You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
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
This book contains so much interesting information! Temple Grandin looks at brains, intelligence, emotions and behaviors of domestic animals (mostly) and examines how that compares to autistic and normal humans. Grandin writes in a very understandable style and the book is liberally sprinkled with anecdotes that bring to life the science.
I also think that her section on performance audits should be read by managers and regulators in all fields--not just those in the meatpacking industry.
I do enjoy reading something that gives me an insight into current news. Grandin's story about the hen breeders and the rapist/murderer roosters provided a bit of background for this article on small farmers.
I worry a little over some of Grandin's assumptions of what we will find on further research because I think some readers will take her pronouncements as gospel rather than waiting for the research.
I also think that her section on performance audits should be read by managers and regulators in all fields--not just those in the meatpacking industry.
I do enjoy reading something that gives me an insight into current news. Grandin's story about the hen breeders and the rapist/murderer roosters provided a bit of background for this article on small farmers.
I worry a little over some of Grandin's assumptions of what we will find on further research because I think some readers will take her pronouncements as gospel rather than waiting for the research.
I got to see Temple Grandin speak and read from this book, and she was really interesting. It was also interesting to see how many people came because they had someone in the family with autism and they were hoping for advice, and not because of this particular book. But the book is a fascinating take on how animals may perceive and understand the world. Which sort of implies that autism is a kind of regression, I guess, although she certainly never states that.
I'm not really much of an animal person, but I liked this book a lot, mostly for the view it gives you of what it might be like to be autistic.
I'd be interested to meet Temple Grandin. I'm amazed that she has managed to build such an impressive career, since she says in this book that until she was about thirty, every day she had the same feeling of anxiety that you get when you are about to defend your doctoral dissertation. Every day!
She eventually started taking medication that improved things for her, but it's hard to imagine surviving that level of stress for so long.
If you do have a pet, definitely read this book--it gives a lot of interesting insights into why animals behave the way they do.
I'd be interested to meet Temple Grandin. I'm amazed that she has managed to build such an impressive career, since she says in this book that until she was about thirty, every day she had the same feeling of anxiety that you get when you are about to defend your doctoral dissertation. Every day!
She eventually started taking medication that improved things for her, but it's hard to imagine surviving that level of stress for so long.
If you do have a pet, definitely read this book--it gives a lot of interesting insights into why animals behave the way they do.
A really interesting read about all aspects of animal behavior. Anyone thinking of getting a pet (or who already owns one) would benefit from Temple's autistic insights. I was especially intrigued with her understanding of farm animals like cows, pigs, and chickens.
This is an interesting and insightful look at some of the ways in which animals think, it made me think about the treatment of animals and how I could help make things better.
It advocates looking at things from an animals perspective and thinking about how to make their lives easier. It includes things like how to train our domestic friends how to tolerate children and the new and how to notice if there are issues. It's interesting to see how Temple herself can see this because of her autism. She seems to have a way into thinking like an animal because of it but a way into talking to other people about it as well. I particularly enjoyed the stories of the parrot Arthur, who died recently, and how she has managed to think her way through the ways in which animals really think instead of trying to understand them on a human level.
It's well worth reading, particularly if you have a pet or plan to have one, or just want a different perspective on animals.
It advocates looking at things from an animals perspective and thinking about how to make their lives easier. It includes things like how to train our domestic friends how to tolerate children and the new and how to notice if there are issues. It's interesting to see how Temple herself can see this because of her autism. She seems to have a way into thinking like an animal because of it but a way into talking to other people about it as well. I particularly enjoyed the stories of the parrot Arthur, who died recently, and how she has managed to think her way through the ways in which animals really think instead of trying to understand them on a human level.
It's well worth reading, particularly if you have a pet or plan to have one, or just want a different perspective on animals.
This was an easy read, with lots of interesting illustrative stories along the way. My issues with the book were two-fold. Some of her claims around autism are not things I have experienced with friends and relatives who have autism so I found her generalizations sometimes hard to swallow. The other was all the descriptions of how she has helped to make slaughterhouses more humane. She provides an explanation of how she can work with slaughterhouses as an animal lover but it was just a little tough to get through those parts. Still, her ability to bring together a ton of research on various aspects of the animal and human brains made this a super worthwhile read.
"Cows are the animals I love best. Looking at those animals I realized that none of them would even exist if human beings hadn't bred them into into being. And since that moment I've believed that we brought these animals here, so we're responsible for them"
Growing up with Autism I always felt that I experienced animals differently, like they and I were seeing something everyone else wasn't in on. Like we shared this big secret. Well, we do, it's hyper-specificity. Not only has this book been a fantastic, intriguing read, but it also helped me understand myself in a way I've never been able to before