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A review by avesmaria
Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel by Carl Safina
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.