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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Ten chapters of social history and science - interesting tidbits in there
3.5 stars
This came out last year, but I hadn't heard of it until I saw the Audible version advertised. It sounded like the sort of easy listen that I would enjoy and hopefully learn from, having enjoyed Roberts' television programmes.
It turned out to be a mixed bag. Absolutely fascinating on one hand, but rather long-winded on the other as a listen. The dates and delving do feel quite cumbersome when you are listening, it's hard to hold all the facts in your head as new ones constantly bombard you. But that would be easier on paper, I feel.
I did learn various interesting facts, and just considering how our species has tamed and cleverly used these animals and plants was mind-expanding. From potatoes and rice to dogs and chickens, I found it one of those non-fiction titles that I would quite have liked to see televised.
Alice Roberts herself narrates, which is no bad thing. I knew from her voice and style on TV that she'd be a narrator I would have no trouble listening to, and she was both personable and kept her clear voice light and full of enthusiasm for her subject.
Personally, I think this would be easier to follow and refer back to on paper/as an e-book, but I still picked up a lot of information from the audio version.
With thanks to Nudge Books for the sample Audible copy, provided for an honest review.
3.5 stars
This came out last year, but I hadn't heard of it until I saw the Audible version advertised. It sounded like the sort of easy listen that I would enjoy and hopefully learn from, having enjoyed Roberts' television programmes.
It turned out to be a mixed bag. Absolutely fascinating on one hand, but rather long-winded on the other as a listen. The dates and delving do feel quite cumbersome when you are listening, it's hard to hold all the facts in your head as new ones constantly bombard you. But that would be easier on paper, I feel.
I did learn various interesting facts, and just considering how our species has tamed and cleverly used these animals and plants was mind-expanding. From potatoes and rice to dogs and chickens, I found it one of those non-fiction titles that I would quite have liked to see televised.
Alice Roberts herself narrates, which is no bad thing. I knew from her voice and style on TV that she'd be a narrator I would have no trouble listening to, and she was both personable and kept her clear voice light and full of enthusiasm for her subject.
Personally, I think this would be easier to follow and refer back to on paper/as an e-book, but I still picked up a lot of information from the audio version.
With thanks to Nudge Books for the sample Audible copy, provided for an honest review.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
I often wonder how humans someone how managed to invent things, like cheese or bread, was it all a big accident? In Tamed, Alice Roberts takes ten species and looks at how they became domesticated into what we know today.
The book is ordered in a chronological way, with the oldest cases of domestication first, based on archaeological findings and carbon dating. The first being dogs and it explains how the wolves may have become friendly with humans in exchange for food and then they became beneficial for hunting. In each case, there is quite a lot of dry data to go with the hypotheses, and Alice is often clear that we don’t have absolute proof.
It also covers cows, chickens and horses and well as plants such as wheat, maize, potatoes and rice. These foods don’t necessarily come from where we think they do and they quite removed from their ancestors. There's quite a lot of history mixed in with the archaeology as we follow the parts these species played in the lives of humans.
I found the parts about genetic modification fascinating. It looks at both sides of the argument, the environmental concerns and the involvement of big businesses that take advantage. But it also had case studies of crops that have helped poorer countries feed themselves. At what point does it go beyond selective breeding and into dangerous territory? And is it as dangerous as we have been led to believe. I didn’t feel Alice was arguing for either side which was very refreshing.
I wasn’t that clear on why apples were included as being instrumental to human success. Yes, they can be stored over winter and transported easily compared to other fruit, but it felt a bit like she was running out of species to get to a round number.
The tenth species is actually humans, which seems a bit of a cop-out and is used to round up the rest of the book. At this point I felt it was getting repetitive, but overall it was an interesting read that gave me some theories to my questions. I would say you’d need some basic biology knowledge before going in but overall it was an accessible read on a fascinating subject.
The book is ordered in a chronological way, with the oldest cases of domestication first, based on archaeological findings and carbon dating. The first being dogs and it explains how the wolves may have become friendly with humans in exchange for food and then they became beneficial for hunting. In each case, there is quite a lot of dry data to go with the hypotheses, and Alice is often clear that we don’t have absolute proof.
It also covers cows, chickens and horses and well as plants such as wheat, maize, potatoes and rice. These foods don’t necessarily come from where we think they do and they quite removed from their ancestors. There's quite a lot of history mixed in with the archaeology as we follow the parts these species played in the lives of humans.
I found the parts about genetic modification fascinating. It looks at both sides of the argument, the environmental concerns and the involvement of big businesses that take advantage. But it also had case studies of crops that have helped poorer countries feed themselves. At what point does it go beyond selective breeding and into dangerous territory? And is it as dangerous as we have been led to believe. I didn’t feel Alice was arguing for either side which was very refreshing.
