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袟胁械褉褜褋褌胁芯. 袛褉邪屑邪褌懈褔械褋泻芯械 锌褍褌械褕械褋褌胁懈械 懈蟹 锌芯写褉芯褋褌泻芯胁芯谐芯 胁芯蟹褉邪褋褌邪 胁芯 胁蟹褉芯褋谢褍褞 卸懈蟹薪褜
袩芯褏芯卸懈 谢懈 褔械谢芯胁械褔械褋泻懈械 锌芯写褉芯褋褌泻懈 懈 屑芯谢芯写褘械 卸懈胁芯褌薪褘械? 袛邪, 锌褉懈褔械屑 谐芯褉邪蟹写芯 斜芯谢褜褕械, 褔械屑 胁褘 写褍屑邪械褌械, 褍褌胁械褉卸写邪褞褌 邪胁褌芯褉褘 斜械褋褌褋械谢谢械褉邪 New York Times - 锌褉芯褎械褋褋芯褉 褝胁芯谢褞褑懈芯薪薪芯泄 斜懈芯谢芯谐懈懈 褔械谢芯胁械泻邪 袚邪褉胁邪褉写褋泻芯谐芯 褍薪懈胁械褉褋懈褌械褌邪 袘邪褉斜邪褉邪 袧邪褌褌械褉褋芯薪-袚芯褉芯胁懈褑 懈 薪邪褍褔薪褘泄 卸褍褉薪邪谢懈褋褌 袣褝褌褉懈薪 袘邪褍褝褉褋.
袩褍褌械褕械褋褌胁褍褟 锌芯 屑懈褉褍 懈 芯锌懈褉邪褟褋褜 薪邪 褋胁芯懈 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈械 懈褋褋谢械写芯胁邪薪懈褟, 芯薪懈 胁褘褟褋薪懈谢懈, 褔褌芯 胁 锌械褉械褏芯写薪芯屑 胁芯蟹褉邪褋褌械 懈 卸懈胁芯褌薪褘械, 懈 谢褞写懈 褋褌邪谢泻懈胁邪褞褌褋褟 褋 褔械褌褘褉褜屑褟 褍薪懈胁械褉褋邪谢褜薪褘屑懈 锌褉芯斜谢械屑邪屑懈: 斜械蟹芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌褜, 褋褌邪褌褍褋, 锌芯谢芯胁芯械 褋芯蟹褉械胁邪薪懈械, 褋邪屑芯写芯褋褌邪褌芯褔薪芯褋褌褜.
协褌褍 泻薪懈谐褍 褋褌芯懈褌 锌芯褔懈褌邪褌褜 褉芯写懈褌械谢褟屑, 锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐邪屑, 褍褔懈褌械谢褟屑 懈 褋邪屑懈屑 锌芯写褉芯褋褌泻邪屑. 袨薪邪 锌芯屑芯卸械褌 锌芯薪褟褌褜, 褔褌芯 锌褍褌褜 懈蟹 写械褌褋褌胁邪 胁芯 胁蟹褉芯褋谢褍褞 卸懈蟹薪褜 械写懈薪 写谢褟 胁褋械褏 懈 械谐芯 薪褍卸薪芯 锌褉芯泄褌懈 褋邪屑芯褋褌芯褟褌械谢褜薪芯.
袩褍褌械褕械褋褌胁褍褟 锌芯 屑懈褉褍 懈 芯锌懈褉邪褟褋褜 薪邪 褋胁芯懈 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈械 懈褋褋谢械写芯胁邪薪懈褟, 芯薪懈 胁褘褟褋薪懈谢懈, 褔褌芯 胁 锌械褉械褏芯写薪芯屑 胁芯蟹褉邪褋褌械 懈 卸懈胁芯褌薪褘械, 懈 谢褞写懈 褋褌邪谢泻懈胁邪褞褌褋褟 褋 褔械褌褘褉褜屑褟 褍薪懈胁械褉褋邪谢褜薪褘屑懈 锌褉芯斜谢械屑邪屑懈: 斜械蟹芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌褜, 褋褌邪褌褍褋, 锌芯谢芯胁芯械 褋芯蟹褉械胁邪薪懈械, 褋邪屑芯写芯褋褌邪褌芯褔薪芯褋褌褜.
协褌褍 泻薪懈谐褍 褋褌芯懈褌 锌芯褔懈褌邪褌褜 褉芯写懈褌械谢褟屑, 锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐邪屑, 褍褔懈褌械谢褟屑 懈 褋邪屑懈屑 锌芯写褉芯褋褌泻邪屑. 袨薪邪 锌芯屑芯卸械褌 锌芯薪褟褌褜, 褔褌芯 锌褍褌褜 懈蟹 写械褌褋褌胁邪 胁芯 胁蟹褉芯褋谢褍褞 卸懈蟹薪褜 械写懈薪 写谢褟 胁褋械褏 懈 械谐芯 薪褍卸薪芯 锌褉芯泄褌懈 褋邪屑芯褋褌芯褟褌械谢褜薪芯.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2019
101 people are currently reading
3148 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
5听books70听followersBarbara Natterson-Horowitz, M.D., earned her degrees at Harvard and the University of California, San Francisco. She is a cardiology professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and serves on the medical advisory board of the Los Angeles. Zoo as a cardiovascular consultant. Her writing has appeared in many scientific and medical publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
January 23, 2022
Well, one could get the gist of the argument from the prologue, or even the title. But the rest of the book explores such interesting ideas that it's well worth reading... especially if you are a parent or educator of children or adolescents. I wish I'd had it ten or fifteen years ago for my boys. At least as I read it now and look back on their teen years, I see that I did do fairly well by them.
Anyway, it's a manifesto for "bioinspiration." The concept is that, since we are animals, we have a lot in common with others, and can learn from them what our natures are driving us to do, and thus be more informed and more ready to scaffold on that instead of fighting it. The authors write *much* better than I do, though, let me give you an example. "One of the great challenges of adolescence is entering a world that is rigged against less well-born animals. Understanding privilege in the natural world, from parental rank inheritance and beyond, is crucial to understanding it in our own."
I agree with that. I'm still thinking about anthropomorphism and "anthropodenial" (), though. Evaluating other animals as if they are just less technological humans is surely wrong, too. Ah, but don't get me wrong. The book doesn't really get into how good science happens. There is a bibliography, and a supplementary website, but the point of the book is "accept that these are some of the behaviors and developmental stages (etc.) that meerkats and wolves and bowerbirds exhibit, and gosh don't they remind you of teens and young adults you know? Again, the authors say it better, and more convincingly. ;)
Speaking of bowerbirds, it turns out that they're physically ready to reproduce by age 5 or 6, but often don't develop mature plumage until age 7. By then, basically, they've gained more experience in life skills and in courtship behavior and will be more successful.
Informed mothers (or other parental figures in some cases) during childhood, mentors later, and friends of, & at, all ages are all very important. Especially in social animals like ppl. Granted, we knew that, but there's more evidence in this book. In fact, we all know that baby predators "play-fight" but even "play-mating" takes place often in nature in many different species. Adolescents of many different kinds have to interact with others to learn all the different ways to be a successful adult.
David Fessler says that, of course, it's usually a good thing to belong to groups. But sometimes: "Moving in coordinated ways with other men--such as riot police marching on protesters, and vice versa--can make men more likely to use violence... walking in sync may make men more likely to think, 'Yeah, we could take that guy.'" The takeaway here is not necessarily to be glad we're practicing social distancing, or to take our families and live in the outback, but to understand what our 'instincts' are and how to develop or cope with or work against them.
But if you are isolated, know that said, "A library is a place where you can lose your innocence without losing your virginity." Or if you're young and feeling pressure to start to grow up, be "Like sixth-graders at a dance or high-schoolers at a nightclub, ...[who] watched but remained on the sidelines."
Another thing that I really like about the book is that it talked about animals I haven't met in others. No New Caledonian crows, no Washoe the chimp, but rather horses, spotted hyena, king penguin, etc.
Well, I could go on, but if anything I've said interests you, you should definitely read the book. I just have one more bookdart, one more thing that surprised me. "Steven Mintz, a historian of the human life cycle, writes that in America, 'the decade stretching from the late teens to the late twenties has long been a period of uncertainty, hesitation, and indecision.'" This to support the authors' belief that, so long as our grown children aren't just mooching, it's ok for them to be living at home, or to come home after college, while they're maturing further and growing stronger & wiser. It's ok to offer extended parental care.
Anyway, it's a manifesto for "bioinspiration." The concept is that, since we are animals, we have a lot in common with others, and can learn from them what our natures are driving us to do, and thus be more informed and more ready to scaffold on that instead of fighting it. The authors write *much* better than I do, though, let me give you an example. "One of the great challenges of adolescence is entering a world that is rigged against less well-born animals. Understanding privilege in the natural world, from parental rank inheritance and beyond, is crucial to understanding it in our own."
I agree with that. I'm still thinking about anthropomorphism and "anthropodenial" (), though. Evaluating other animals as if they are just less technological humans is surely wrong, too. Ah, but don't get me wrong. The book doesn't really get into how good science happens. There is a bibliography, and a supplementary website, but the point of the book is "accept that these are some of the behaviors and developmental stages (etc.) that meerkats and wolves and bowerbirds exhibit, and gosh don't they remind you of teens and young adults you know? Again, the authors say it better, and more convincingly. ;)
Speaking of bowerbirds, it turns out that they're physically ready to reproduce by age 5 or 6, but often don't develop mature plumage until age 7. By then, basically, they've gained more experience in life skills and in courtship behavior and will be more successful.
Informed mothers (or other parental figures in some cases) during childhood, mentors later, and friends of, & at, all ages are all very important. Especially in social animals like ppl. Granted, we knew that, but there's more evidence in this book. In fact, we all know that baby predators "play-fight" but even "play-mating" takes place often in nature in many different species. Adolescents of many different kinds have to interact with others to learn all the different ways to be a successful adult.
David Fessler says that, of course, it's usually a good thing to belong to groups. But sometimes: "Moving in coordinated ways with other men--such as riot police marching on protesters, and vice versa--can make men more likely to use violence... walking in sync may make men more likely to think, 'Yeah, we could take that guy.'" The takeaway here is not necessarily to be glad we're practicing social distancing, or to take our families and live in the outback, but to understand what our 'instincts' are and how to develop or cope with or work against them.
But if you are isolated, know that said, "A library is a place where you can lose your innocence without losing your virginity." Or if you're young and feeling pressure to start to grow up, be "Like sixth-graders at a dance or high-schoolers at a nightclub, ...[who] watched but remained on the sidelines."
Another thing that I really like about the book is that it talked about animals I haven't met in others. No New Caledonian crows, no Washoe the chimp, but rather horses, spotted hyena, king penguin, etc.
