How Animals Heal Us

Author: Jay Griffiths

Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography

Published on 2 July 2026 by Penguin Random House UK (Penguin).

'A moving, essential book … Nobody writes about Nature with more beauty and grace than Jay Griffiths.' —Brian EnoFrom celebrated author Jay Griffiths comes a powerful and deeply personal exploration of the healing bond between humans and animals.Animal lovers have long sensed that animals can heal. In How Animals Heal Us, Griffiths brings together scientific research, historical accounts, and Indigenous knowledge to show how and why that instinct is true.Original, playful, and wise, this book explores the many ways animals contribute to healing at every level, from individual well-being to collective renewal. Griffiths shares remarkable stories: a pot-bellied pig who saved her owner's life, dogs capable of detecting cancer, the restorative power of birdsong, and the ethical lessons humans might learn from wolves. Through these stories, she places animals at the center of a broader vision for healthier, fairer, and more compassionate societies.Lyrical and thought-provoking, How Animals Heal Us invites readers to reconsider the role of animals in our lives and in the future we hope to build.'A wild and vital treasure trove of stories, woven together with Griffiths' characteristic exuberance and joyfully untamed mind.' —Helen Jukes, author of A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings