Honeybees deliberate democratically. Rats reflect on the past. Snakes have friends. In recent decades, our understanding of animal intelligence has exploded, revealing an animal kingdom bursting with thinking, feeling beings—but the way we relate to wild animals has yet to catch up.
Meet the Neighbors asks: What would it mean if we took these insights onto the landscape?
Weaving in the latest research, Brandon Keim takes us into courtrooms and wildlife hospitals, under backyard decks and into deserts, to meet the philosophers, rogue pest controllers, ecologists, wildlife doctors, and others who are reimagining our relationships to animals and to nature. A beguiling invitation to discover an expanded sense of community and kinship beyond our own species, Meet the Neighbors opens our eyes to the world of vibrant intelligence just outside our doors.
“A heartfelt and unique look at the inner life of animals and how we so often fail to understand them. . . . Sure to be an instant classic.” —Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
“Few writers plumb the lives of our non-human brethren with more sensitivity and originality than Brandon Keim. . . . You’ll surely feel new empathy for your local raccoons, robins, and rats after reading this profound, big-hearted book.” —Ben Goldfarb, author of Crossings and Eager
“Meet the Neighbors is an indispensable companion for anyone who has ever been curious about the animals with whom we share our space. Keim's book opens our eyes to the wonder in our midst, from the smallest bee to the wittiest coyote. What we learn should change how the law treats animals, how society treats them, and how we treat them as neighbors.” —Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times best-selling author of Inside of a Dog and Our Dogs, Ourselves
Does your love of animals fill you with wonder about how they experience being alive? And do you wonder what to do with your feelings for animals? Author Brandon Keim has filled these pages with intelligence and generosity. This is a mind-opening, heart-healing book. —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words and Alfie and Me
“This special book is a love letter to nature . . . It shows us how humans are part of the tapestry that is life, and how we can join and support the community of other nonhuman persons.” —Craig Foster, creator of My Octopus Teacher
“Meet the Neighbors invites each of us to reimagine how we view and treat our animal kin. . . . Open minds and hearts will be rewarded.” —Sean B. Carroll, biologist and author of The Serengeti Rules and A Series of Fortunate Events
What makes the spots on a butterfly’s wings? Should chimpanzees be considered people in the eyes of the law? What is the meaning of wildness in a crowded, urbanized world?
An elegant, thoughtful tour of nature in the 21st century, The Eye of the Sandpiper continues in the tradition of Lewis Thomas, Stephen Jay Gould and David Quammen, reporting from scientific frontiers while celebrating nature's wonders and posing new questions about our relationship to Earth's nonhuman life.
In its pages you’ll find stories of evolutionary thermodynamics and lampreys bringing rivers to life, empathic rats and emotional honeybees, of people exploring vacant lots and nursing pigeons to health. The stories illuminate and challenge. Reading them will make your everyday world a richer place.
“Brandon Keim's essays beautifully stir the mind and heart. This book is a joy!” —Barbara J. King, author of How Animals Grieve
"I wanted to speed through this book, but I kept slowing down because it was too engaging to rush. The knowledgeable Brandon Keim is as much a thinker as he is a reporter." —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel
"Brandon Keim is one of our finest chroniclers of nature. His beautiful writing radiates with his deep love for the world around us and the creatures we share it with." —Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes and An Immense World