Well, I could go on, but if anything I've said interests you, you should definitely read the book. I just have one more bookdart, one more thing that surprised me. "Steven Mintz, a historian of the human life cycle, writes that in America, 'the decade stretching from the late teens to the late twenties has long been a period of uncertainty, hesitation, and indecision.'" This to support the authors' belief that, so long as our grown children aren't just mooching, it's ok for them to be living at home, or to come home after college, while they're maturing further and growing stronger & wiser. It's ok to offer extended parental care.
November 8, 2019
A super interesting comparison on the awkward stages of growing up across the animal world and how human behavior isn't so unique after all. I also love that this was written by two women who blatantly point out multiple times that research is often done on the male of the species instead of the female because male scientists are obsessed with other dicks. The end of that statement may vaguely be a matter of personal opinion but seriously, where's the lie?
March 22, 2020
I really enjoyed comparisons of adolescence across the animal kingdom! I wish I had written down all the terms because I already know I've forgotten some. Reminding myself of the biologically influenced common patterns will hopefully help build patience when interacting with older youth.
Read
July 29, 2020The authors steer clear of excesses of ethology or anthropomorphism, and they emphasise that maturity is not a goal but a process. A lucid, entertaining account of how creatures of many kinds learn to navigate the complex world that adulthood opens.
Kirkus
A life-changing perspective on adolescents. A treasure trove of scientific exploration and practical implications for how we understand and support youth.
Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain
Human teens have much in common with their counterparts throughout the animal kingdom 鈥� and those commonalities are eye-opening as described in the latest from biologist Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Bowers. Reassuring ... should appeal to anyone who鈥檚 ever raised an adolescent, human or otherwise. STARRED REVIEW
Publishers Weekly
Paradigm-shattering. This illuminating new book generates dozens of hypotheses for raising, educating, counselling and treating, and living life as an adolescent human.
Gene Beresin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
It blew my mind to discover that teenage animals and teenage humans are so similar. Both are na茂ve risk-takers. I love this book!
Temple Grandin, PHD, author of Animals Make Us Human and ANimals in Translation
This fascinating book tells the compelling story of adolescence across species, framed in the convincing context of evolutionary and adaptive explanations.
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain
Unfailingly fascinating 鈥� and sometimes downright mind-blowing 鈥� this is a remarkably original account of the nature, meaning, and purpose of adolescence in today鈥檚 world 鈥� Wildhood is one of the most insightful books ever written about this critically important stage of life.
Laurence Steinberg, University Professor of Psychology, Temple University, and author fo Age of Opportunity
Deeply researched and beautifully written, this account of the trials faced by teenagers across the animal kingdom inspires compassion for young people and appreciation for what they must accomplish on the journey into adulthood.
Lida Damour, PHD, author of Under Pressure and Untangled
A masterpiece. This is a spellbinding lens on the ways creatures with big bodies yet little life experience figure out how to survive and thrive. Read Wildhood.
Wendy Mogel, PHD, author of Voice Lessons for Parents and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Our teenage years can be many things, from fraught to exhilarating. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers show them to be something else altogether 鈥� essential for humans and animals. Read their enlightening journey and you will never see the transition to adulthood the same way again.
Neil Shubin, PHD, author of Your Inner Fish and The Universe Within
奥颈濒诲丑辞辞诲鈥檚 tour of the natural history of adolescence is original, entertaining and constructive, full of ideas for understanding it better.
Richard Wrangham, PHD, author of The Goodness Paradox and Catching Fire
Wise, entrancing and astounding.
Daniel E. Lieberman, PHD, author of The Story of the Human Body: evolution, health and disease
An incredibly fascinating read, Wildhood illuminates what humans can learn from the animal world and how all species are more connected to one another than they may appear. STARRED REVIEW
Booklist
This compelling account of how strongly human adolescent behaviours are rooted in our wild animal past should intrigue general science readers and fans of Zoobiquity.
Library Journal
The wild adventure of adolescence has never been analysed in such depth. In lively personalised accounts that keep our attention, the authors explain how the transition to independence works in each species, and why it looks so similar across the board.
Frans de Wall, PHD, author of Mama鈥檚 Last Hug and Our Inner Ape
Those travails of adolescence? It isn鈥檛 just you. Or your culture. Or even your species. Wildhood uses riveting stories about the challenges overcome by specific whales, wolves, and more to put the challenges of adolescence in a universal evolutionary context for the first time. Groundbreaking and fascinating.
Randolph M. Nesse, MD, author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Adolescence isn't just for humans. Here an evolutionary biologist offers up rollicking tales of young animals navigating risk, social hierarchy, and sex with all the bravura (and dopiness) of our own teenage beasts.
People
All this time spent reading books on adulting can be harrowing for a worried parent who isn鈥檛 entirely sold on the survival skills of her teenage son. I needed some reassurance 鈥� Luckily, I found it with a king penguin, a hyena, a humpback whale and a wolf 鈥� Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers 鈥� follow this cast of characters as they face the trials of making it into adulthood in their savage and competitive worlds. You don鈥檛 even need to anthropomorphise to find some of the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar.
Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review
Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Kathryn Bowers draw fascinating connections between human and animal young adulthood.
Laura Pearson, The Chicago Tribune, 鈥�28 New Books Your Need to Read Now鈥�
The vivid storytelling and fascinating scientific digressions in Wildhood make it a pleasurable read.
Patrick J. Kiger, Los Angeles Times
There is much here for the nature lover, the parent seeking advice, and the college freshman tackling 鈥榓dulting.鈥� By laying out the adolescent experience of so many species in rich detail, the authors normalise and celebrate the beauty and complexity of our own species鈥� journey into the big wide world.
Linda Welbrecht, Science Magazine
Take the authors up on their invitation to observe animals in the wild and in your own household, and you鈥檒l never look at other beings the same again. Wildhood is for parents, nature lovers, and the curious alike. You鈥檒l be wild for it.
Terri Schlichenmeyer, Times Record
Reading [Wildhood], I was surprised to see that many of the adolescent behaviours humans exhibit are wired in for adolescents of most species. This may not provide much consolation for you as you try to guide your teen through the dangers of risk-taking, but it provides insights into how much your teen is exhibiting normal adolescent behaviour shared with birds and monkeys. Most importantly, it鈥檚 a reminder that this is usually not about you.
Mark Phillips, Marin Independent Journal
A fascinating and well-written book about the universal journey of adolescence. It is full of insights about humans as well as many other animals. There is much that human teenagers can learn from the experiences of adolescent penguins and hyenas.
Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens
Lively and eye-opening.
Miriam Cosic, The Australian
Engaging and informative 鈥� Wildhood is a fascinating read that provides a powerful new lens on the tricky transition to adulthood.
Rebekah Lyell, NZ Booklovers
Adolescence may seem unique to the human experience, but Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers vividly reveal that many species navigate this crucial time between childhood and adulthood, which they so aptly call 鈥榳ildhood鈥�.
Booklist, Top 10 Sci-Tech Books of the Year
Wildhood is a contemplation of how we are like, and unlike, other animals, using the widespread phenomenon of adolescence as an anchor 鈥� Readers will come away with an appreciation for a host of other qualities 鈥� friendship, social status, cooperation, leaving home and coming back 鈥� that are rooted in that one crucial stage of life.
Marlene Zuk, The Wall Street Journal
Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers go deep and wide in addressing the raft of species-spanning equivalents. The authors make clear that, in a fundamental sense, adolescent animals and teen humans encounter the same sorts of challenges 鈥� and that what may strike elders of any species as nutty, exasperating behaviour is not only inevitable for most creatures in that stage of development but truly valuable.
Duncan Strauss, Washington Post
Wildhood is a thoroughly engaging study of the in-between years and the strands of commonality that run through the awkward adolescences of so many species. The book will teach you things about the torments and ecstasies you endured during your own in-between years, and it may incline you to look more kindly on the desperate, low-status blunderings of the teenagers who occasionally show up in your own home and on your own tax forms.
Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review
Wildhood is a look at human behaviour through the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, The Herald Sun
In Wildhood, the authors examine how human adolescence is rooted in our animals past and influences how we navigate the transition ... Wildhood is a look at human behaviour throughout the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is funny, informative and fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, Life & Style Weekend
Adolescence collides spectacularly with the tree of life in Wildhood 鈥� It turns out that adolescents all across the animal kingdom do the same things, and for good evolutionary reasons 鈥� [The book] obliterates the siren song of human exceptionalism 鈥� Reading this book is enlightening, both scientifically and personally.
Carlo C. Maley, Evolution, Medicine & Public Health
Kirkus
A life-changing perspective on adolescents. A treasure trove of scientific exploration and practical implications for how we understand and support youth.
Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain
Human teens have much in common with their counterparts throughout the animal kingdom 鈥� and those commonalities are eye-opening as described in the latest from biologist Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Bowers. Reassuring ... should appeal to anyone who鈥檚 ever raised an adolescent, human or otherwise. STARRED REVIEW
Publishers Weekly
Paradigm-shattering. This illuminating new book generates dozens of hypotheses for raising, educating, counselling and treating, and living life as an adolescent human.
Gene Beresin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
It blew my mind to discover that teenage animals and teenage humans are so similar. Both are na茂ve risk-takers. I love this book!
Temple Grandin, PHD, author of Animals Make Us Human and ANimals in Translation
This fascinating book tells the compelling story of adolescence across species, framed in the convincing context of evolutionary and adaptive explanations.
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain
Unfailingly fascinating 鈥� and sometimes downright mind-blowing 鈥� this is a remarkably original account of the nature, meaning, and purpose of adolescence in today鈥檚 world 鈥� Wildhood is one of the most insightful books ever written about this critically important stage of life.
Laurence Steinberg, University Professor of Psychology, Temple University, and author fo Age of Opportunity
Deeply researched and beautifully written, this account of the trials faced by teenagers across the animal kingdom inspires compassion for young people and appreciation for what they must accomplish on the journey into adulthood.
Lida Damour, PHD, author of Under Pressure and Untangled
A masterpiece. This is a spellbinding lens on the ways creatures with big bodies yet little life experience figure out how to survive and thrive. Read Wildhood.
Wendy Mogel, PHD, author of Voice Lessons for Parents and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Our teenage years can be many things, from fraught to exhilarating. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers show them to be something else altogether 鈥� essential for humans and animals. Read their enlightening journey and you will never see the transition to adulthood the same way again.
Neil Shubin, PHD, author of Your Inner Fish and The Universe Within
奥颈濒诲丑辞辞诲鈥檚 tour of the natural history of adolescence is original, entertaining and constructive, full of ideas for understanding it better.
Richard Wrangham, PHD, author of The Goodness Paradox and Catching Fire
Wise, entrancing and astounding.
