A review by apetruce
Primates of Park Avenue, by Wednesday Martin

5.0

Probably the best book I read this year. Martin starts out as a fish-out-of-water (albeit coming from a pond much fancier than I have ever even touched) and uses anthropology to integrate into a new culture -- but an American one that most of us think we know is focused on materialism and status. Turns out that social groups, no matter what part of the country you are from, what income level or even what species -- have some scientific data that are uniform and, ergo, able to manipulate. I will be thinking back on this book for years to come because it has such insight to social behavior that has baffled me for so long. Now I see. There are so many social situations that have bigger, animalistic purpose to them. The snooty reproach, the rebuff, the shunning - ah-ha! It wasn't REALLY because the giver was mean. (Well, they ARE mean, but they have their reasons, rooted in species survival.) Two thumbs up.