I wasn’t that clear on why apples were included as being instrumental to human success. Yes, they can be stored over winter and transported easily compared to other fruit, but it felt a bit like she was running out of species to get to a round number.
The tenth species is actually humans, which seems a bit of a cop-out and is used to round up the rest of the book. At this point I felt it was getting repetitive, but overall it was an interesting read that gave me some theories to my questions. I would say you’d need some basic biology knowledge before going in but overall it was an accessible read on a fascinating subject.
uditnair24's review against another edition
4.0
This book is enlightening and really well researched. The biggest advantage is that its updated with all the recent research and hence it makes it a one stop solution with respect to the species mentioned. The book might be little overwhelming because of the information present but its worthwhile to go through till the end which talks about humans.
The most incredible insight I gathered from the book is that we humans tend to create boundaries and distinctions. But biology seems to break those barriers again and again. The book starts with the most beautiful alliance man had that is dogs. It's really interesting how the eurasian wolf exerted selective pressure on humans and we did vice versa. So that terrier, that german shepherd, that labrador and all other breeds we know so well are technically a wolf at heart but one which is more friendlier and less dangerous than its wild cousins.
Then the author goes on to explain the evolutionary history of wheat and maize. Wheat played a pioneer role in neolithic revolution and then maize also took over in many regions.
The evolutionary history of potatoes and other tubers was very insightful and interesting. The need to dig up tubers and the relative advantage it offers in terms of energy was immense in earlier times. Along with wheat rice also played a key role in neolithic revolution and all has been mentioned very nicely in the book.
Another interesting species were the horses.
Humans and horses have a long history of interspecies cooperation. One which is often neglected if compared to species like dogs. The origin and further evolution of horses and the selective pressures on both species is indeed a treat to read and the author keeps it very interesting amidst giving out scientific details about it.
The last chapter of the book is actually the most insightful one. Not only because it deals with humans but it gives us a larger picture. The larger picture is that all biological species are interlinked and to assume that we are at the helm of everything would be demeaning and ofcourse would be arrogance. This could be elaborated with respect to natural and artificial selection. This very distinction is artificial to be precise. Because humans are not the only species which affect the evolution of others. Our very existence depends on interdependency. For eg bees have affected the evolution of so many other species and just because they cant sit and reflect on it doesnt mean they didnt drive the change in ecosystem.
The final blow to our mastery of nature comes when we consider the relatively small number of species that we have been able to recruit as our allies. For a species to become a successful ally it had to possess a certain qualities which would - when the occasion presented itself - act as predispositions to become human domesticates.
Also while domesticating other species we also got domesticated in the long run. This was done in order to live cohesively in a society where communication and cooperation was the key to survival.
The book ends with beautiful lines which kind of summarises the whole point which is " There are divisions here between the wild and the domesticated, the untamed and the tamed. But in the end, it's all one : a tangled bank, beautifully intertwined for eternity.
The most incredible insight I gathered from the book is that we humans tend to create boundaries and distinctions. But biology seems to break those barriers again and again. The book starts with the most beautiful alliance man had that is dogs. It's really interesting how the eurasian wolf exerted selective pressure on humans and we did vice versa. So that terrier, that german shepherd, that labrador and all other breeds we know so well are technically a wolf at heart but one which is more friendlier and less dangerous than its wild cousins.
Then the author goes on to explain the evolutionary history of wheat and maize. Wheat played a pioneer role in neolithic revolution and then maize also took over in many regions.
The evolutionary history of potatoes and other tubers was very insightful and interesting. The need to dig up tubers and the relative advantage it offers in terms of energy was immense in earlier times. Along with wheat rice also played a key role in neolithic revolution and all has been mentioned very nicely in the book.
Another interesting species were the horses.
Humans and horses have a long history of interspecies cooperation. One which is often neglected if compared to species like dogs. The origin and further evolution of horses and the selective pressures on both species is indeed a treat to read and the author keeps it very interesting amidst giving out scientific details about it.
The last chapter of the book is actually the most insightful one. Not only because it deals with humans but it gives us a larger picture. The larger picture is that all biological species are interlinked and to assume that we are at the helm of everything would be demeaning and ofcourse would be arrogance. This could be elaborated with respect to natural and artificial selection. This very distinction is artificial to be precise. Because humans are not the only species which affect the evolution of others. Our very existence depends on interdependency. For eg bees have affected the evolution of so many other species and just because they cant sit and reflect on it doesnt mean they didnt drive the change in ecosystem.
The final blow to our mastery of nature comes when we consider the relatively small number of species that we have been able to recruit as our allies. For a species to become a successful ally it had to possess a certain qualities which would - when the occasion presented itself - act as predispositions to become human domesticates.
