Editorial Review:Product Description:Temple Grandin's
Animals in Translation speaks in the clear voice of a woman who emerged from the other side of autism, bringing with her an extraordinary message about how animals think and feel.
Temple's professional training as an animal scientist and her history as a person with autism have given her a perspective like that of no other expert in the field. Standing at the intersection of autism and animals, she offers unparalleled observations and groundbreaking ideas about both.
Autistic people can often think the way animals think -- in fact, Grandin and co-author Catherine Johnson see autism as a kind of way station on the road from animals to humans -- putting autistic people in the perfect position to translate 'animal talk.' Temple is a faithful guide into their world, exploring animal pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, learning, and, yes, even animal genius. Not only are animals much smarter than anyone ever imagined, in some cases animals are out-and-out brilliant.
The sweep of
Animals in Translation is immense, merging an animal scientist's thirty years of study with her keen perceptions as a person with autism -- Temple sees what others cannot.
Among its provocative ideas, the book:
- argues that language is not a requirement for consciousness -- and that animals do have consciousness
- applies the autism theory of 'hyper-specificity' to animals, showing that animals and autistic people are so sensitive to detail that they 'can't see the forest for the trees' -- a talent as well as a 'deficit'
- explores the 'interpreter' in the normal human brain that filters out detail, leaving people blind to much of the reality that surrounds them -- a reality animals and autistic people see, sometimes all too clearly
- explains how animals have 'superhuman' skills: animals have animal genius
- compares animals to autistic savants, declaring that animals may in fact be autistic savants, with special forms of genius that normal people do not possess and sometimes cannot even see
- examines how humans and animals use their emotions to think, to decide, and even to predict the future
- reveals the remarkable abilities of handicapped people and animals
- maintains that the single worst thing you can do to an animal is to make it feel afraid
Temple Grandin is like no other author on the subject of animals because of her training and because of her autism: understanding animals is in her blood and in her bones.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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A fascinating read
A fascinating book.
I did find the discussions of Temple's own experiences that made up more of the first few chapters to be more interesting than that later chapters. The insights into the autistic mind, from an autistic mind, were fascinating. The descriptions of research into perception also were captivating.
In the second part of the book, I felt like I was getting more of her theories, rather than experiences, and I found them less fascinating, but still well documented - I added several more books to my reading list as a result of reading this.
All in all, a very interesting book.
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One of my all time favorites
My favorite kind of book. This is such a rewarding book - so much information, such insights, interesting case studies, lots of documentation in the form of scientific studies. I loved this book so much that after reading the library copy, I asked to have it as a birthday present, and then turned around and bought two copies of it as a CD to give my son-in-law and a friend to listen to in the car. I am so grateful to the author for all that I learned and the growth I felt in my understanding of the animal and human world.
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Fascinating read
Temple Grandin truly has a gift to see the world through the eyes of animals--and humans. Somehow she manages to be both empathetic in her point of view, yet objective in her reporting, which enables her to offer us this fascinating text on the subtleties of animal response and behavior. What a great book. Her non-academic tone makes the style fluent and enjoyable to read, and every few pages there emerges a "Wow" moment when she reveals some truth about the psychology of animals in general, including humans. I liked this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone who is studying or interested in animal (or human) behavior.
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No understanding of canine behavior
Please do not use this book as a guide to understanding your dog. Dr. Grandin does not appear to know anything about dogs or even like them very much.
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Wholly Fascinating!
This is the most fascinating book I have ever read. The amazing Temple Grandin takes two subjects: autism and animal behavior,and draws comparisons with remarkable insight. She brings the world of animal behavior into sharp focus with examples and explanations and makes it easy for the lay reader to understand. She and coauthor, Catherine Johnson, write with a conversational prose that makes even the most difficult concepts easy to grasp. Every chapter elicits a "Wow".
Although the dry title may put some people off because it sounds clinical and cerebral, this absolutely exciting book holds a plethora of facts and wonders about the animals we come into contact with on a daily basis. A real eye-opener!
- C.A. Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail
