My copy of We Animals arrived Friday and upon opening it I can already see how tough it will be to read. We Animals has more than one hundred photos of animals in farms, labs, circuses, aquariums, and markets. It is so painful to see these images and I can only imagine how much strength it took for Jo-Anne McArthur to photograph not only the places where the animals are, but also witnessing and capturing the faces of suffering innocent beings. It makes me happy to see that towards the end there are photographs of animals in farm sanctuaries and their natural environment. Those are the images that give me so much hope and it makes me realize how much potential we humans have as a collective. We can always choose between what is right and what is wrong, we can always choose between cruelty and violence or peace and compassion. In the final pages of the book are Jo-Anne McArthur’s field notes which give you insight on her thoughts and feelings after the moments in which she witnessed and photographed the animals. On the side of one of her notes she writes one of my favorite quotes, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” — Arundhati Roy. Even after having experienced something so traumatic, Jo-Anne McArthur wrote this and I understand her. We must always have hope.
