Publication Date: September 8, 2026
For Michelle Lerner, a Harvard-educated lawyer, the call wasn’t just unusual—it was a summons. On the line was a panicked volunteer from a chaotic cat shelter she’d left behind years ago. The problem? A neurologically-impaired squirrel who insisted on being sat on by his rabbit roommate was about to fall into the hands of the state, and Michelle was his only hope. It’s a question most people never face, but for Michelle, it was just the beginning of a life lived in loving, chaotic service to the most opinionated animals imaginable. In A Series of Opinionated Animals , Lerner invites readers into her astonishing world, where the line between rescue and civil disobedience is often blurred. This is a world where a disabled sheep named Lamby—the “Woolly Bully”—wears children’s skateboarding elbow pads, develops a taste for blue corn chips, and learns to herd cats, all while demanding her meals by ramming her head against the kitchen door. It’s a world where Monster, the squirrel, recovers from his mysterious past by throwing tantrums, serenading the neighborhood with squirrel opera, and forming an inseparable bond with a patient rabbit named Finn. Lerner’s story is populated by a cast of unforgettable characters, including a trio of rescue dogs—Nubi, the resident genius; Fern, the speckled pig-like dog who embarks on her own “Outward Bound” journey; and Chip, the lovable fool who joyfully dances on thin ice. From a ferocious chicken who hazes new farmhands to a veritable herd of cats with feline leukemia who teach lessons in love and loss, Lerner shows us that every animal has a story and a distinct, often hilarious, point of view. With the sharp wit of a seasoned lawyer and the deep empathy of a lifelong animal advocate, Lerner seamlessly weaves her personal experiences into a broader narrative about justice for those who cannot speak for themselves. She recounts how her profound bond with Shire, a disabled ex-police horse, propelled her into the field of animal law, where she would go on to help establish one of the nation’s first student animal law programs, at Harvard no less. A Series of Opinionated Animals is a moving and uproarious memoir about the radical, world-changing act of recognizing the personhood in every creature. It is a story of unconventional family, profound grief, and the kind of love that transcends species—a love that is messy, demanding, and ultimately transformative
What happens when lawyer Michelle Lerner gets a call from a panicked volunteer asking her to take a case from a shelter she used to work in, setting off a series of unexpected events in A Series of Opinionated Animals by Michelle Lerner.
When I agreed to review this book, I had no idea what kind of book it was, how it would make me feel, or what I’d think about it. What struck me first was how well it was written. Its “voice” was approachable, funny, intelligent, and well thought out. That was my first impression.
The story tells a tale of animals acting more like humans in the most chaotic, hilarious, and empathetic ways, giving a voice to the voiceless.
I loved the squirrel “Monster.” He really made me laugh. In fact, the whole book made me laugh, then cry and feel sad, but also happy at the same time. Even though there are a lot of horrible people out there who do horrible things to humans and animals, there are wonderful people who fight for humans and animals and are willing to go the extra mile for people and beings that are unable to for whatever reason.
If your heart is up to attempting to understand animals better, with a few sad moments and a lot of laughing, then A Series of Opinionated Animals will be right up your alley.
Michelle Lerner is the author of the novel Ring (Bancroft Press, 2025), the memoir A Series of Opinionated Animals (forthcoming, Bancroft Press, 2026), and the poetry chapbook Protection (Poetry Box, 2021) . Her writing also appears in Time, The Hill, VQR, Shenandoah, Lips, Paterson Literary Review, and many other periodicals and anthologies.
Michelle received an MFA in Poetry from The New School. Her novel Ring was longlisted for the 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize and was a finalist for the Golden Crown Literary Society’s debut novel award. Her poetry manuscripts have been selected as semifinalist for the Pamet River Prize and Willow Run Poetry Book Awards.
Michelle directs the Laura Boss Poetry Foundation and mentors writers in Gaza through We Are Not Numbers. She’s a recovering public interest lawyer emerging from late-stage Lyme Disease, living with her family in rural New Jersey. Michelle Lerner is a former public interest attorney and animal law education pioneer, A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, she co-founded the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, successfully lobbying for Harvard’s first animal law class. She later drafted municipal and state legislation, co-chaired the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee, and founded a local rescue that helped her town achieve no-kill status. When illness left Michelle unable to continue practicing law, she turned to writing stories.
