Take a photo of a barcode or cover
157 reviews for:
Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
Temple Grandin
4.02 AVERAGE
157 reviews for:
Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
Temple Grandin
4.02 AVERAGE
I liked this book a lot, it's full of really interesting ideas about animal behavior. I was a little frustrated by the few times where the author made blanket statements without providing supporting evidence but overall I thought the ideas presented were compelling.
An excellent read from the interesting perspective of someone who sees the world much more as animals do than most people. I found myself feeling a kinship with the author, as many of her views were similar to my own. I had not regarded seeing from an animal's point of view as unusual until I became an adult and it was very refreshing to read the account of someone who looks at things as I do.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Animals in Translation was so interesting! Learned so much about animal behavior, human behavior, and autism. Everything in the book is extremely readable and divided into chapters that actually make sense. Some parts were difficult to stomach though, so do be warned. Temple Grandin's accomplishments towards animal welfare are fascinating and I have nothing less than the highest respect for her.
This book is already nearly 20 years old, so I have to wonder how much more we've discovered since it was written.
Still, if you can stomach a few graphic bits (the tone of the book is overall overwhelmingly positive!) this is a must-read.
This book is already nearly 20 years old, so I have to wonder how much more we've discovered since it was written.
Still, if you can stomach a few graphic bits (the tone of the book is overall overwhelmingly positive!) this is a must-read.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Enjoyable audiobook, perhaps Dr Grandlin makes a few claims about parallels between people with ASD & animals that have not really been researched but I enjoyed the pondering anyway. We may find that some of these thing may be true in time. I respect her work on behalf of animals immensely. Her writing style is a bit stiff but the humor is there also, it feels authentic and I like that.
A must-read for any pet owner, farmer, livestock owner, breeder, or slaughterhouse worker. Grandin provides a lot of valuable insight into animal behavior, while simultaneously enlightening readers about human psychology and learning disabilities/differences. The only complaint I had is that the author frequently makes statements such as "I don't know if this is true for all animals, but..." or "I don't know for sure if [species:] does this too," which seemed like incomplete researching. If you don't know, why comment on it? And most of the things she claimed not to know could be easily discovered with a little investigation. This aspect made the text seem a bit unprofessional, but overall I was amazed that a person with a disability defined by language difficulties was able to write such a comprehensible book.
I totally loved this book, and found it almost impossible to prevent myself from reading sections out loud to my husband or anyone else who would listen. There are many fascinating anecdotes about both animals and autism, and for the most part the notes and bibliography allow one to follow up on some of the more striking stories.
Temple Grandin believes (and I admit, I also hold this believe pretty strongly) that animals must be met on their own terms -- it's not fair to treat animals like humans, and it causes us to miss things or do the animals disservice. At the same time, it's also a mistake to underestimate animal intelligence and the depths of animal experience.
I also deeply respect Grandin's work in making meat packing plants and feedlots more humane and less unnecessarily frightening. In particular, her discussion of commonsense ways that these plants can be inspected more efficiently and with better results presents an astonishingly simple and effective way to decrease accidents and animal suffering. I would have liked to have her address the meat and dairy industries in a little more depth, however. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do care about animals, and I would have liked to hear more about her feelings on whether certain methods of raising beef and dairy cattle lead to a less traumatic life for these animals. It's sort of a mistake in a lot of ways to ask whether raising a dairy cow one way or another is "more natural," since these animals have been domesticated for food production for thousands of years, but I would like to know whether she thinks grass fed animals lead better lives, etc.
One weird thing that other reviewers have mentioned is her conviction that albinism or even patches of unpigmented skin/white fur lead to ill health or behavioral problems. I've found some support for this in my own research; for example, Lethal White Syndrome is a genetic disorder that plagues white-coated offspring of "frame" patterned American Paint horses, and there are a lot of other cases of white-coated, blue-eyed animals having birth defects or genetic disorders. However, these seem to by and large be physical problems, rather than behavioral. Elsewhere in the book, Grandin discusses the problems that can occur when humans breed animals specifically for one characteristic (such as breeding collies for a narrower head, or selectively breeding for coloration), and it may be that what she is getting at is that breeding animals selectively to have white coats can cause other, unanticipated problems. Still, if that's the case, she's overstating it quite a bit here.
At any rate, this is a really fascinating book, and while I've spent a lot of time on a perceived flaw, it's really a pretty small part of the book. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in animals and how they think, and also to anyone who is interested in gaining insight into autism.
Temple Grandin believes (and I admit, I also hold this believe pretty strongly) that animals must be met on their own terms -- it's not fair to treat animals like humans, and it causes us to miss things or do the animals disservice. At the same time, it's also a mistake to underestimate animal intelligence and the depths of animal experience.
I also deeply respect Grandin's work in making meat packing plants and feedlots more humane and less unnecessarily frightening. In particular, her discussion of commonsense ways that these plants can be inspected more efficiently and with better results presents an astonishingly simple and effective way to decrease accidents and animal suffering. I would have liked to have her address the meat and dairy industries in a little more depth, however. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do care about animals, and I would have liked to hear more about her feelings on whether certain methods of raising beef and dairy cattle lead to a less traumatic life for these animals. It's sort of a mistake in a lot of ways to ask whether raising a dairy cow one way or another is "more natural," since these animals have been domesticated for food production for thousands of years, but I would like to know whether she thinks grass fed animals lead better lives, etc.
One weird thing that other reviewers have mentioned is her conviction that albinism or even patches of unpigmented skin/white fur lead to ill health or behavioral problems. I've found some support for this in my own research; for example, Lethal White Syndrome is a genetic disorder that plagues white-coated offspring of "frame" patterned American Paint horses, and there are a lot of other cases of white-coated, blue-eyed animals having birth defects or genetic disorders. However, these seem to by and large be physical problems, rather than behavioral. Elsewhere in the book, Grandin discusses the problems that can occur when humans breed animals specifically for one characteristic (such as breeding collies for a narrower head, or selectively breeding for coloration), and it may be that what she is getting at is that breeding animals selectively to have white coats can cause other, unanticipated problems. Still, if that's the case, she's overstating it quite a bit here.
At any rate, this is a really fascinating book, and while I've spent a lot of time on a perceived flaw, it's really a pretty small part of the book. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in animals and how they think, and also to anyone who is interested in gaining insight into autism.
Listened to the version narrated by Shelly Frasier. I really enjoyed learning about how Dr. Grandin revolutionized the meat packing industry. Her views on many process and animals in general are very interesting even if I don't agree with her stance on dog breed aggression.
slow-paced
I love dogs. I love cows more. This book is good. It talks about dogs and cows.