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270 reviews for:
The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion - Surprising Observations of a Hidden World
Peter Wohlleben
3.68 AVERAGE
270 reviews for:
The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion - Surprising Observations of a Hidden World
Peter Wohlleben
3.68 AVERAGE
Super important topic and one that I’m very passionate about which is why I have to give 4 stars. I just didn’t like all the anecdotes.
I picked "The Inner Life of Animals" by Peter Wohlleben as a book to read for #scienceseptember. I love animals. I am interested in science. It seemed like the perfect pick! Little did I know...there is not much actual science in this book.
"The Inner Life of Animals" is an interesting and very readable book. It has 41 short chapters about how animals experience the world and whether they feel different emotions; chapters like "Gratitude," "Lies and Deception," "Grief," "Pain," "Just for Fun," and "Good and Evil." Wohllenberg's underlying thesis is that animals experience the world very similarly to humans.
But each chapter is mostly just a series of anecdotes, many from Wohllenberg's own life. Wohllenberg is clearly knowledgeable about animals; he is a forest manager in Germany who cares for domestic animals like goats, horses, and dogs, as well as having the opportunity to observe many wild animals like red deer, boar, wood mice, and various birds. But the anecdotes are just anecdotes. He occasionally will refer to an actual experiment or vetted research on one of the topics, but the book is mostly his pleasant, enthusiastic observations. For example, the chapter on "Grief" is a story about how mother deer will return again and again to the spot where a fawn died, even if the body is no longer there. Touching? Yes. Does it convince me that deer feel grief the same way humans do? No.
But hey! I still enjoyed the book. Even though it wasn't what I was expecting. I feel like I have a bunch of random conversation starters about animals now. (Me, by the punch bowl at a party: "Ma'am, did you know that there are carnivorous mice on Gough Island that team up to attack and eat albatross chicks 200 times their size? Excuse me...where are you going, ma'am?")
"The Inner Life of Animals" is an interesting and very readable book. It has 41 short chapters about how animals experience the world and whether they feel different emotions; chapters like "Gratitude," "Lies and Deception," "Grief," "Pain," "Just for Fun," and "Good and Evil." Wohllenberg's underlying thesis is that animals experience the world very similarly to humans.
But each chapter is mostly just a series of anecdotes, many from Wohllenberg's own life. Wohllenberg is clearly knowledgeable about animals; he is a forest manager in Germany who cares for domestic animals like goats, horses, and dogs, as well as having the opportunity to observe many wild animals like red deer, boar, wood mice, and various birds. But the anecdotes are just anecdotes. He occasionally will refer to an actual experiment or vetted research on one of the topics, but the book is mostly his pleasant, enthusiastic observations. For example, the chapter on "Grief" is a story about how mother deer will return again and again to the spot where a fawn died, even if the body is no longer there. Touching? Yes. Does it convince me that deer feel grief the same way humans do? No.
But hey! I still enjoyed the book. Even though it wasn't what I was expecting. I feel like I have a bunch of random conversation starters about animals now. (Me, by the punch bowl at a party: "Ma'am, did you know that there are carnivorous mice on Gough Island that team up to attack and eat albatross chicks 200 times their size? Excuse me...where are you going, ma'am?")
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
An excellent book concerning the emotional lives of animals that we otherwise discount. For pet owners and those who observe animals frequently the conclusions and arguments of the book will be non-controversial, but it is nice to see the scientific backing for it.
Možda sam očekivala malo više stručnosti, a malo manje priča iz dvorišta. Knjiga je dobra i zanimljiva, u to nema sumnje, ali se tvrdnje ne zasnivaju previše na naučnim činjenicama.
3.5/5 ⭐️
3.5/5 ⭐️
I loved reading this book because Wohlleben treats all beings with such deep tenderness and awe. It’s how I live in the world, too, but I so rarely find others who live this way. It’s also a relief to read a call for empathy toward animals that is rooted in feeling and common sense, rather than overwhelming scientific evidence alone.
I think this is a great introduction to animals for people who are not particularly passionate or knowledgeable on them yet still interested.
Personally, I would have liked to see more scientific facts and studies included. However, this isn’t my issue with the book. The author regularly presents his conclusions for which he typically provides weak evidence. It would have been nice to see some counter arguments and more in depth looks at how he reached these conclusions. Additionally, he touches on many interesting and complex ideas but never expands on them which was disappointing. Both these points left me rather unsatisfied.
Personally, I would have liked to see more scientific facts and studies included. However, this isn’t my issue with the book. The author regularly presents his conclusions for which he typically provides weak evidence. It would have been nice to see some counter arguments and more in depth looks at how he reached these conclusions. Additionally, he touches on many interesting and complex ideas but never expands on them which was disappointing. Both these points left me rather unsatisfied.
informative
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
informative
reflective
fast-paced