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Beyond Words

What Animals Think and Feel

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Beyond Words

Written by: Carl Safina
Narrated by: Carl Safina
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About this listen

Weaving decades of field observations with exciting new discoveries about the brain, Carl Safina's landmark book offers an intimate view of animal behavior to challenge the fixed boundary between humans and nonhuman animals. In Beyond Words listeners travel to Amboseli National Park in the threatened landscape of Kenya and witness struggling elephant families work out how to survive poaching and drought, then to Yellowstone National Park to observe wolves sort out the aftermath of one pack's personal tragedy and finally plunge into the astonishingly peaceful society of killer whales living in the crystalline waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Beyond Words brings forth powerful and illuminating insight into the unique personalities of animals through extraordinary stories of animal joy, grief, jealousy, anger, and love. The similarity between human and nonhuman consciousness, self-awareness, and empathy calls us to reevaluate how we interact with animals. Wise, passionate, and eye opening at every turn, Beyond Words is ultimately a graceful examination of humanity's place in the world.

©2015 Carl Safina (P)2015 Tantor Biological Sciences Environment Science Elephant Animal Communication

What the critics say

"This book breathes love of and respect for animals and is rich with observations and extraordinary travel experiences." (Frans de Waal, author of The Bonobo and the Atheist)
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I thought I had a keen sense of animal’s minds. I have cared for horses, goats, dogs and cats and I have always learned to be alpha bitch, mare, whatever. I have grown up in the woods amongst wildlife and always been so respectful to not interfere with them. I have always been sympathetic to all animals needs and wants. I have always tried to read their body language or their obvious requests. Carl Safina has broadened my outlook enormously on what my animals and the wildlife that surrounds our farm are saying to us.
In this book Carl pinpoints three animals that are so dear to my family. We have had encounters with all of them either tangibly or from afar. We have gained bucket loads of respect for elephants, wolves and killer whales. This book goes on my top shelf of favorite books ever and one I will gift to friends. You will never take your pet for granted again after listening or reading this book.

This book should be mandatory in al schools.

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Sadly, the wonderful insights about animal life were mixed with disturbing stories of our destructive poaching and murder of these same creatures who we had just become enchanted with. It was an unfortunate mix and made the book impossible for me to finish.

Could not finish.

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