Reviews
Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals by Catherine Johnson, Temple Grandin
rynisreading's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty disappointed in this book. The first few chapters (cat & dog) were really interesting. Once into cows & pigs, this book is basically a manual on how to keep "farm animals" less stressed while they're in factory farms. Kind of disgusting, actually. Really not what I had expected from this book.
If you're into the whole "happy meat" BS you might buy into this book... but it just wasn't what I was expecting. I really just wanted to read about animal behaviour, not how to use animal behaviour to farm animals.
If you're into the whole "happy meat" BS you might buy into this book... but it just wasn't what I was expecting. I really just wanted to read about animal behaviour, not how to use animal behaviour to farm animals.
bookgardendc's review against another edition
4.0
Leaving aside the inelegant writing style, I think this is really two books: one about animals that live in our homes with us (primarily dogs and cats), which could be stand-alone with a lot more behavioral information that gets into the nuance of living with another species; and one about making the lives of farm animals better. Of course, the book assumes the status quo in terms of current practices of raising animals explicitly for slaughter/eggs/milk...I see value in proposing ways of making their lives much better as they live only for these purposes, since it's not likely that we will all suddenly and forever turn vegetarian, but some consideration of the ethics of this would have ben interesting. Regardless I'm really tempted to go back to veg, and maybe even vegan, after reading about the lives of these animals, even in the best of circumstances...But overall there is a lot of interest here, especially for animal lovers. And the connections between animal welfare and welfare of people with autism are also very insightful.
lilacwhisker's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
sad
4.25
A very interesting read! I’ve never read much about farm animals and agriculture industry stuff so I learned a ton from this. There were also many parts that kind of blew my mind (mainly stuff about evolution of emotions over time and the systems of the brain). Really good book overall and made me love Temple Grandin even more!!
smemmott's review against another edition
4.0
Straightforward and clear with specific, useful examples. I was very interested in her insight into the emotions of particular species, and also animals overall. The book helped me understand, in general terms, why different animals may react differently to stresses in their environment.
editrixie's review against another edition
4.0
Grandin (and co-athor Johnson) present a thesis that pyschologist Jaak Panksepp's "blue-ribbon emotions" -- SEEKING, FEAR, RAGE, and PANIC -- are common to all animals and help explain the behaviors of pets, livestock, and animals in the wild and zoos. By closely observing animal behavior and changing the environment and management in sometimes minor but positive ways, we can reduce stereotypic behavior (such as pacing or self-mutilating) and improve the emotional and physical welfare of our fellow creatures.
The author shallengea popular theories of animal behavior and training, including Cesar Millan's approach for dog owners to dominate their pets and prove their alpha status. By focusing on how wolves and wild dogs behave in the wild (i.e., living in cooperative small family groups without one clear "alpha" leader), Grandin provides a strong argument for clicker and other reward-based training and positive reinforcement, which activate the animals' SEEKING emotion of pleasant anticipation.
Grandin supports her ideas by citing both lab and field research, with a strong emphasis on observational methods to gather better data about animal behavior. Like Michael Pollan, she neither grandstands nor self-promotes, instead providing concrete examples of how humans can improve the quality of life for domesticated and wild animals. The book is thought-provoking for those who live or work with animals, as well as anyone who consumes meat, dairy, or eggs.
The author shallengea popular theories of animal behavior and training, including Cesar Millan's approach for dog owners to dominate their pets and prove their alpha status. By focusing on how wolves and wild dogs behave in the wild (i.e., living in cooperative small family groups without one clear "alpha" leader), Grandin provides a strong argument for clicker and other reward-based training and positive reinforcement, which activate the animals' SEEKING emotion of pleasant anticipation.
Grandin supports her ideas by citing both lab and field research, with a strong emphasis on observational methods to gather better data about animal behavior. Like Michael Pollan, she neither grandstands nor self-promotes, instead providing concrete examples of how humans can improve the quality of life for domesticated and wild animals. The book is thought-provoking for those who live or work with animals, as well as anyone who consumes meat, dairy, or eggs.
auntblh's review against another edition
4.0
It was great book about what we can do to make the lives of animals (pets, livestock, food animals, zoo animals). It was interesting how some of the behavior problems are not caused by what you think they might be. I knew that pigs were clever but I guess I didn't realize how clever until reading that chapter. The book was well written and easy to understand.
inthecommonhours's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't read all the chapters, focusing mainly on the dog chapter. Fascinating and very unique view. I really wonder whether the human-dog relationship will continue.