Daniel E. Lieberman, PHD, author of The Story of the Human Body: evolution, health and disease
An incredibly fascinating read, Wildhood illuminates what humans can learn from the animal world and how all species are more connected to one another than they may appear. STARRED REVIEW
Booklist
This compelling account of how strongly human adolescent behaviours are rooted in our wild animal past should intrigue general science readers and fans of Zoobiquity.
Library Journal
The wild adventure of adolescence has never been analysed in such depth. In lively personalised accounts that keep our attention, the authors explain how the transition to independence works in each species, and why it looks so similar across the board.
Frans de Wall, PHD, author of Mama鈥檚 Last Hug and Our Inner Ape
Those travails of adolescence? It isn鈥檛 just you. Or your culture. Or even your species. Wildhood uses riveting stories about the challenges overcome by specific whales, wolves, and more to put the challenges of adolescence in a universal evolutionary context for the first time. Groundbreaking and fascinating.
Randolph M. Nesse, MD, author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Adolescence isn't just for humans. Here an evolutionary biologist offers up rollicking tales of young animals navigating risk, social hierarchy, and sex with all the bravura (and dopiness) of our own teenage beasts.
People
All this time spent reading books on adulting can be harrowing for a worried parent who isn鈥檛 entirely sold on the survival skills of her teenage son. I needed some reassurance 鈥� Luckily, I found it with a king penguin, a hyena, a humpback whale and a wolf 鈥� Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers 鈥� follow this cast of characters as they face the trials of making it into adulthood in their savage and competitive worlds. You don鈥檛 even need to anthropomorphise to find some of the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar.
Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review
Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Kathryn Bowers draw fascinating connections between human and animal young adulthood.
Laura Pearson, The Chicago Tribune, 鈥�28 New Books Your Need to Read Now鈥�
The vivid storytelling and fascinating scientific digressions in Wildhood make it a pleasurable read.
Patrick J. Kiger, Los Angeles Times
There is much here for the nature lover, the parent seeking advice, and the college freshman tackling 鈥榓dulting.鈥� By laying out the adolescent experience of so many species in rich detail, the authors normalise and celebrate the beauty and complexity of our own species鈥� journey into the big wide world.
Linda Welbrecht, Science Magazine
Take the authors up on their invitation to observe animals in the wild and in your own household, and you鈥檒l never look at other beings the same again. Wildhood is for parents, nature lovers, and the curious alike. You鈥檒l be wild for it.
Terri Schlichenmeyer, Times Record
Reading [Wildhood], I was surprised to see that many of the adolescent behaviours humans exhibit are wired in for adolescents of most species. This may not provide much consolation for you as you try to guide your teen through the dangers of risk-taking, but it provides insights into how much your teen is exhibiting normal adolescent behaviour shared with birds and monkeys. Most importantly, it鈥檚 a reminder that this is usually not about you.
Mark Phillips, Marin Independent Journal
A fascinating and well-written book about the universal journey of adolescence. It is full of insights about humans as well as many other animals. There is much that human teenagers can learn from the experiences of adolescent penguins and hyenas.
Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens
Lively and eye-opening.
Miriam Cosic, The Australian
Engaging and informative 鈥� Wildhood is a fascinating read that provides a powerful new lens on the tricky transition to adulthood.
Rebekah Lyell, NZ Booklovers
Adolescence may seem unique to the human experience, but Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers vividly reveal that many species navigate this crucial time between childhood and adulthood, which they so aptly call 鈥榳ildhood鈥�.
Booklist, Top 10 Sci-Tech Books of the Year
Wildhood is a contemplation of how we are like, and unlike, other animals, using the widespread phenomenon of adolescence as an anchor 鈥� Readers will come away with an appreciation for a host of other qualities 鈥� friendship, social status, cooperation, leaving home and coming back 鈥� that are rooted in that one crucial stage of life.
Marlene Zuk, The Wall Street Journal
Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers go deep and wide in addressing the raft of species-spanning equivalents. The authors make clear that, in a fundamental sense, adolescent animals and teen humans encounter the same sorts of challenges 鈥� and that what may strike elders of any species as nutty, exasperating behaviour is not only inevitable for most creatures in that stage of development but truly valuable.
Duncan Strauss, Washington Post
Wildhood is a thoroughly engaging study of the in-between years and the strands of commonality that run through the awkward adolescences of so many species. The book will teach you things about the torments and ecstasies you endured during your own in-between years, and it may incline you to look more kindly on the desperate, low-status blunderings of the teenagers who occasionally show up in your own home and on your own tax forms.
Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review
Wildhood is a look at human behaviour through the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, The Herald Sun
In Wildhood, the authors examine how human adolescence is rooted in our animals past and influences how we navigate the transition ... Wildhood is a look at human behaviour throughout the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is funny, informative and fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, Life & Style Weekend
Adolescence collides spectacularly with the tree of life in Wildhood 鈥� It turns out that adolescents all across the animal kingdom do the same things, and for good evolutionary reasons 鈥� [The book] obliterates the siren song of human exceptionalism 鈥� Reading this book is enlightening, both scientifically and personally.
Carlo C. Maley, Evolution, Medicine & Public Health
February 23, 2020
A book on a topic I've never read about in non-human animals. Being a teenager is tough, and adolescence in other animals is equally awkward, clueless and scary. This book follows 4 characters. .. a humpback whale, a hyena, a wolf and a penguin, as they progress from childhood to adulthood. We see that these kids are just like human kids in many ways, and parental responsibility is very similar also.
February 17, 2025
A truly amazing book! Want to know a lot more about yourself and other humans? Check this one out, well written, great flow, great story. Traces the 4 challenges that must be traversed during the passage through "Wildhood", that time in life between childhood and adult, known as adolescence. The four stages or skills to be mastered for success - safety, status, sex and self reliance - would be an interesting study as part of the human maturation process, but this book compares it to the similarities experienced by other of the world's creatures. In this book, the main "characters" are a female penguin, a female whale, a male hyena, and a male wolf, with side journeys to many other interesting creatures along the way. A lot of insight in the book, many "I did not know that" and "that makes a lot of sense" moments we get when a piece of non-fiction really delivers. A worthy, worthy read! Relatively short, but sweet!
February 25, 2021
This is an amazing, fascinating book. I highly recommend it for all parents, middle/jr high/high school teachers and administrators, and animal trainers of all species. Adolescence is not childhood, and it is not adulthood. It is different in countless ways, we know that. But what this book does is lists the four challenges one has to go through and master during "wildhood" to achieve adulthood, and the many, many commonalities between human adolescence and the adolescence of other animals, from wolves to penguins to moths. Did you know moths go through adolescence? Neither did I. I haven't learned so much from a book about animal-including-human behavior in a decade, and I have been a professional animal trainer for over 30 years. An entertaining and very enlightening read.
August 22, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the goodreads giveaways. Wildhood: The Epic Journey from Adolescence to Adulthood in Humans and Other Animals" Is rather unique. The authors study the Adolescence years in Animals and humans. They write of all kinds of species, like Penquins, hyena's, humpback Whales, and human teenagers. They study things that this age group go through, like status,{ pecking order} sex, self reliance, leaving the nest etc to name a few. I found this book fun and interesting to read. I liked getting to see what other species go through at this age. Not so different from us humans in ways.
March 14, 2020
A fascinating and readable look at how all adolescents--from humans and through the entire animal kingdom--face the same obstacles and tests as they move from childhood to maturity.
February 22, 2021
Excellent. Not often I find a book that I don't really want to put down. Full of insightful and interesting information about youth, both human and animal as they work to be safe and find their way in the world. A good mix of scientific writing and story telling this book keeps you coming back to find out what happened to the various animals featured in the book.
May 15, 2022
There is a time in every parent鈥檚 life when we realize, with some distress, that we have each turned into our mother or our father, confronted with growing children who pass through adolescence with the illusion that it is they who have invented teenage rebellion, while performing the same tricks and making the same mistakes that we did and every adolescent before us also did. We appreciate that our children face an environment different to ours in important ways and arguably they will need new skills and ideas to deal with them but it does not follow that they can safely take charge of their own lives without support 鈥� their ability to care for themselves is lamentably poor for many years.
The reality is that every human must follow a developmental path from infancy through childhood and on to an independent adult life and that pathway will inevitably pass through an extended period of adolescence. Each of those stages of development presents not only the child but also the parents with distinct challenges. It is because we all pass through the same process that we can recognise ourselves in our children and our parents in ourselves. And it is because the environment is continually changing 鈥� often radically 鈥� that there is no single right way to manage this process.
Humans are an evolved species. Our biological heritage includes physical, emotional and behavioural features that are all available for scientific study within a range of related disciplines, from biochemistry through anatomy to developmental psychology and anthropology. We share a great deal of this heritage with other species, with all of whom we share common ancestors, so that our understanding of their biology frequently sheds light on human biology. This book makes use of animal studies to investigate and explain the developmental process by which dependent children become independent adults.
Even in humans it is hard to fix on an accurate definition for the process in question here. It is not accurate to restrict it to teenagers (physical maturity does not arrive until about 25) and adolescence is also ambiguous. Other species have obvious differences 鈥� for example on their typical life span. The authors therefore devised the term 鈥渨ildhood鈥� to capture the relevant stage of development across species, including humans, animals, fish, birds and even some insects. It is a time when they are no longer children but physically, behaviourally and emotionally they lack the resources necessary for independent life.
The authors argue that without animal studies it would be far more difficult to study and understand 鈥渨ildhood鈥� in humans. Animal studies can deploy experimental methods that would be unethical with humans. They often bring fundamental processes to light which are harder to recognise in humans, or even buried. Obviously, one consideration is that humans retain inherited biological attributes whose expression is mediated or completely suppressed by learned and cultural restraints; they may lurk as anxiety or unexplained stress.
It is relevant that the authors are female. They point to a number of widely held beliefs that arise from the sexism of male scientists and in several places to the corrective supplied by the arrival of women scientists. As always, the 鈥渋deological bias鈥� that needs correction here is not from feminists but from sexists.
Wildhood is a developmental stage that can be observed across the animal kingdom and the authors organise their findings around four major challenges that every creature must address in order to reach adulthood: how to stay safe from predators, how to navigate social hierarchies, how to communicate sexually and how to leave the nest and care for oneself.
The result is not only a fascinating nature study, filled with anecdotes and illustrations from across the animal kingdom. It is an invitation to view human adolescents and young adults through a lens that appreciates the reasons they behave as they do, the nature of the challenges they face and the types of support that might, perhaps, be of most help. It also makes clear the many ways in which adolescents are, in fact, vulnerable and likely to come to harm. The challenge is to watch them as they take risks, which they must do in order to reach maturity, while working to limit the extent of the damage that might arise from that.