Also while domesticating other species we also got domesticated in the long run. This was done in order to live cohesively in a society where communication and cooperation was the key to survival.
The book ends with beautiful lines which kind of summarises the whole point which is " There are divisions here between the wild and the domesticated, the untamed and the tamed. But in the end, it's all one : a tangled bank, beautifully intertwined for eternity.
knitswithbeer's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Informative and entertaining.
The only chapter/species I'm a little disappointed with was Homo sapiens.
The only chapter/species I'm a little disappointed with was Homo sapiens.
betsyrisen's review against another edition
5.0
I came across a TV show that Alice Roberts was presenting, and thought to myself, "She is well spoken, accessible, highly educated, and an absolute treat. I bet she writes books."
I'm glad my hunch was correct, because I now have 3 on my to-read shelf. This book covers a very wide range of subjects, but is also very effective in showing how all things came to be what they are and how we're all tied up together. Would recommend.
I'm glad my hunch was correct, because I now have 3 on my to-read shelf. This book covers a very wide range of subjects, but is also very effective in showing how all things came to be what they are and how we're all tied up together. Would recommend.
bookfever's review against another edition
5.0
This book was both a surprising but also not so surprising read. Let me explain... It was surprising because it was such a good and really fascinating book to read and not surprising because the previous book I read from Alice Roberts (The Celts) was also a 5 star read so I'm not sure why it should be even a little bit surprising to me that I loved this one too. It definitely puts up the pressure for any future Alice Roberts books I will read.
Tamed is about ten species that changed our world (as the full title says) and is written in ten chapters. Which makes sense. The chapters are about dogs, wheat, cattle, maize, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses, apples and humans. I will do it a little differently in this review and write down my short thoughts on each chapter.
1. Dogs:
As a dog owner and someone who is obsessed with dogs it wasn't a surprise that I adored this first chapter. It went into how our dogs are descendant from wolves but of course Alice Roberts puts it in a more eloquent way. I was really surprised to learn that the domestication of wolves went as far back as 32.000 years. I was really wowed by that. It was a really great first chapter and opening to the book + dogs! I just love dogs!
2. Wheat:
I've gotta admit when I reached this second chapter I was a bit skeptical because I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy reading about what is basically a grass. But once again I was really surprised because the author's passion was really shining through and it was a really interesting chapter actually. I really enjoyed learning more about wheat and how we as humans cultivated it in the first place.
3. Cattle:
In this chapter we're back to animals and just like the other two chapters this was a really interesting one as well. A big part was focused on the Aurochs (a large species of cattle that are extinct now) and I thought these animals were very intriguing to read about. Actually they might make a comeback at some point in our future as scientists are working on that, apparantly. Not sure how I feel about that but nevertheless is was interesting to learn.
4. Maize:
Color me surprised when a chapter about maize of all things ended up as my favorite from the entire book. I did not see this coming at all. I've never thought much about maize in general but I just loved reading about the early days of when the Americas were rediscovered (I say rediscovered because obviously the vikings had reached it all first). The chapter went also into the Aztecs and how they venerated maize which also really fascinated me. I just couldn't get enough of this chapter and wanted it to go on forever.
5. Potatoes:
This was another really great chapter (all of them were great though). Potaties have played such an important part in our history even though they came to Europe not so early and there were quite some misgivings about them, which surprise me to learn. Needless to say the author also talked about the Irish Potatoe famine and how there's still less people living in Ireland currently than before the famine. I did not know this so that was also pretty surprising to know about.
6. Chickens:
Yet another surprising chapter that kinda wowed me. Chickens and with that I mean the chickens we now know and eat were pretty late introduced to us and all because of a contest in the 1940's. I really had no idea. A big part of the chapter was about DNA and genetic modification. If I had known about this before that a big part was about that I probably would've been a little reluctant to read it but once again I ended up actually being really fascinated by it all. Like damn, I wanna learn more about it actually.
7. Rice:
This was yet again a chapter about something that we eat but also an interesting seed of grass species to learn about. This chapter went deep into the prehistoric past of Asia which I, of course, loved. Alice Roberts also talked a lot about pottery and pottery where rice may have been stored in. This chapter could also be called: things just keeps getting older and older and older (which I love so much). And I will leave it at that.
8. Horses:
I knew beforehand that I would really enjoy this chapter because I love horses. It's funny because lately I've been watching some documentary style youtube videos that go into horse domestication in our past. That stuff is just so fascinating to learn about. So of course this was a very interesting chapter for me. Like how did we go from hunting horses for meat to riding them. I would absolutely love to read a whole book about that, seriously!
