‘The 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
‘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
‘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
‘It blew my mind to discover that teenage animals and teenage humans are so similar. Both are naïve 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 — and sometimes downright mind-blowing — this is a remarkably original account of the nature, meaning, and purpose of adolescence in today’s world … 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 of 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.’
Lisa 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 — 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
‘Wildhood’s 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 Waal, PhD, author of Mama’s Last Hug and Our Inner Ape
‘Those travails of adolescence? It isn’t 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’t entirely sold on the survival skills of her teenage son. I needed some reassurance … Luckily, I found it with a king penguin, a hyena, a humpback whale and a wolf … Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers … follow this cast of characters as they face the trials of making it into adulthood in their savage and competitive worlds. You don’t 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, ‘28 New Books You Need to Read Now’
Praise for Zoobiquity:
‘[A] very credible argument for collaboration between disciplines … entertaining and beautifully written.’
New York Journal of Books
Praise for Zoobiquity:
‘[Y]ou will find the argument hard to resist. Plus you will have some killer dinner party gems. Who could resist the story of lemurs with erectile dysfunction, or the iguanas that ejaculate prematurely?’
New Scientist
Praise for Zoobiquity:
‘Illuminating … This very engaging book is difficult to put down. It provides lots of information in an easy-to-understand manner that doesn’t feel overwhelming, perhaps because of the liberal use of humour throughout. Reading Zoobiquity gave this reader a totally new perspective on his furred and feathered neighbors.’
The Boston Globe
