How to Be Animal
How to Be Animal
Melanie Challenger
Matt Haig
I adore this book. - Matt Haig
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How to Be Animal

How to Be Animal: A New History of What It Means to Be Human

Melanie Challenger
By
Melanie Challenger
3.7
687
ratings on Goodreads

In "How to Be Animal," Melanie Challenger embarks on a profound exploration of the human condition, challenging the deeply ingrained notion that we stand apart from the animal kingdom. With a narrative that weaves through the tapestry of history, philosophy, and science, Challenger invites readers on a journey to rediscover our essential nature. This book delves into the heart of what it means to be human, unveiling the conflict that arises from our denial of our animal selves. Through a blend of compelling storytelling and rigorous research, Challenger exposes the myths that have shaped our understanding of ourselves and offers a compelling argument for embracing our animality. As Challenger guides us from the origins of Homo sapiens to the precipice of technological futures, she examines the myriad ways our quest for separation from nature impacts everything from our politics to our personal relationships with the living world. "How to Be Animal" is not just a book; it's an invitation to reconsider what it means to be a part of life on Earth. With its thought-provoking insights and eloquent prose, this work challenges the reader to confront the paradoxes of human existence and to find a more harmonious way of being, not above, but within the web of life that sustains us all.

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Released
2020
25 Jun
Length
272
Pages

1

recommendations

recommendation

I adore this book. - Matt Haig
When we accept that humans are animals without resorting to claims of superiority, we can appreciate and value those of us that genetic inheritance or mutation have affected, from conjoined twins to people with Angelman syndrome. Disability or ageing are not seen as threatening aberrations from the essential existence of a human but as normal occurrences among organisms, which is not to say that we do nothing to ease associated suffering or to better their lives, but that we don’t see these individuals as diverging from a superior definition of being human.
— Melanie Challenger, How to Be Animal

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