Quotes
During wildhood, humans and other animals are predator na茂ve. Their inexperience attracts attackers and exploiters who see them as easy prey. Predator training 鈥� learning to recognize and deter individuals with violent intentions 鈥� may save their lives and prepare them to be more confident animals. P19
Seriously depressed adolescents and young adult humans often describe feelings of worthlessness, helplessness and hopelessness. They say they feel as if nothing they do will help or change their state of mind. This is practically a definition of the loser effect at work in groups of fish, birds, mammals and crustaceans. If defeated lobsters and hyenas could express themselves with words, they might describe a sense of worthlessness (low status compared with their dominant aggressor); hopelessness (no peers to come to their aid); and hopelessness (a sense they can鈥檛 win, so why bother trying?)鈥� Unlike adults who are better able to remove themselves from toxic hierarchies, adolescents and young adults are often stuck. Legally required to stay in schools where they may be mocked or bullied, and socially or financially tied to neighbourhoods or families in which they may be disregarded, many adolescents just can鈥檛 escape. 136.
鈥ild adolescents have their competition right in front of them. [A hyena] didn鈥檛 have to prove himself to his clan members by day and then at night contemplate his relative rank to the ..; dozens of clans nearby in the Serengeti, and all the other hyena clans in parks and zoos in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. He didn鈥檛 have to ponder what life would be like as a jackal instead, or a hunting dog, wolf, or leopard seal. 鈥� Remember that the Social Brain Network (SBN) helps animals process, decode and act on social information鈥� But this system evolved in animals experiencing not constant, but periodic, assessments. In modern human life, the assessment has become perpetual, and it often starts well before wildhood is even under way. P152
鈥� throughout nature there鈥檚 a noticeable lag, a waiting period between the completion of puberty and the onset of breeding. Becoming a sexually mature adult, behaviourally and emotionally, takes time. And so, even at the earliest stages of their lives, wild animals are receiving sex education. However, their curriculum focuses not on copulation but rather on communication. Maturing animals must learn how to express and read desire in themselves and others. 162.
鈥� in nature, a successful wildhood involves not tutelage in the physical risks of sex, but rather a sophisticated and nuanced education in courtship, in reading a potential partner鈥檚 signals. 鈥� Practicing courtship is the process of learning to balance excitement and inhibition. It鈥檚 learning the animal messages that signal 鈥渘o鈥� to partners as specifically and strongly as they signal 鈥測es鈥�. In some species, including arguably our own, this part of becoming reproductively mature can take years. In short, sex is easy. Romance is hard. P164
The nature documentary, a genre invented and largely produced by mature men, has for decades been a primary source of information about wild animals for the general public. These entertaining, if misleading, portraits reflected at least as much about the culture and characteristics of the humans behind the cameras as they have about the wild animals in front of them. 鈥� Wild animals may be adult-sized and appear to be sexually active, but that doesn鈥檛 mean they are. More tentative, inexperienced, cringe-y adolescent sexuality has rarely been the focus of these programs. The celibate reality of many adolescent animals perhaps doesn鈥檛 make for the best TV. / The truth about adolescent sex in the wild is much more nuanced. Rarely in documentaries do you see adolescents being kept from mating by older, dominant group members, or young adults staying in the nest for a few seasons, passing up the chance to breed. You don鈥檛 see young adult female gorillas, already sexually mature and cycling normally, continuing to play as if they were juveniles, ignored by mature males as possible mates. You don鈥檛 see all the social practicing, the trying-on of roles. The testing behaviours. You don鈥檛 see a lot of younger animals being unreceptive to 鈥� leery of 鈥� sex. 172/3.
According to the WHO, the leading cause of death worldwide for girls ages fifteen to nineteen, is pregnancy related complications. 175
Whether mating partners are rainbow trout, anole lizards, bald eagles or human beings, sexual intercourse follows essentially the same patterned behaviour. What sets each species and each individual apart, what confers uniqueness and beauty on cultures and individuals, is not the sex act, but rather the special behaviours that allow two individuals to express desire and consent. 192
Maturity is a collection of skills and experiences, the competencies that come from realizing and facing the four fundamental tests of wildhood. 259
Personal agency, ability and grit do contribute to 鈥渕aking it.鈥� But even the luckiest young adult animals see their successes and failures 鈥� sometimes their very fates hings on the world they鈥檙e privileged or doomed to head into. 260
For all living creatures, growing up means leaving the past behind for an unknown future. Once the tests have been taken, the skills practiced, and the experiences coalesced, there may be an ineffable, unmarked moment when a creature feels safe enough, social enough, sexually confident enough, and self-reliant enough to begin focusing attention outward 鈥� towards others. To recognize one鈥檚 responsibilities beyond the self. Perhaps this is the moment wildhood begins giving way to adulthood. 261
The reality is that every human must follow a developmental path from infancy through childhood and on to an independent adult life and that pathway will inevitably pass through an extended period of adolescence. Each of those stages of development presents not only the child but also the parents with distinct challenges. It is because we all pass through the same process that we can recognise ourselves in our children and our parents in ourselves. And it is because the environment is continually changing 鈥� often radically 鈥� that there is no single right way to manage this process.
Humans are an evolved species. Our biological heritage includes physical, emotional and behavioural features that are all available for scientific study within a range of related disciplines, from biochemistry through anatomy to developmental psychology and anthropology. We share a great deal of this heritage with other species, with all of whom we share common ancestors, so that our understanding of their biology frequently sheds light on human biology. This book makes use of animal studies to investigate and explain the developmental process by which dependent children become independent adults.
Even in humans it is hard to fix on an accurate definition for the process in question here. It is not accurate to restrict it to teenagers (physical maturity does not arrive until about 25) and adolescence is also ambiguous. Other species have obvious differences 鈥� for example on their typical life span. The authors therefore devised the term 鈥渨ildhood鈥� to capture the relevant stage of development across species, including humans, animals, fish, birds and even some insects. It is a time when they are no longer children but physically, behaviourally and emotionally they lack the resources necessary for independent life.
The authors argue that without animal studies it would be far more difficult to study and understand 鈥渨ildhood鈥� in humans. Animal studies can deploy experimental methods that would be unethical with humans. They often bring fundamental processes to light which are harder to recognise in humans, or even buried. Obviously, one consideration is that humans retain inherited biological attributes whose expression is mediated or completely suppressed by learned and cultural restraints; they may lurk as anxiety or unexplained stress.
It is relevant that the authors are female. They point to a number of widely held beliefs that arise from the sexism of male scientists and in several places to the corrective supplied by the arrival of women scientists. As always, the 鈥渋deological bias鈥� that needs correction here is not from feminists but from sexists.
Wildhood is a developmental stage that can be observed across the animal kingdom and the authors organise their findings around four major challenges that every creature must address in order to reach adulthood: how to stay safe from predators, how to navigate social hierarchies, how to communicate sexually and how to leave the nest and care for oneself.
The result is not only a fascinating nature study, filled with anecdotes and illustrations from across the animal kingdom. It is an invitation to view human adolescents and young adults through a lens that appreciates the reasons they behave as they do, the nature of the challenges they face and the types of support that might, perhaps, be of most help. It also makes clear the many ways in which adolescents are, in fact, vulnerable and likely to come to harm. The challenge is to watch them as they take risks, which they must do in order to reach maturity, while working to limit the extent of the damage that might arise from that.
Quotes
During wildhood, humans and other animals are predator na茂ve. Their inexperience attracts attackers and exploiters who see them as easy prey. Predator training 鈥� learning to recognize and deter individuals with violent intentions 鈥� may save their lives and prepare them to be more confident animals. P19
Seriously depressed adolescents and young adult humans often describe feelings of worthlessness, helplessness and hopelessness. They say they feel as if nothing they do will help or change their state of mind. This is practically a definition of the loser effect at work in groups of fish, birds, mammals and crustaceans. If defeated lobsters and hyenas could express themselves with words, they might describe a sense of worthlessness (low status compared with their dominant aggressor); hopelessness (no peers to come to their aid); and hopelessness (a sense they can鈥檛 win, so why bother trying?)鈥� Unlike adults who are better able to remove themselves from toxic hierarchies, adolescents and young adults are often stuck. Legally required to stay in schools where they may be mocked or bullied, and socially or financially tied to neighbourhoods or families in which they may be disregarded, many adolescents just can鈥檛 escape. 136.
鈥ild adolescents have their competition right in front of them. [A hyena] didn鈥檛 have to prove himself to his clan members by day and then at night contemplate his relative rank to the ..; dozens of clans nearby in the Serengeti, and all the other hyena clans in parks and zoos in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. He didn鈥檛 have to ponder what life would be like as a jackal instead, or a hunting dog, wolf, or leopard seal. 鈥� Remember that the Social Brain Network (SBN) helps animals process, decode and act on social information鈥� But this system evolved in animals experiencing not constant, but periodic, assessments. In modern human life, the assessment has become perpetual, and it often starts well before wildhood is even under way. P152
鈥� throughout nature there鈥檚 a noticeable lag, a waiting period between the completion of puberty and the onset of breeding. Becoming a sexually mature adult, behaviourally and emotionally, takes time. And so, even at the earliest stages of their lives, wild animals are receiving sex education. However, their curriculum focuses not on copulation but rather on communication. Maturing animals must learn how to express and read desire in themselves and others. 162.
鈥� in nature, a successful wildhood involves not tutelage in the physical risks of sex, but rather a sophisticated and nuanced education in courtship, in reading a potential partner鈥檚 signals. 鈥� Practicing courtship is the process of learning to balance excitement and inhibition. It鈥檚 learning the animal messages that signal 鈥渘o鈥� to partners as specifically and strongly as they signal 鈥測es鈥�. In some species, including arguably our own, this part of becoming reproductively mature can take years. In short, sex is easy. Romance is hard. P164
The nature documentary, a genre invented and largely produced by mature men, has for decades been a primary source of information about wild animals for the general public. These entertaining, if misleading, portraits reflected at least as much about the culture and characteristics of the humans behind the cameras as they have about the wild animals in front of them. 鈥� Wild animals may be adult-sized and appear to be sexually active, but that doesn鈥檛 mean they are. More tentative, inexperienced, cringe-y adolescent sexuality has rarely been the focus of these programs. The celibate reality of many adolescent animals perhaps doesn鈥檛 make for the best TV. / The truth about adolescent sex in the wild is much more nuanced. Rarely in documentaries do you see adolescents being kept from mating by older, dominant group members, or young adults staying in the nest for a few seasons, passing up the chance to breed. You don鈥檛 see young adult female gorillas, already sexually mature and cycling normally, continuing to play as if they were juveniles, ignored by mature males as possible mates. You don鈥檛 see all the social practicing, the trying-on of roles. The testing behaviours. You don鈥檛 see a lot of younger animals being unreceptive to 鈥� leery of 鈥� sex. 172/3.
