Ford's new thesis rejects the scientific orthodoxy that animals cannot feel pain or experience emotion as a symptom of the selfishness of our technological era. He reveals life in the plant & animal kingdoms to exist in glorious variety, rich with sensation, & creating a marvelously complex web of interaction with its surroundings. Mammals, birds, even fish can mourn for a lost love. Pain is felt at all levels of organization, even in microscopic organisms. Plants are presented as intricate & complex, as they respond to their surroundings & modify their behavior in the light of what they sense. Plants, animals & humans are united in a tapestry of communion with nature & with each other. Illustrated.