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suzain's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic.
This will change the way you see and perceive animals in the natural world.
This will change the way you see and perceive animals in the natural world.
avesmaria's review against another edition
4.0
I’m not sure this book achieved exactly what it set out to do - scientifically address the emotional lives of animals in a factual way - but much of it is very interesting. Parts will be old news to anyone who is a regular watcher of nature documentaries, but I found much to learn. In particular, the last section of the book describing killer whales was incredibly fascinating and moving. I wept openly many times reading about whale capture, their lives in captivity, and babies being taken from their mothers. I think Safina has shown with some success that animals are individuals, with personalities and emotional lives, and deserve far more respect and consideration for their mental complexity than we’ve yet given them.
Edited Oct. 2018: I added a star to make this a four star review after realizing how often I still think of this book and tell other people about it. Despite some of the flaws in the writing, much of it was so profound and interesting that it’s really stayed with me.
Edited Oct. 2018: I added a star to make this a four star review after realizing how often I still think of this book and tell other people about it. Despite some of the flaws in the writing, much of it was so profound and interesting that it’s really stayed with me.
gjmaupin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
dreiac's review against another edition
4.0
An enlightening insight into the lives of elephants, wolves and killer wales. And… humans’ greed, ignorance and supremacy.
devonforest's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been wanting to read this for a while since a friend recommended it to me. And he was right, this book was great! Just reading about all the amazing stories about how animals interact with each other. Animals are truly fascinating and I always enjoy reading and learning about what we are constantly learning from and about them.
bluepazookie's review
Really dry and audio hard to listen to, even though read by the author (who you’d think would be more enthusiastic about his work). Other reviews on the misinformation about wolves later in the book also contributed to DNF.
rebel_rocketman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
namestaken's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed a lot of the first third of the book. His information on elephants was very interesting and informative, however, it all fell apart when he moved into wolves. His evidence was flimsy and, seemingly, influenced heavily by his emotional ties to his dogs. His disdain for researchers was very off-putting.
Ultimately, most of the book felt like a repetition of the first few points. Additional evidence of his ideas didn't help to convince, especially when his anger towards researchers became evident. I wish he'd have ended the book with elephants, the rest felt like padding for a page count.
Ultimately, most of the book felt like a repetition of the first few points. Additional evidence of his ideas didn't help to convince, especially when his anger towards researchers became evident. I wish he'd have ended the book with elephants, the rest felt like padding for a page count.
pwtjax's review against another edition
5.0
This book should be required reading for all humans. Very moving and profound.