According to the WHO, the leading cause of death worldwide for girls ages fifteen to nineteen, is pregnancy related complications. 175
Whether mating partners are rainbow trout, anole lizards, bald eagles or human beings, sexual intercourse follows essentially the same patterned behaviour. What sets each species and each individual apart, what confers uniqueness and beauty on cultures and individuals, is not the sex act, but rather the special behaviours that allow two individuals to express desire and consent. 192
Maturity is a collection of skills and experiences, the competencies that come from realizing and facing the four fundamental tests of wildhood. 259
Personal agency, ability and grit do contribute to 鈥渕aking it.鈥� But even the luckiest young adult animals see their successes and failures 鈥� sometimes their very fates hings on the world they鈥檙e privileged or doomed to head into. 260
For all living creatures, growing up means leaving the past behind for an unknown future. Once the tests have been taken, the skills practiced, and the experiences coalesced, there may be an ineffable, unmarked moment when a creature feels safe enough, social enough, sexually confident enough, and self-reliant enough to begin focusing attention outward 鈥� towards others. To recognize one鈥檚 responsibilities beyond the self. Perhaps this is the moment wildhood begins giving way to adulthood. 261
March 23, 2023
Lots of information about adolescent animals - too bad my teenager is now 32.
October 5, 2019
EXCELLENT book. I found myself highlighting and tabbing multiple pages, and sending texts to teacher friends with the cover and telling them THEY MUST READ. Any adult who has kids or works with kids should read this book, as it makes very good points about issues that kids deal with during adolescence, many of them things that drive the adults around them to distraction - why they do what they do, and how it's essential to them learning to be successful adults.
I would never have thought about the premise of nature copying humans and vice versa in their adolescence, but...it makes so much sense when finally presented with the loads of information. BUT - this book is not a dry, factual treatise. It is *extremely* readable, and really quite fascinating. A future Staff Pick at the Powell's PDX store.
I would never have thought about the premise of nature copying humans and vice versa in their adolescence, but...it makes so much sense when finally presented with the loads of information. BUT - this book is not a dry, factual treatise. It is *extremely* readable, and really quite fascinating. A future Staff Pick at the Powell's PDX store.
December 24, 2019
Like adolescence, this book has some awkward parts but you come out okay in the end. 馃槃
Highlights were some of the narratives. I especially liked the tale of the hyena that climbed the social ladder. I am continuously surprised by phenotypic plasticity, ex- the variants in behaviors in animals. The author makes a good case of the major transitions mammals experience in wildhood.
Some critiques are: many sentences are simply repeated many times. It looked like it could have used an editor as it was occasionally frustrating. Also, the links to human adolescence were uneven. Sometimes they fit in well and other times felt distracting.
Still, the book was fun, the narratives were engaging, I got to learn about animals, and it was a good length. I enjoyed it!
Highlights were some of the narratives. I especially liked the tale of the hyena that climbed the social ladder. I am continuously surprised by phenotypic plasticity, ex- the variants in behaviors in animals. The author makes a good case of the major transitions mammals experience in wildhood.
Some critiques are: many sentences are simply repeated many times. It looked like it could have used an editor as it was occasionally frustrating. Also, the links to human adolescence were uneven. Sometimes they fit in well and other times felt distracting.
Still, the book was fun, the narratives were engaging, I got to learn about animals, and it was a good length. I enjoyed it!
September 25, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Then again, I鈥檓 a psychologist trained in a developmental perspective with a significant interest in non-human animal behavior, so it really couldn鈥檛 possibly have been more directly targeted at me. Any comparative discussion of behavior involves telling some just-so stories, and these authors don鈥檛 escape that, but they make good arguments and share intriguing insights. I learned some things, and I liked it. :)
January 3, 2020
If you have a teenager, know teenagers or were ever a teenager yourself, this is a must read. That animal adolescents are so similar to human adolescents is amazing. And the book written by a female scientist gives a somewhat unique perspective. Highly recommend.
Read
July 29, 2020The authors steer clear of excesses of ethology or anthropomorphism, and they emphasise that maturity is not a goal but a process. A lucid, entertaining account of how creatures of many kinds learn to navigate the complex world that adulthood opens.
Kirkus
A life-changing perspective on adolescents. A treasure trove of scientific exploration and practical implications for how we understand and support youth.
Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain
Human teens have much in common with their counterparts throughout the animal kingdom 鈥� and those commonalities are eye-opening as described in the latest from biologist Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Bowers. Reassuring ... should appeal to anyone who鈥檚 ever raised an adolescent, human or otherwise. STARRED REVIEW
Publishers Weekly
Paradigm-shattering. This illuminating new book generates dozens of hypotheses for raising, educating, counselling and treating, and living life as an adolescent human.
Gene Beresin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
It blew my mind to discover that teenage animals and teenage humans are so similar. Both are na茂ve risk-takers. I love this book!
Temple Grandin, PHD, author of Animals Make Us Human and ANimals in Translation
This fascinating book tells the compelling story of adolescence across species, framed in the convincing context of evolutionary and adaptive explanations.
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain
Unfailingly fascinating 鈥� and sometimes downright mind-blowing 鈥� this is a remarkably original account of the nature, meaning, and purpose of adolescence in today鈥檚 world 鈥� Wildhood is one of the most insightful books ever written about this critically important stage of life.
Laurence Steinberg, University Professor of Psychology, Temple University, and author fo Age of Opportunity
Deeply researched and beautifully written, this account of the trials faced by teenagers across the animal kingdom inspires compassion for young people and appreciation for what they must accomplish on the journey into adulthood.
Lida Damour, PHD, author of Under Pressure and Untangled
A masterpiece. This is a spellbinding lens on the ways creatures with big bodies yet little life experience figure out how to survive and thrive. Read Wildhood.
Wendy Mogel, PHD, author of Voice Lessons for Parents and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Our teenage years can be many things, from fraught to exhilarating. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers show them to be something else altogether 鈥� essential for humans and animals. Read their enlightening journey and you will never see the transition to adulthood the same way again.
Neil Shubin, PHD, author of Your Inner Fish and The Universe Within
奥颈濒诲丑辞辞诲鈥檚 tour of the natural history of adolescence is original, entertaining and constructive, full of ideas for understanding it better.
Richard Wrangham, PHD, author of The Goodness Paradox and Catching Fire
Wise, entrancing and astounding.
Daniel E. Lieberman, PHD, author of The Story of the Human Body: evolution, health and disease
An incredibly fascinating read, Wildhood illuminates what humans can learn from the animal world and how all species are more connected to one another than they may appear. STARRED REVIEW
Booklist
This compelling account of how strongly human adolescent behaviours are rooted in our wild animal past should intrigue general science readers and fans of Zoobiquity.
Library Journal
The wild adventure of adolescence has never been analysed in such depth. In lively personalised accounts that keep our attention, the authors explain how the transition to independence works in each species, and why it looks so similar across the board.
Frans de Wall, PHD, author of Mama鈥檚 Last Hug and Our Inner Ape
Those travails of adolescence? It isn鈥檛 just you. Or your culture. Or even your species. Wildhood uses riveting stories about the challenges overcome by specific whales, wolves, and more to put the challenges of adolescence in a universal evolutionary context for the first time. Groundbreaking and fascinating.
Randolph M. Nesse, MD, author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Adolescence isn't just for humans. Here an evolutionary biologist offers up rollicking tales of young animals navigating risk, social hierarchy, and sex with all the bravura (and dopiness) of our own teenage beasts.
People
All this time spent reading books on adulting can be harrowing for a worried parent who isn鈥檛 entirely sold on the survival skills of her teenage son. I needed some reassurance 鈥� Luckily, I found it with a king penguin, a hyena, a humpback whale and a wolf 鈥� Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers 鈥� follow this cast of characters as they face the trials of making it into adulthood in their savage and competitive worlds. You don鈥檛 even need to anthropomorphise to find some of the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar.
Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review
Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Kathryn Bowers draw fascinating connections between human and animal young adulthood.
Laura Pearson, The Chicago Tribune, 鈥�28 New Books Your Need to Read Now鈥�
The vivid storytelling and fascinating scientific digressions in Wildhood make it a pleasurable read.
Patrick J. Kiger, Los Angeles Times
There is much here for the nature lover, the parent seeking advice, and the college freshman tackling 鈥榓dulting.鈥� By laying out the adolescent experience of so many species in rich detail, the authors normalise and celebrate the beauty and complexity of our own species鈥� journey into the big wide world.
Linda Welbrecht, Science Magazine
Take the authors up on their invitation to observe animals in the wild and in your own household, and you鈥檒l never look at other beings the same again. Wildhood is for parents, nature lovers, and the curious alike. You鈥檒l be wild for it.
Terri Schlichenmeyer, Times Record
Reading [Wildhood], I was surprised to see that many of the adolescent behaviours humans exhibit are wired in for adolescents of most species. This may not provide much consolation for you as you try to guide your teen through the dangers of risk-taking, but it provides insights into how much your teen is exhibiting normal adolescent behaviour shared with birds and monkeys. Most importantly, it鈥檚 a reminder that this is usually not about you.
Mark Phillips, Marin Independent Journal
A fascinating and well-written book about the universal journey of adolescence. It is full of insights about humans as well as many other animals. There is much that human teenagers can learn from the experiences of adolescent penguins and hyenas.
Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens
Lively and eye-opening.
Miriam Cosic, The Australian
Engaging and informative 鈥� Wildhood is a fascinating read that provides a powerful new lens on the tricky transition to adulthood.
Rebekah Lyell, NZ Booklovers
Adolescence may seem unique to the human experience, but Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers vividly reveal that many species navigate this crucial time between childhood and adulthood, which they so aptly call 鈥榳ildhood鈥�.
Booklist, Top 10 Sci-Tech Books of the Year
Wildhood is a contemplation of how we are like, and unlike, other animals, using the widespread phenomenon of adolescence as an anchor 鈥� Readers will come away with an appreciation for a host of other qualities 鈥� friendship, social status, cooperation, leaving home and coming back 鈥� that are rooted in that one crucial stage of life.
Marlene Zuk, The Wall Street Journal
Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers go deep and wide in addressing the raft of species-spanning equivalents. The authors make clear that, in a fundamental sense, adolescent animals and teen humans encounter the same sorts of challenges 鈥� and that what may strike elders of any species as nutty, exasperating behaviour is not only inevitable for most creatures in that stage of development but truly valuable.
Duncan Strauss, Washington Post
Wildhood is a thoroughly engaging study of the in-between years and the strands of commonality that run through the awkward adolescences of so many species. The book will teach you things about the torments and ecstasies you endured during your own in-between years, and it may incline you to look more kindly on the desperate, low-status blunderings of the teenagers who occasionally show up in your own home and on your own tax forms.
Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review
Wildhood is a look at human behaviour through the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, The Herald Sun
In Wildhood, the authors examine how human adolescence is rooted in our animals past and influences how we navigate the transition ... Wildhood is a look at human behaviour throughout the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is funny, informative and fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, Life & Style Weekend
Adolescence collides spectacularly with the tree of life in Wildhood 鈥� It turns out that adolescents all across the animal kingdom do the same things, and for good evolutionary reasons 鈥� [The book] obliterates the siren song of human exceptionalism 鈥� Reading this book is enlightening, both scientifically and personally.