9. Apples:
One topic I had not seen coming in this was this one. I had never thought about apples to be life changing for us humans. I like to eat apples but that was it. But obviously this was a chapter that was really interesting. Especially learning about the wild species of apples versus the apple orchards. Very fascinating stuff!
10. Humans:
Alice Roberts is an anthropologist so of course she had to dedicate a chapter to humans. It was a great final chapter. I was even a little sad that it was the final chapter because I didn't have anymore to look forward to. But even so I really enjoyed reading more about early humans like neanderthals for example. I've always been fascinated in our very early past so it was another excellent chapter that I loved reading.
Overall, Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World was a really fascinating read. Even though I didn't think I would enjoy reading some chapters Alice Roberts changed my mind and kept me hooked until the very end. I can't ask for more from a book. Compelling doesn't even begin to cover it!
Tamed is about ten species that changed our world (as the full title says) and is written in ten chapters. Which makes sense. The chapters are about dogs, wheat, cattle, maize, potatoes, chickens, rice, horses, apples and humans. I will do it a little differently in this review and write down my short thoughts on each chapter.
1. Dogs:
As a dog owner and someone who is obsessed with dogs it wasn't a surprise that I adored this first chapter. It went into how our dogs are descendant from wolves but of course Alice Roberts puts it in a more eloquent way. I was really surprised to learn that the domestication of wolves went as far back as 32.000 years. I was really wowed by that. It was a really great first chapter and opening to the book + dogs! I just love dogs!
2. Wheat:
I've gotta admit when I reached this second chapter I was a bit skeptical because I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy reading about what is basically a grass. But once again I was really surprised because the author's passion was really shining through and it was a really interesting chapter actually. I really enjoyed learning more about wheat and how we as humans cultivated it in the first place.
3. Cattle:
In this chapter we're back to animals and just like the other two chapters this was a really interesting one as well. A big part was focused on the Aurochs (a large species of cattle that are extinct now) and I thought these animals were very intriguing to read about. Actually they might make a comeback at some point in our future as scientists are working on that, apparantly. Not sure how I feel about that but nevertheless is was interesting to learn.
4. Maize:
Color me surprised when a chapter about maize of all things ended up as my favorite from the entire book. I did not see this coming at all. I've never thought much about maize in general but I just loved reading about the early days of when the Americas were rediscovered (I say rediscovered because obviously the vikings had reached it all first). The chapter went also into the Aztecs and how they venerated maize which also really fascinated me. I just couldn't get enough of this chapter and wanted it to go on forever.
5. Potatoes:
This was another really great chapter (all of them were great though). Potaties have played such an important part in our history even though they came to Europe not so early and there were quite some misgivings about them, which surprise me to learn. Needless to say the author also talked about the Irish Potatoe famine and how there's still less people living in Ireland currently than before the famine. I did not know this so that was also pretty surprising to know about.
6. Chickens:
Yet another surprising chapter that kinda wowed me. Chickens and with that I mean the chickens we now know and eat were pretty late introduced to us and all because of a contest in the 1940's. I really had no idea. A big part of the chapter was about DNA and genetic modification. If I had known about this before that a big part was about that I probably would've been a little reluctant to read it but once again I ended up actually being really fascinated by it all. Like damn, I wanna learn more about it actually.
7. Rice:
This was yet again a chapter about something that we eat but also an interesting seed of grass species to learn about. This chapter went deep into the prehistoric past of Asia which I, of course, loved. Alice Roberts also talked a lot about pottery and pottery where rice may have been stored in. This chapter could also be called: things just keeps getting older and older and older (which I love so much). And I will leave it at that.
8. Horses:
I knew beforehand that I would really enjoy this chapter because I love horses. It's funny because lately I've been watching some documentary style youtube videos that go into horse domestication in our past. That stuff is just so fascinating to learn about. So of course this was a very interesting chapter for me. Like how did we go from hunting horses for meat to riding them. I would absolutely love to read a whole book about that, seriously!
9. Apples:
One topic I had not seen coming in this was this one. I had never thought about apples to be life changing for us humans. I like to eat apples but that was it. But obviously this was a chapter that was really interesting. Especially learning about the wild species of apples versus the apple orchards. Very fascinating stuff!
10. Humans:
Alice Roberts is an anthropologist so of course she had to dedicate a chapter to humans. It was a great final chapter. I was even a little sad that it was the final chapter because I didn't have anymore to look forward to. But even so I really enjoyed reading more about early humans like neanderthals for example. I've always been fascinated in our very early past so it was another excellent chapter that I loved reading.
Overall, Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World was a really fascinating read. Even though I didn't think I would enjoy reading some chapters Alice Roberts changed my mind and kept me hooked until the very end. I can't ask for more from a book. Compelling doesn't even begin to cover it!