The Truth About Animals

Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife

De: Lucy Cooke

Narrado por: Lucy Cooke

Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this "surefire summer winner" (Janet Maslin, New York Times), an uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world

Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go. Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins "holding hands," it's hard for us not to project our own values - innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work - onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do - and that's just for starters.

In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret - and often hilarious - habits of the animal kingdom. Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

©2018 Lucy Cooke (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[A] deeply researched, sassily written history of 'the biggest misconceptions, mistakes and myths we've concocted about the animal kingdom,' spread by figures from Aristotle to Walt Disney." (Nature)

"The eclectic stories come thick and fast, with an equally varied human cast dedicated to uncovering the truth, scientifically or otherwise. Cooke illuminates and mickey-takes in equal measure, and the truth as she tells it is not only unexpected but often bizarre, bawdy and very, very funny. " (BBC Wildlife - UK)

"In the end, the history of zoology reveals as much about our human foibles as about the animals we study. And this book will leave readers more enlightened about both." (Science News)

Great summarized story of myths about wildlife

I enjoyed this rarity of the myths about wildlife and the truths of their origin. The authors accent is enjoyable too!

Fascinating and Obscure Facts about Animals.

I really enjoyed this book. It's full of those odd useless but fascinating facts some of us love. Wait till you hear about the hyena's genitalia. Historical asides abound which are very entertaining. It also addresses research and how wrong headed some of it has been over the centuries.

My only (mild) complaint is with the author's narration. She reads VERY fast and blasts right by some witty and funny anecdotes. You don't have time to appreciate them as you're racing to catch up with her. This would have benefited from a professional narrator. That said, Ms. Cooke is obviously well-educated and enunciates clearly, so there's no problem there. I look forward to listening or reading more of her works.

AWSOME listen

This book is both funny and very informative, Lucy Cooke did an amazing job at both collecting all the research as well as writing this book in a nob-boring way. I love it and I highly recommend!

It's ok but a bit corny

I like where the book comes from and agree with many of her points. Unfortunately, it feels like it provides only a handful of interesting content which it stretches out to cover the entire book using not so funny puns and gimmicky entertainments. it doesn't help that the voice performance itself isn't the greatest, switching between wacky to represent the author and an over stuffy parody of authoritative voice to represent direct quotes from source material.

Amazing

I could not stop listening!!!
Amazing
Amazing
Amazing
Simply just amazing,
a thrilling adventure.
truly special

Just so enjoyable!

Having seen an old 60Minutes article with this author talking about sloths, I was keen to try her books. This was thoroughly enjoyable; I learned a bit, and her native sense of humor came through.
I highly recommend this book- slowly, though-to give the information time to sink in.

very informative

A great listen. I enjoy The author read their own work.
A very good book

Great listen, highly recommend

Lucy Cooke does a great job of narrating her book about some of the more obscure histories of a handful of animals. The stories are fascinating, at times almost unbelievable. She not only delves into the unique abilities of each animal, but also the quirky attempts that us humans have made in trying to understanding them. If you're a animal lover, nature lover, history lover, or just like a good story, you should definitely give this a listen. You won't regret it.

A great writer, and a great reader

Engaging, informative, irreverent, and thought-provoking. Lucy Cooke’s delivery of her own clear, clever writing is an absolute delight.

definitely recommend

this book is very informative and funny!! it was definitely a good laugh. anyone would enjoy listening.