Carlo C. Maley, Evolution, Medicine & Public Health
Kirkus
A life-changing perspective on adolescents. A treasure trove of scientific exploration and practical implications for how we understand and support youth.
Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain
Human teens have much in common with their counterparts throughout the animal kingdom 鈥� and those commonalities are eye-opening as described in the latest from biologist Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Bowers. Reassuring ... should appeal to anyone who鈥檚 ever raised an adolescent, human or otherwise. STARRED REVIEW
Publishers Weekly
Paradigm-shattering. This illuminating new book generates dozens of hypotheses for raising, educating, counselling and treating, and living life as an adolescent human.
Gene Beresin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
It blew my mind to discover that teenage animals and teenage humans are so similar. Both are na茂ve risk-takers. I love this book!
Temple Grandin, PHD, author of Animals Make Us Human and ANimals in Translation
This fascinating book tells the compelling story of adolescence across species, framed in the convincing context of evolutionary and adaptive explanations.
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain
Unfailingly fascinating 鈥� and sometimes downright mind-blowing 鈥� this is a remarkably original account of the nature, meaning, and purpose of adolescence in today鈥檚 world 鈥� Wildhood is one of the most insightful books ever written about this critically important stage of life.
Laurence Steinberg, University Professor of Psychology, Temple University, and author fo Age of Opportunity
Deeply researched and beautifully written, this account of the trials faced by teenagers across the animal kingdom inspires compassion for young people and appreciation for what they must accomplish on the journey into adulthood.
Lida Damour, PHD, author of Under Pressure and Untangled
A masterpiece. This is a spellbinding lens on the ways creatures with big bodies yet little life experience figure out how to survive and thrive. Read Wildhood.
Wendy Mogel, PHD, author of Voice Lessons for Parents and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Our teenage years can be many things, from fraught to exhilarating. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers show them to be something else altogether 鈥� essential for humans and animals. Read their enlightening journey and you will never see the transition to adulthood the same way again.
Neil Shubin, PHD, author of Your Inner Fish and The Universe Within
奥颈濒诲丑辞辞诲鈥檚 tour of the natural history of adolescence is original, entertaining and constructive, full of ideas for understanding it better.
Richard Wrangham, PHD, author of The Goodness Paradox and Catching Fire
Wise, entrancing and astounding.
Daniel E. Lieberman, PHD, author of The Story of the Human Body: evolution, health and disease
An incredibly fascinating read, Wildhood illuminates what humans can learn from the animal world and how all species are more connected to one another than they may appear. STARRED REVIEW
Booklist
This compelling account of how strongly human adolescent behaviours are rooted in our wild animal past should intrigue general science readers and fans of Zoobiquity.
Library Journal
The wild adventure of adolescence has never been analysed in such depth. In lively personalised accounts that keep our attention, the authors explain how the transition to independence works in each species, and why it looks so similar across the board.
Frans de Wall, PHD, author of Mama鈥檚 Last Hug and Our Inner Ape
Those travails of adolescence? It isn鈥檛 just you. Or your culture. Or even your species. Wildhood uses riveting stories about the challenges overcome by specific whales, wolves, and more to put the challenges of adolescence in a universal evolutionary context for the first time. Groundbreaking and fascinating.
Randolph M. Nesse, MD, author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings
Adolescence isn't just for humans. Here an evolutionary biologist offers up rollicking tales of young animals navigating risk, social hierarchy, and sex with all the bravura (and dopiness) of our own teenage beasts.
People
All this time spent reading books on adulting can be harrowing for a worried parent who isn鈥檛 entirely sold on the survival skills of her teenage son. I needed some reassurance 鈥� Luckily, I found it with a king penguin, a hyena, a humpback whale and a wolf 鈥� Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers 鈥� follow this cast of characters as they face the trials of making it into adulthood in their savage and competitive worlds. You don鈥檛 even need to anthropomorphise to find some of the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar.
Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review
Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Kathryn Bowers draw fascinating connections between human and animal young adulthood.
Laura Pearson, The Chicago Tribune, 鈥�28 New Books Your Need to Read Now鈥�
The vivid storytelling and fascinating scientific digressions in Wildhood make it a pleasurable read.
Patrick J. Kiger, Los Angeles Times
There is much here for the nature lover, the parent seeking advice, and the college freshman tackling 鈥榓dulting.鈥� By laying out the adolescent experience of so many species in rich detail, the authors normalise and celebrate the beauty and complexity of our own species鈥� journey into the big wide world.
Linda Welbrecht, Science Magazine
Take the authors up on their invitation to observe animals in the wild and in your own household, and you鈥檒l never look at other beings the same again. Wildhood is for parents, nature lovers, and the curious alike. You鈥檒l be wild for it.
Terri Schlichenmeyer, Times Record
Reading [Wildhood], I was surprised to see that many of the adolescent behaviours humans exhibit are wired in for adolescents of most species. This may not provide much consolation for you as you try to guide your teen through the dangers of risk-taking, but it provides insights into how much your teen is exhibiting normal adolescent behaviour shared with birds and monkeys. Most importantly, it鈥檚 a reminder that this is usually not about you.
Mark Phillips, Marin Independent Journal
A fascinating and well-written book about the universal journey of adolescence. It is full of insights about humans as well as many other animals. There is much that human teenagers can learn from the experiences of adolescent penguins and hyenas.
Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens
Lively and eye-opening.
Miriam Cosic, The Australian
Engaging and informative 鈥� Wildhood is a fascinating read that provides a powerful new lens on the tricky transition to adulthood.
Rebekah Lyell, NZ Booklovers
Adolescence may seem unique to the human experience, but Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers vividly reveal that many species navigate this crucial time between childhood and adulthood, which they so aptly call 鈥榳ildhood鈥�.
Booklist, Top 10 Sci-Tech Books of the Year
Wildhood is a contemplation of how we are like, and unlike, other animals, using the widespread phenomenon of adolescence as an anchor 鈥� Readers will come away with an appreciation for a host of other qualities 鈥� friendship, social status, cooperation, leaving home and coming back 鈥� that are rooted in that one crucial stage of life.
Marlene Zuk, The Wall Street Journal
Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers go deep and wide in addressing the raft of species-spanning equivalents. The authors make clear that, in a fundamental sense, adolescent animals and teen humans encounter the same sorts of challenges 鈥� and that what may strike elders of any species as nutty, exasperating behaviour is not only inevitable for most creatures in that stage of development but truly valuable.
Duncan Strauss, Washington Post
Wildhood is a thoroughly engaging study of the in-between years and the strands of commonality that run through the awkward adolescences of so many species. The book will teach you things about the torments and ecstasies you endured during your own in-between years, and it may incline you to look more kindly on the desperate, low-status blunderings of the teenagers who occasionally show up in your own home and on your own tax forms.
Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review
Wildhood is a look at human behaviour through the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, The Herald Sun
In Wildhood, the authors examine how human adolescence is rooted in our animals past and influences how we navigate the transition ... Wildhood is a look at human behaviour throughout the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is funny, informative and fascinating.
Jeff Maynard, Life & Style Weekend
Adolescence collides spectacularly with the tree of life in Wildhood 鈥� It turns out that adolescents all across the animal kingdom do the same things, and for good evolutionary reasons 鈥� [The book] obliterates the siren song of human exceptionalism 鈥� Reading this book is enlightening, both scientifically and personally.
Carlo C. Maley, Evolution, Medicine & Public Health
October 14, 2019
This book is multi-disciplinary. It looks at the period in which 4 different animals pass from babyhood to learning to be on their own. The 4 animals are a king penguins a hyena, humpback whale, and wolf. All have been tagged by radio though the radios are no longer working. The presumptions are two: that various (all birds and mammals?) have an adolescent period in which they learn how to be adults on their own; and that their experiences offer insight and parallels to our own children's adolescence. Underlying but not specifically expressed presumptions I thinker that "our own" is "First World" nations/cultures and that adolescence can run from 16 or so through the late 20s (as seen in a number of households with adult-by-age offspring that are still living with their parents).
Each animal is looked at gaining ability to live on their own in different respects (though of course all must learn this for each respect). The female king penguin learns how to identify predators and escape them; the male hyena learns how to negotiate his status in his natal group; the female humpback whale learns how to negotiate sexual encounters and coercion; the male wolf learns how to become self-reliant while seeking a new living area many hundreds of miles away from his natal area.
Because data were gathered on each animal by radio and/or observation, these vignettes of each animal are not (entirely) imagined composites but actual happenings. It is good to look at the challenges adolescents face in each of these species and then consider how these challenges play out amongst our own adolescents--and importantly all challenges are going on at the same time. I am not so sure that these studies produce sensible hypotheses "for raising, educating, counseling and treating" adolescent humans as one of the review blurbs states on the back cover. But as I say it is good to look at the problems as a construct set (and there surely are more problems adolescents must learn to deal with than just these four). What I don't see is how to transfer a roaming wolf's experiences to an adolescent's going away to college or entering the armed forces or the Peace Corps. Each milieu is more or less strictly ordered, the groups the adolescent enters more or less changing in number, purpose, inter alia. There is much musing in each story about how to apply the animal's situation to ours that I found a little strained.
Each animal is looked at gaining ability to live on their own in different respects (though of course all must learn this for each respect). The female king penguin learns how to identify predators and escape them; the male hyena learns how to negotiate his status in his natal group; the female humpback whale learns how to negotiate sexual encounters and coercion; the male wolf learns how to become self-reliant while seeking a new living area many hundreds of miles away from his natal area.
Because data were gathered on each animal by radio and/or observation, these vignettes of each animal are not (entirely) imagined composites but actual happenings. It is good to look at the challenges adolescents face in each of these species and then consider how these challenges play out amongst our own adolescents--and importantly all challenges are going on at the same time. I am not so sure that these studies produce sensible hypotheses "for raising, educating, counseling and treating" adolescent humans as one of the review blurbs states on the back cover. But as I say it is good to look at the problems as a construct set (and there surely are more problems adolescents must learn to deal with than just these four). What I don't see is how to transfer a roaming wolf's experiences to an adolescent's going away to college or entering the armed forces or the Peace Corps. Each milieu is more or less strictly ordered, the groups the adolescent enters more or less changing in number, purpose, inter alia. There is much musing in each story about how to apply the animal's situation to ours that I found a little strained.
February 2, 2020
Fascinating book about the growing up and the learning gap between childhood and adulthood. Bio-inspiration is a term used to define understanding how the world work through the lens of evolutionary biology. Similar to Bio-mimicry, nature has the way to solve problems we face for hundreds million of years so why not we learn from nature.
