Akron Public Library

Jack and Annie continue their quest for the secrets of happiness--secrets they need if they're going to save Merlin. But when the magic tree house leads them to a tiny deserted island in the middle of the ocean, they're not sure who needs help more--Merlin or themselves! The brother and sister team are soon rescued by a ship of explorers and scientists. But the crew isn't looking for the secrets of happiness. The crew is looking for . . . a sea monster!From...

In the spring of 2011, Jon Katz received a life-changing phone call. An animal control officer had found a neglected donkey on a farm in upstate New York, and she hoped that Jon and his wife, Maria, would be willing to adopt him. Jon wasn't planning to add another animal to his home on Bedlam Farm, but the moment he saw Simon, Jon decided to take him in. Simon needed near constant care, but Jon was determined to help him heal. As Simon's health improved,...

Piero Ferrucci warns against the dangers of "global cooling." As the pace of living grows faster and the impact of new technologies more insistent, communications become hurried and impersonal. The drive for profit overrides the heart. Warmth and genuine presence fade. The Power of Kindness is a stirring examination of a simple but profound concept. Piero Ferrucci, one of the world's most respected transpersonal psychologists, explores the many...

"The author of the international bestseller Happiness makes a passionate case for altruism--and why we need it now more than ever,"--Amazon.com.

A child recognizes his own humanity, his capacity for doing harm and being harmed, his ability to feel joy and sadness, and his belief in hope and promise to keep learning.

A powerful and wide-ranging indictment of the treatment of animals by humans--and an eloquent plea for animal rights. Every cow just wants to be happy. Every chicken just wants to be free. Every bear, dog, or mouse experiences sorrow and feels pain as intensely as any of us humans do. In a compelling appeal to reason and human kindness, Matthieu Ricard here takes the arguments from his best-sellers Altruism and Happiness to their logical conclusion:...

"How do people who love animals translate that devotion into helping creatures who are not our pets? How do we express our care for animals when that means different things to omnivores and vegetarians-or, say, to hunters and non-hunters? Barbara J. King, a widely read expert on animal cognition and emotion, here guides readers through the difficult choices and deep rewards of turning empathy into action on behalf of animals. King discusses our relationship...

Taking as her starting point the teachings of the great world religions, Karen Armstrong demonstrates in twelve practical steps how we can bring compassion to the forefront of our lives. Armstrong argues that compassion is inseparable from humanity, and by transcending the limitations of selfishness on a daily basis we will not only make a difference in the world but also lead happier, more fulfilled, lives.

"We often think of our capacity to experience the suffering of others as the ultimate source of goodness. Many of our wisest policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers agree that the only problem with empathy is that we don't have enough of it. Nothing could be farther from the truth, argues Yale researcher Paul Bloom. In [this book], Bloom reveals empathy to be one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. Far...

Osho examines the nature of compassion from a radically different perspective. He points out that "passion" lies at the root of the word, and then proceeds to challenge assumptions about what compassion really is. Many so-called acts of compassion, he says, are tainted by a subtle sense of self-importance and desire for recognition. Others are based in the desire not really to help others but to force them to change. Using stories from the lives of...