.png){kind=logo}
Life of Pei
Life of Pei, The Battle for Compassion is out
in May 2024 (US) and June 2024 (UK)!
Join us at our virtual book launch on May 7 at 12 p.m. ET (5 p.m. UK / 9 a.m. PST)!
Life of Pei, The Battle for Compassion is the inspiring story of Pei Feng Su, whose passion for animal welfare and environmental sustainability helped her overcome her harsh upbringing under military rule in Taiwan, pursue a career in animal welfare overseas, and ultimately create a multi-award-winning
international humane education charity: ACTAsia. This is a story of resilience, commitment to justice and a fervent belief in the transformative power of compassion.
"Pei’s is a riveting story of hope born from action, and of dedication that had its roots in despair. It is an inspiring story that I hope will launch you on your own path toward building the same humane future."
Zoe Weill, Co-Founder and President, Institute for Humane Education
"This book will astound, enrage and inspire you to be the best you can be for all of us."
Veda Stram, animal rights activist, all-creatures.org
Pei is regularly invited to speak to the international media regarding ACTAsia's work, and how we are creating a more compassionate world for animals, people and the environment. To book an interview or pitch a public speaking engagement with Pei, please click here.
About Pei
A pioneer in social change, Pei Feng Su passionately believes in education as the only effective way to cultivate compassion and kindness towards people and animals, and respect for the environment.
Pei’s early years were marked by struggle and hardship, including the deaths of her parents, grandmother, and other close family members by the time she was only sixteen. The following years were marked by despair and self-loathing; however, Pei embraced Buddhism and used her new found knowledge of local grassroots activism as a springboard to spark social change.
Pei left her native Taiwan in her mid-twenties, unsure of what the future might hold for her. She travelled to the USA and Europe to research animal welfare management and behaviour, and later studied for a Masters in Sociology at the University of Essex (UK). Pei's passion for animal welfare led her to become Director for Member Societies at The World Society for the Protection of Animals (now World Animal Protection).
In 2006, Pei founded the charitable organisation ACTAsia and created the first global primary school education programme to teach good citizenship, critical thinking, empathy and animal welfare. The programme, Caring for Life, has won several awards and has been adopted internationally. Pei strongly believes in a holistic approach to today's global challenges - international conflicts, violence towards humans and animals, the climate crisis - rather than mere fire fighting.
ACTAsia has received Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Caring for Life education programme, which started in 2012, has now reached over 130,000 children through a network of Pioneer schools in China. Caring for Life received a United Nations Good Practice award in 2021.
Pei is the author of Life of Pei, The Battle for Compassion (Lantern Publishing, 2024). Despite receiving a cancer diagnosis and treatment last year (she is now in remission), Pei has continued to fight to share the value of compassion and kindness.
Pei has received numerous awards, including Annual Public Welfare Personality at the 13th Philanthropy Festival in Beijing in 2023. Pei is a visiting lecturer at the University of London College of Fashion and Suzhou University (Shanghai). She presents at international conferences and is regularly featured in the media. Pei lives with her husband and daughter, and their tortoiseshell cat.
Life of Pei, The Battle for Compassion is the inspiring story of Pei Feng Su, whose passion for animal welfare and environmental sustainability helped her overcome her harsh upbringing under military rule in Taiwan, pursue a career in animal welfare overseas, and ultimately create a multi-award-winning international humane education charity: ACTAsia.
This is a story of resilience, commitment to justice and a fervent belief in the transformative power of compassion. Pei writes candidly of the heartaches, the headaches and the uncertainty of managing an Asia-focused charity on a shoestring budget. She highlights the sacrifices her family made as she spent weeks at a time on the road, meeting sponsors and working around the clock to drive ACTAsia’s work in Asia.
Life of Pei, The Battle for Compassion is an inspiring tale of perseverance and personal growth, charting her journey from impulsiveness and rebelliousness to a calmer, more focused outlook on life that came with unexpectedly becoming a mother in her forties. Her resilience is testament to her hope that, given the chance, people - particularly children - will choose compassion over cruelty.
Reviews of Life of Pei
“Pei offers an insight into the fragility of life but also conveys the strength of human nature through a candid account of her life experiences. Her United Nations-accredited Caring for Life education program in China, encapsulates a comprehensive and essential message of compassion in action, for all forms of life.”
—Dr. Zhou Jin-Fong, secretary general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) China
“An inspiring story of a life of hardship turned to one dedicated to compassion. We can all find hope from such a path.”
—Leah Garcés, CEO and president, Mercy For Animals
“An authentic life is not created by us, but rather it creates us. Through her autobiography, meet Pei Su and her powerful journey of compassion for all living beings, reaffirming the Buddhist proverb: One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.”
—Michael Kaufmann, director, Sam and Myra Ross Institute at Green Chimneys, USA
“Pei is a tenacious, wise, and compassionate soul with a page-turning story to share. She has walked a valiant path and through this book, she invites us to explore with her and draw from what she has seen and experienced.”
—Jo-Anne McArthur, photojournalist, humane educator, animal rights activist, and author
“Authentic, brave, and riveting, Life of Pei is one woman’s saga of redemption through finding her spiritual center and her life’s mission: to put compassion into action for all beings. I loved this book, and although I’ve never met its author, her writing leads me to believe that I probably love her, too.”
—Victoria Moran, author, Creating a Charmed Life, The Love-Powered Diet, and Age Like a Yogi
“The world needs Humane Education more than ever. I am certain that it should concern not just humans, but the entire animal kingdom and the environment. I know of no one who has greater insight into its value than Pei and her invention of ACTAsia is a powerful therapeutic initiative for the world’s needs.”
—Terence Ryan, emeritus professor, Osler-McGovern Centre, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford
“A wonderful book that follows the extraordinary path of Pei and an opportunity to enjoy her straightforward, inspirational, and transparent personality. Knowing her for some 25 years, her wisdom, determination, and clear-minded vision have led her through the rocky seas of man’s relationship with his fellow animals. What a tremendous difference she is making!”
—Marquis Federico Spinola, president of ACTAsia
“This is a how-to book for activists. How to persevere in the face of personal struggles and cultural barriers. How tenacity, hard work, and vision are the keys. An unusually honest and engaging account from a true warrior for justice.”
—Ken Swensen, Inside Animal Ag
“Pei and I helped to draft the new Animal Protection Law in Taiwan, at a unique time in Taiwan’s history, when it was emerging economically, socially, and politically. I have always admired Pei’s bravery, her open-mindedness, and her belief in the kind nature of human hearts. She is a change-maker, and her determination will carry her through, in her battle for compassion.”
—Professor Jason Yeh, National Taiwan University
“I have to make the world a better place,” she writes.
Pei’s Battle for Compassion is an inspiration to everyone who feels the same.
—Louise van de Merwe, editor, Animal Voice
News & Events