Psychological pathway from childhood to adulthood is intriguing. I like the explanation from the author that for one to become mature it doesn鈥檛 require just physical readiness but emotionally and skill set to become adult, to live and not just survive. Human has long struggled to come to terms with adolescent. Animal world faces similar challenges because young adults also have to lean all the skills before they can wander off on their own.
Learning to stay safe, navigating themself to fit in the society among different status, communicating about love in order to have sex and self-reliance are four major areas ones need to navigate though the period authors term 鈥淲ildhood鈥�
They follow four young adults of King Penguin, Hyena, Humpback Whale and European wolf through their journey across the world and stitching together multi-disciplinary knowledges of human adolescent. It is fascinating how similar we are with young animals.
The book blends information and stories from the field very well. The author, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, is an Harvard evolutionary biologist and award-winning science writer Kathryn Bowers. It is interesting to see such a nice collaboration that yield such a good result.
This is a well written science book that worth reading. The twist and turn could have been a bit better. I mean comparing to 鈥淏eyond words by Carl Safina鈥� it falls a little short with emotional engagement. Still a very good book deserving five stars.
Psychological pathway from childhood to adulthood is intriguing. I like the explanation from the author that for one to become mature it doesn鈥檛 require just physical readiness but emotionally and skill set to become adult, to live and not just survive. Human has long struggled to come to terms with adolescent. Animal world faces similar challenges because young adults also have to lean all the skills before they can wander off on their own.
Learning to stay safe, navigating themself to fit in the society among different status, communicating about love in order to have sex and self-reliance are four major areas ones need to navigate though the period authors term 鈥淲ildhood鈥�
They follow four young adults of King Penguin, Hyena, Humpback Whale and European wolf through their journey across the world and stitching together multi-disciplinary knowledges of human adolescent. It is fascinating how similar we are with young animals.
The book blends information and stories from the field very well. The author, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, is an Harvard evolutionary biologist and award-winning science writer Kathryn Bowers. It is interesting to see such a nice collaboration that yield such a good result.
This is a well written science book that worth reading. The twist and turn could have been a bit better. I mean comparing to 鈥淏eyond words by Carl Safina鈥� it falls a little short with emotional engagement. Still a very good book deserving five stars.
April 21, 2021
This is one of the best books I've read in recent history.
WILDHOOD is essentially about the transition to adulthood of both humans as other animals. The more I read about animals, their culture, and their life the more similarities i see with humans but that isn鈥檛 the only reason to read this book. Animal species have such intelligence and skills that we as a whole don鈥檛 recognize and it is fascinating. This book is a joint effort between and evolutionary biologist and animal behaviorist and it does not disappoints.
Book is broken into four sections of four high stakes tests to be successful adults:
How to be safe: How to parents of animals and humans teach safety is wide but same premises exist. mentoring is important but the risks we see teenagers make has to have an evolutionary stand point as it鈥檚 so ubiquitous so this is about learning about dangers. fish protected form predators never learn to identify dangers so if released die... turns out social learning is important for things we thought were instinct. much more in the book
how to navigate social hierarchies: there is never a level playing field unfortunately. whether based on birth rite or looks all animals have hierarchies and social standings. learning to navigate helps survival. social skills can be honed to imperiled standing much like lower status people can climb social ladders many times this is by meeting new people in higher places. while difficult to see that to some degrees racism, fear of others, and nepotism has animal roots and likely an evolutionary history it鈥檚 not really surprising and if you read likely has survival benefits (other looking animals in a group leads to predation, nepotism makes life more peaceful.) it certainly doesn鈥檛 mean we as humans have to continue to do it.
how to connect romantically: all animals must practice this. even flies
how to leave independently. while millennials have been criticized for coming back to home for help this happens in all species and even in humans in past decades. dispersing or leaving family homes is dangerous in ALL animals. need to have resources, home , able to care for self. this may be doable earlier in times such post wwiii where soldiers given cheap homes from government but when times are harder getting extra support as a young adult often necessary. animal parents may also help adult offspring for a prolonged time when necessary.
while there were many short examples of different species there were a few animals who were used as examples throughout the book.
a predator naive penguin starting out on her dispersion journey and jumping into the leopard seal infested water with her peers . a young hyena twin who was born into low social status but gains status by befriending other hyenas and leaves his group multiple time to move to places where he had more status. A humpback whale. an independent wolf trying to find his way and learn to hunt.
it even discusses the risks of depression from bullying or isolation that occurs across species and how now with social media adolescents status is being judged 24/7 unlike in old times when while at school or public if occurred or in animals when animals are out but the den or home had previously been safe!
thus coming of age is volatile, difficult, and dangerous across species. many of the animals who are found and killed in neighborhoods, on the road, etc are adolescents struggling to survive and find their way.
WILDHOOD is essentially about the transition to adulthood of both humans as other animals. The more I read about animals, their culture, and their life the more similarities i see with humans but that isn鈥檛 the only reason to read this book. Animal species have such intelligence and skills that we as a whole don鈥檛 recognize and it is fascinating. This book is a joint effort between and evolutionary biologist and animal behaviorist and it does not disappoints.
Book is broken into four sections of four high stakes tests to be successful adults:
How to be safe: How to parents of animals and humans teach safety is wide but same premises exist. mentoring is important but the risks we see teenagers make has to have an evolutionary stand point as it鈥檚 so ubiquitous so this is about learning about dangers. fish protected form predators never learn to identify dangers so if released die... turns out social learning is important for things we thought were instinct. much more in the book
how to navigate social hierarchies: there is never a level playing field unfortunately. whether based on birth rite or looks all animals have hierarchies and social standings. learning to navigate helps survival. social skills can be honed to imperiled standing much like lower status people can climb social ladders many times this is by meeting new people in higher places. while difficult to see that to some degrees racism, fear of others, and nepotism has animal roots and likely an evolutionary history it鈥檚 not really surprising and if you read likely has survival benefits (other looking animals in a group leads to predation, nepotism makes life more peaceful.) it certainly doesn鈥檛 mean we as humans have to continue to do it.
how to connect romantically: all animals must practice this. even flies
how to leave independently. while millennials have been criticized for coming back to home for help this happens in all species and even in humans in past decades. dispersing or leaving family homes is dangerous in ALL animals. need to have resources, home , able to care for self. this may be doable earlier in times such post wwiii where soldiers given cheap homes from government but when times are harder getting extra support as a young adult often necessary. animal parents may also help adult offspring for a prolonged time when necessary.
while there were many short examples of different species there were a few animals who were used as examples throughout the book.
a predator naive penguin starting out on her dispersion journey and jumping into the leopard seal infested water with her peers . a young hyena twin who was born into low social status but gains status by befriending other hyenas and leaves his group multiple time to move to places where he had more status. A humpback whale. an independent wolf trying to find his way and learn to hunt.
it even discusses the risks of depression from bullying or isolation that occurs across species and how now with social media adolescents status is being judged 24/7 unlike in old times when while at school or public if occurred or in animals when animals are out but the den or home had previously been safe!
thus coming of age is volatile, difficult, and dangerous across species. many of the animals who are found and killed in neighborhoods, on the road, etc are adolescents struggling to survive and find their way.
November 26, 2019
I wasn鈥檛 sure about this book in the first pages. The prologue hinted at Two Mothers Do Baby Animals. Although they鈥檙e a scientist and a science writer, would they go too far in avoiding a tone of scientific rigor? Would they push the similarities of human & animal adolescence too far, becoming a trendy how-to guide for parents? Well, let me reassure you鈥攖he authors deliver a solid valuable read. Wildhood is engrossing, provocative, and at times profound, and always based in animal and human behavioral research. We think we鈥檝e 鈥渟een it all鈥� about young animals from the many nature documentaries we鈥檝e all watched. But no. Every page of Wildhood offers an aspect of parent and juvenile behavior, and interaction, in the animal world that astounds and illuminates鈥斺€淚 NEVER knew that.鈥� But let me not imply that Wildhood is just a compendium of 鈥渁mazing things you never knew.鈥� The authors organize the book by four things animals (including us) must learn to make the transition to adulthood: Safety, Status, Sex, and Self-Reliance. That is, learning to (1) not get eaten or otherwise killed, (2) learning to navigate the torturous rules of social engagement and belonging (middle school!), (3) finding and attracting a mate (a lot harder, they emphasize, than the act of procreation), and (4) leaving wildhood and growing up. At the end of the book, we wonder how ANY of us make it, but the authors address that conundrum, too. I admit that some of their human-animal parallels push it a bit, but they usually offer these as possibilities to consider, not proven scientific fact. And the parallels, I find, help us think more deeply about what the evidence does support. Glad I read it.
August 27, 2019
鈥淲ildhood鈥� by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, published by Scribner.
Category 鈥� Animal/Human Studies Publication Date 鈥� September 17, 2019.
Before jumping into this book the reader must understand that this book was written by two scholarly women who used the book as a teaching tool in their college classes. However, saying that, I must admit that there are some fantastic things brought out in this book that could be very helpful for those bringing up teenagers.
This book all started with the two young ladies learning about the 鈥淭riangle of Death鈥� in the Pacific Ocean. This is an area that is inhabited by sharks and few, if any other, animals inhabit this space, that is except for the California Sea Otter. This does not include all of them just the adolescent or teenage sea otters. They discovered that these teenagers took risk and invited danger as a way of growing up. They then likened this to the human teenager who went out a night, drank, and again invited danger. This is only a small assumption that they made from this one occurrence. They explored and found numerous situations in nature that ran parallel to the sea otter. They found that fear become a factor in their lives as well as romance, living alone, and social status.
Again, this is an erudite book but could present some insights into our human behavior. It is definitely worth the time and effort to look into.
Category 鈥� Animal/Human Studies Publication Date 鈥� September 17, 2019.
Before jumping into this book the reader must understand that this book was written by two scholarly women who used the book as a teaching tool in their college classes. However, saying that, I must admit that there are some fantastic things brought out in this book that could be very helpful for those bringing up teenagers.
This book all started with the two young ladies learning about the 鈥淭riangle of Death鈥� in the Pacific Ocean. This is an area that is inhabited by sharks and few, if any other, animals inhabit this space, that is except for the California Sea Otter. This does not include all of them just the adolescent or teenage sea otters. They discovered that these teenagers took risk and invited danger as a way of growing up. They then likened this to the human teenager who went out a night, drank, and again invited danger. This is only a small assumption that they made from this one occurrence. They explored and found numerous situations in nature that ran parallel to the sea otter. They found that fear become a factor in their lives as well as romance, living alone, and social status.
Again, this is an erudite book but could present some insights into our human behavior. It is definitely worth the time and effort to look into.
