A Traitor to His Species

“Freeberg marshals a wealth of detail in tracking Bergh’s campaigns and paints a vivid picture of Gilded Age America. Animal lovers and history buffs will savor this immersive account.”–Publishers Weekly“Freeberg’s well-written biography benefits from detailed descriptions of the situations and conditions that inspired Henry Bergh to act. A Traitor to his Species is a good read, making a fresh case for Bergh’s genius at using the media of the day to advance public awareness and debate over animal welfare in a world that lived close to animals and relied on their bodies for labor and raw materials as well as food.”–Katherine C. Grier, author of Pets in America: A History“In his lively treatment, Freeberg offers a thorough and human portrait of the ASPCA’s founder, Henry Bergh, presenting the strongest possible case for his courage, resilience and tenacity. In bringing back to life Bergh’s fabled battles, Freeberg provides both context and evidence for Bergh’s prominence as a leader of the nascent animal protection movement, one of America’s most significant post-Civil War reforms.”–Bernard Unti, Humane Society of the United States“Vivid and often wrenching… A Traitor to His Species is not a conventional biography, intriguing as its central figure is. The book is above all a compassionate, highly readable account of the 19th-century plight of animals, especially urban animals – and of those who tried to come to their rescue.”–New York Times“Vivid… A successful effort to make a splendid American crusader better known.”–Kirkus (starred review)“Vivid… The narrative’s pace never slackens. Expansive yet carefully documented, Mr. Freeberg’s book is less the biography of a man than of a noble effort that eventually spanned the nation. A Traitor to His Species isn’t primarily about animals or their rights. Instead, as articulated in Mr. Freeberg’s clear-eyed conclusion, this is a book about us, about the searing truth that how we choose to treat animals reveals what kinds of humans we are.”–Wall Street Journal

Ernest Freeberg is a distinguished professor of humanities and head of the history department at the University of Tennessee. He has authored three award-winning books, including The Age of Edison. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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