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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
So as I write this, the dog is pacing the floor and whining gently, as he knows that it is almost time for his evening treat. And this is communication, as Peter Wohlleben speaks of in this book. A fascinating, eminently readable book that covers lies and deception, altruism, empathy, love, desire, grief and many other topics, all in animals, both wild and domestic. What a great read.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
It's not a bad book per sé, however it is a very anecdotal heavy based book. And that is always a cause for scepticism. Add on top of that that I discovered some scientific inaccuracies, I would say there are better books to discover this subject. The only way I'd reccommend this is if it was for someone who would just get into this genre of books.
Take author Frans de Waal, with his books 'Age of Empathy' and 'Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are'. That would be a much better read then this.
Take author Frans de Waal, with his books 'Age of Empathy' and 'Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are'. That would be a much better read then this.
Since this book didn't bring any knew knowledge for me, it would really have been a 3/3,5* book. However, since the theme is incredibly important it definitely gets 4*. It's also easily read, well told and Wohlleben's own farm runs as a red thread through the chapters.
It's incredibly daft that people think animals - even mammals - can feel neither pain nor emotions. As mammals we have a similar evolutionary path behind us and a need for social bonding. If you're social, you need emotions or it just isn't going to work. Not just fear! Love, hate, shame, regret and empathy as well. That animals can have fun and spend energy on something that is not a means to an end everyone who has a pet knows. My youngest dog has a ”play bark” and plays with imaginary friends and foes (since my older dog won't accommodate).
This is not a cutting edge book. It mixes anecdotes with empirical and scientific evidence. It's well worth reading anyway. Hopefully this book will increase our level of empathy with the fellow creatures we share this planet with, and that we on a grand scale, treat so ill.
It's incredibly daft that people think animals - even mammals - can feel neither pain nor emotions. As mammals we have a similar evolutionary path behind us and a need for social bonding. If you're social, you need emotions or it just isn't going to work. Not just fear! Love, hate, shame, regret and empathy as well. That animals can have fun and spend energy on something that is not a means to an end everyone who has a pet knows. My youngest dog has a ”play bark” and plays with imaginary friends and foes (since my older dog won't accommodate).
This is not a cutting edge book. It mixes anecdotes with empirical and scientific evidence. It's well worth reading anyway. Hopefully this book will increase our level of empathy with the fellow creatures we share this planet with, and that we on a grand scale, treat so ill.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
This was an enjoyable and quick read (well, really listen, as I listened to the audiobook). It has some cool information about different species of animals, along with some fun anecdotes. The book does fit into a weird grey area. It is very upfront about the fact that it's not a scientific book, which leads to a lot of the segments feeling like they lack flesh and substance. While I appreciated the way it blends information and observation, it felt a bit superfluous--for animal lovers, who I assume will be a large audience for this book, it doesn't really present anything new.
Don't get me wrong, it's a worthwhile read, and I definitely still want to check out Hidden Life of Trees, the precursor to this book. I think trees are more mysterious to humans, and so the author's voice will be more appropriate for that topic.
Don't get me wrong, it's a worthwhile read, and I definitely still want to check out Hidden Life of Trees, the precursor to this book. I think trees are more mysterious to humans, and so the author's voice will be more appropriate for that topic.