January 19, 2021
Does your teenager eat you out of house and home? Does your teenager take risks and value their friends' input over yours? It turns out that these behaviors exist in all animals who are going thru this time period called "wildhood" by authors Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers. Yes, our adolescents eat because they are growing, but it is also suspected that they are eating to stock up and prepare for their journey into world. Some animals, such as whales and penguins, need to build up their fat stores to survive cold environments.
The "wildhood" period is dangerous, yet these risk-taking behaviors are "actually a requirement for young adult animals on earth." It is one of the crucial ways in which they learn. There is also a chapter on the importance of learning from peers. Sure, adults can advise their kids. However, the message may not be received until they see it from the perspective of their friends.
Wildhood is chock full of interesting information, on humans and animals. One fact that I found interesting was that of "coordinated physiology". It seems that groups operating together often assume the same rhythms, such as a group of singers synchronizing their cardiac rhythm. "Being part of a group literally changes the physiology of the individual members-transforming them into a new, and often more effective, collective organism."
A fascinating read for human and animal lovers alike!
The "wildhood" period is dangerous, yet these risk-taking behaviors are "actually a requirement for young adult animals on earth." It is one of the crucial ways in which they learn. There is also a chapter on the importance of learning from peers. Sure, adults can advise their kids. However, the message may not be received until they see it from the perspective of their friends.
Wildhood is chock full of interesting information, on humans and animals. One fact that I found interesting was that of "coordinated physiology". It seems that groups operating together often assume the same rhythms, such as a group of singers synchronizing their cardiac rhythm. "Being part of a group literally changes the physiology of the individual members-transforming them into a new, and often more effective, collective organism."
A fascinating read for human and animal lovers alike!
March 9, 2024
The title and description is accurate so if the book looks interesting I would say it's worth the reader's time. I'm not an expert on any of these topics but when there are 51 pages of notes in a 355 page book it seems well-researched.
The very first paragraph sums up what to expect from the book.
"Wildhood, the shared experience of adolescence across species, begins with the physical changes of puberty and ends when an individual has acquired four essential life skills. To become successful adults, all Earth's animals must learn how to: stay safe; negotiate social status; navigate sexuality; and live as adults."
They primarily focused on four wild animals biologists tracked through adolescence and beyond: Ursula the king penguin, Shrink the spotted hyena, Salt the humpback whale, and Slavc the European wolf.
The prologue felt like reading a textbook but the rest of the book had a narrative approach and was much smoother and more readable.
I'm a softie who can't watch animal documentaries and even this book teeters close...it "humanizes" the animals so I felt sad when they were bullied or had to leave their parents but I also cheered for them when they succeeded. I had an especially soft spot for Shrink.
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The very first paragraph sums up what to expect from the book.
"Wildhood, the shared experience of adolescence across species, begins with the physical changes of puberty and ends when an individual has acquired four essential life skills. To become successful adults, all Earth's animals must learn how to: stay safe; negotiate social status; navigate sexuality; and live as adults."
They primarily focused on four wild animals biologists tracked through adolescence and beyond: Ursula the king penguin, Shrink the spotted hyena, Salt the humpback whale, and Slavc the European wolf.
The prologue felt like reading a textbook but the rest of the book had a narrative approach and was much smoother and more readable.
I'm a softie who can't watch animal documentaries and even this book teeters close...it "humanizes" the animals so I felt sad when they were bullied or had to leave their parents but I also cheered for them when they succeeded. I had an especially soft spot for Shrink.
Find all my reviews at:
August 4, 2024
Improbable as it would have seemed to almost all biologists and animal behaviourists, a young king penguin named Ursula ventured into the open Atlantic Ocean in 2007 and launched a three-month journey toward an area off Antarctica. Statistically, one out of three would have died in the predator-dense danger zone where Ursula took the leap.
I heard the story of Ursula on the first page of this book co-authored by an evolutionary biologist and a science journalist.
Ursula's story is legendary. Picture those massive jaws of leopard seals lurking offshore: they are lined with teeth like a tiger's. Visualise the hydrodynamic half-ton of explosive muscle, with action and precision like a missile's. You won't believe Ursula made the leap and swam ten kilometres a day 鈥� alive.
Ursula wasn't the first penguin to jump or dive into the icy water. Many others wait at the water's edge, watching and learning from more experienced peers. They learn a great deal from what we call social learning. We all do. We can learn a lot from what our peers do right, and even from what they mess up. Watching bad things happen to one's cohorts provides a fish, bird, or mammal with lessons one can't get anywhere else.
Most important of all, we learn from the lesson or knowledge of animals - some precious gems gleaned over evolutionary time. That鈥檚 鈥渂ioinspiration.鈥�
I heard the story of Ursula on the first page of this book co-authored by an evolutionary biologist and a science journalist.
Ursula's story is legendary. Picture those massive jaws of leopard seals lurking offshore: they are lined with teeth like a tiger's. Visualise the hydrodynamic half-ton of explosive muscle, with action and precision like a missile's. You won't believe Ursula made the leap and swam ten kilometres a day 鈥� alive.
Ursula wasn't the first penguin to jump or dive into the icy water. Many others wait at the water's edge, watching and learning from more experienced peers. They learn a great deal from what we call social learning. We all do. We can learn a lot from what our peers do right, and even from what they mess up. Watching bad things happen to one's cohorts provides a fish, bird, or mammal with lessons one can't get anywhere else.
Most important of all, we learn from the lesson or knowledge of animals - some precious gems gleaned over evolutionary time. That鈥檚 鈥渂ioinspiration.鈥�
August 30, 2022
This was a great, informative read in animal adolescence and their journies into adulthood. However for me, it had some of the same issues as the authors other book Zoobiquity did. I felt as if a lot of the observations and analysis' were somewhat surface level and could have gone much deeper. Some sections of each chapter were surprisingly short, some barely managing to be a few paragraphs. It was very interesting to see the authors take what most people think as human social issues like bullying and harassment and show how these can be displayed among animals too. It felt like the harassment and s***l a**se section incredibly shallow and lacking in depth. The solutions that they offered were such general and basic solutions, it really felt like they gave that section barely a minute worth of thought. They could have really made some deep analysis' and offered some real solutions but it just felt so quickly written off to me. Otherwise the book had some good and interesting info and it was well written.
June 19, 2019
The authors compare the turbulent teenage and young adult years of various animal species, including human. They call this age "wildhood" (although I must admit I did not click with this created word at all throughout the book -- it does make a great title). The sections of the book are based on what they consider the core competencies learned during these years: staying safe, living with others, sexual communications and taking care of oneself.
The first two sections were excellent -- the comparison to the lives of various animals give insight into how normal some parts of the teenage/young adult experience actually are across species and gave me a lot of food for thought on how I could parent my own kids as well.. The second two sections were not as impressive even while still enjoyable, overshadowed by how good the first two sections were I suppose-- overall the book was a worthwhile read and I expect I'll be reading it again in the future.
The first two sections were excellent -- the comparison to the lives of various animals give insight into how normal some parts of the teenage/young adult experience actually are across species and gave me a lot of food for thought on how I could parent my own kids as well.. The second two sections were not as impressive even while still enjoyable, overshadowed by how good the first two sections were I suppose-- overall the book was a worthwhile read and I expect I'll be reading it again in the future.
October 8, 2019
describes the period of time between childhood and adulthood. We commonly refer to this time as adolescence. I never considered whether other species pass through this awkward time until I saw this book. The authors thoroughly researched the topic and broke it down into four stages: safety, status, sex and self-reliance. Each of the four sections blends human and animal observations, and they seem surprisingly similar. During the status chapters, I saw many parallels with the social challenges we are currently facing across the globe.
If you are a parent, educator or someone who is fascinated by biology, I highly recommend this book.
If you are a parent, educator or someone who is fascinated by biology, I highly recommend this book.
January 22, 2021
沤ivot na Zemi m谩 jednu takovou pozoruhodnou vlastnost. A钮 u啪 v n臎m hled谩te paralelu v podstat臎 k jak茅mukoliv lidsk茅mu chov谩n铆, bu膹te si jisti, 啪e ji najdete. A 膷asto je拧t臎 mnohem v媒razn臎j拧铆. Co啪 bohu啪el vede k tomu, 啪e dan茅 chov谩n铆 b媒v谩 ozna膷eno za "p艡irozen茅", a t铆m ho legitimuj铆 i u lid铆, co啪 n臎kdy b媒v谩 dost nebezpe膷n茅. I proto je antropomorfismus v etologii takov茅 tabu. A nebo, jak 艡铆kal u啪 David Hume, nem暖啪ete odvozovat "m臎l bys" od "jest".
Na druhou stranu, prost臎 se ned谩 pop艡铆t, 啪e lid茅 jsou sou膷谩st铆 p艡铆rody; zejm茅na k vy拧拧铆m obratlovc暖m, savc暖m, prim谩t暖m m谩me hodn臎 bl铆zko a bylo by divn茅, kdybychom s nimi nem臎li leccos spole膷n茅ho, v膷etn臎 chov谩n铆. A pokud se autor srovn谩 s t铆mto v臎dom铆m, nem谩m s n铆m 啪谩dn媒 probl茅m. Co啪 je p艡esn臎 p艡铆pad t茅to knihy, kter茅 vedle sebe obdob铆 p艡erodu od d铆t臎te v dosp臎lce ve 膷ty艡ech r暖zn媒ch oblastech u 膷ty艡 r暖zn媒ch druh暖.
Od dob Naked Ape u啪 jsme do拧li dost daleko, m谩m radost.
Na druhou stranu, prost臎 se ned谩 pop艡铆t, 啪e lid茅 jsou sou膷谩st铆 p艡铆rody; zejm茅na k vy拧拧铆m obratlovc暖m, savc暖m, prim谩t暖m m谩me hodn臎 bl铆zko a bylo by divn茅, kdybychom s nimi nem臎li leccos spole膷n茅ho, v膷etn臎 chov谩n铆. A pokud se autor srovn谩 s t铆mto v臎dom铆m, nem谩m s n铆m 啪谩dn媒 probl茅m. Co啪 je p艡esn臎 p艡铆pad t茅to knihy, kter茅 vedle sebe obdob铆 p艡erodu od d铆t臎te v dosp臎lce ve 膷ty艡ech r暖zn媒ch oblastech u 膷ty艡 r暖zn媒ch druh暖.
Od dob Naked Ape u啪 jsme do拧li dost daleko, m谩m radost.
July 14, 2022
Following up 鈥淶oobiquity鈥�, focused on what the health problems that humans have in common with other animals can tell us, the authors focus this work on examining the surprisingly consistent pattern of adolescent challenges in animals across the animal kingdom. Following a few different animals in adolescence they relate the common challenges of finding food, navigating social status, the intricacies of courtship and setting up their own territories. The authors are not shy about including human adolescents in their discussion, and defend this decision by arguing that a willful denial of these similarities only blind us to the innate components for the difficulty of this development period. Definitely an interesting book that was easy to read and well argued.
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