of those "two-leggeds" whose arrogance takes precedence over truth. What truth? That we are not solely the creatures for whom the planet Earth was created. Boone foreshadowed the 21st C. by a good 60 years in his ideas that there is more to nonhuman creatures than meets the eye. Carrying that torch in our time is Daniel Quinn, whose book, Ishmael has stirred hearts and controversy all over the globe. Another tiein is When Elephants Weep, a review of the scientific material available on the emotional lives of animals. Some of us spend fruitless hours wondering if we are alone in the universe yet never stop to apply that to Earth. We take for granted we are. Add more meaning to your life on levels heretofore only imagined. Read Boone and lose both your arrogance and loneliness in the process. Zoe Calde

This book stimulated much more discussion and thought than its slim contents would indicate. It broadens the concept of communication far beyond current human concepts.

I first read Kinship With All Life many years ago, set it aside and then experienced the changes it had made in my thinking. I can never look at the creatures who inhabit the planet with us in the same way again. When I realized the impact the book had made on my world view, I tried to find it again, but couldn't, until recently, when I found it had been reprinted. It is an amazingly humble, unassuming work, even though it proposes a revolutionary shift in human attitudes. It is very short, and can be read in one sitting, which is how it will be read by most people. Never preachy, it uses humor and anecdote to gently persuade the reader to behold the world in a new way. Maxine Carpente

Mentally connecting with animals and insects? Boone tells the true story of his quest to understand their world from a totally non-anthropocentric (human superiority) view point by becoming a willing student and admirer of dogs, bugs, etc., in hopes of learning about them.

His open, non-judgmental attitude while attempting mental contact opens up a whole new world of communication and friendship. He bungles along with trial and error, but he soon finds out that non-verbal language of thoughts and feelings is just about all that is necessary to commune with them and this, coupled with true admiration and love for what each critter is and does, gives them the safe comfort zone they need to feel appreciated and open with him.

Boone opens the story with an exceptionally well trained, smart and alert police dog from Germany named "Strongheart". The dog was brought to Hollywood to be groomed for films and he becomes a sensation in several films such as Jack London's "White Fang", et al. London, of course, is one America's most famous writers- especially known for another and even more popular dog story, "Call of the Wild"- both stories a must for all animal lovers. As a note of interest, Strongheart was the first dog to star in film and preceded the popular "Rin Tin Tin" series.

Larry Trimble, the man who trained Strongheart for the movies, had to take a break from Hollywood and go to New York for business, so he asked the screenwriter Boone to "dog watch" for him and here the fascinating tale of their meeting of the mind/spirit and friendship begins.

Boone goes on to tell of other critters he learned to commune with and finishes the book with a fly he befriends and calls "Freddie". I learned about Freddie from a reference in Joanne Elizabeth Lauck's book, "The Voice of the Infinite in the Small"- another beautiful treatment of finding empathy for life in all it's marvelous creations- especially bugs.

If I hadn't had many of the same incredible experience's with critters that Boone writes about, I could easily have dismissed this stuff as interesting, but hard to believe. My experiences did not come close to the intentional, driven need to know that Boone writes about and yet, I still have had some very consciousness awakening experiences of inter-critter, if you will, communication.

This book is a gem and a fast read- too fast, you will want more!