Furstinger, Nancy. Mercy: The Incredible Story of Henry Bergh.

Furstinger, Nancy.  Mercy: The Incredible Story of Henry Bergh.  Houghton Mifflin   2016  178p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-544-65031-2     ms/hs  Biography  VG-BN

Henry Bergh was born in 1813 to wealthy parents who emigrated from Germany and owned a shipyard in Lower Manhattan. He loved animals all of his life and held in disgust those who abused them. This empathy led to his becoming the first one-man enforcer of animal rights. His unwavering devotion to abused animals, his outrageous actions in public situations, and his elevated social position helped him gain support in his fight against cruelty to animals in slaughterhouses and elsewhere. In time, he became the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Readers will gain insight into the problems that plagued animals in the 1800s and how necessary it was to make changes in their treatment.

This is a well written, beautifully illustrated, and nicely bound book on clay-based paper that enhances the illustrations. It will be useful in all libraries because of its well-researched text, author notes, timeline, bibliographic citations and references, bibliography, and index.
     

Summary: A biography of Henry Bergh, the founder of the ASPCA.

Biography                                             --Linda McNeil