It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

We humans crave narratives. From ancient fire circles to books to radio and movies to TV sets, headphones, and computers, "story is the glue of human social life."

This short listen may not bring to light any really new concepts, but it offers interesting examples of how we use stories for education, entertainment, and reassurance that there is meaning in life. Gottschall also alerts us to reasons why we should be aware that this tendency also opens us up to the possibility of misinterpreting and being manipulated. We long for patterns and reasons - can conspiracy theories be far behind?

I especially enjoyed the discussion about ways in which new technologies are changing how we tell and experience stories -- from so-called "reality" shows to interactive and role-playing computer games.

The narrator is OK, but I wonder why he felt he had to deliver some quotes in quite bizarre accents. The book starts slowly but picks up in energy and interest as it goes along. I think most people interested in books and psychology will enjoy it.

21 people found this helpful

Making Sense of Life Through Stories

If you stop to think about it, stories are the framework around which we build our understanding of reality--whether the stories revolve around history, religion, myth, nationality, science, gaming, drama, fiction or our own lives.

This is Gottschall's premise and he makes his case pretty convincingly. The book does drag in parts and significant sections consist of summaries of materials covered in more depth in other books. However, unlike some other reviewers, I particularly enjoyed the sections on brain science and the role story plays in our dreams, in mental illness and in the development of human culture. In one example, the author contends that at root, the malaise of depression is the loss of our own story and the effectiveness of talk therapy is in helping us to rebuild our own personal narratives. Although the author doesn't take this step, one might argue that whenever a story loses its vitality, whether it is the story of a nation, culture or religion, it is only a matter of time before the demise of that institution inevitably follows.

Not surprisingly perhaps given his premise, the best parts of this book are in the stories. Narration is sub-par particularly when the narrator ineptly (and distractingly) attempts various accents.

11 people found this helpful

Starts well, then derails

I was expecting a lot more about the history and tradition of storytelling, and maybe some more about mythology. What I got was a lot of canned Freudian theory with all of its potty-focus and repressed sexuality. I don't know why the author went in that direction, but I couldn't stomach the flip attitude and hyperfocus on what to me was irrelevancy.

4 people found this helpful

An okay book, an okay narration

I learned quite a bit from the book, but it needed more depth and more scholarly context.

4 people found this helpful

Surprisingly interesting read

I honestly got this book thinking that I would learn how to better tell stories. I was taken aback by how much depth the book went into the history, psychology, method, and adaption of our species and its need for story. While this book did not provide me with a blueprint for creating stories it has provided me with a new appreciation for the human mind, the need for story to teach better, and a deeper understanding of how other people may just be living their best life.

3 people found this helpful

A solid introduction

Most of this book is solid, it is a solid resource to get an overview and find more in-depth researchers. It has a fairly US centric bent and the final chapter and conclusions are a bit simplistic and preachy.

NOTE: No one in the games industry or around it says MMORPG as “more-peg,” whoever told the author they do was pulling their leg.

2 people found this helpful

Excellent book, idiosyncratic narrator

It’s an excellent book. The narrator had a few too many distracting mispronunciations (dropping the “L” in “wolf” or “werewolf”, and most irritatingly, pronouncing “experiment” like “experience” or “spearmint”). Once is odd, 20 times is a sin (where was the proofer/editor?!?)

2 people found this helpful

Nothing New

What disappointed you about The Storytelling Animal?

It was a rehash or compilation of a common understanding of narrative

What could Jonathan Gottschall have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

explored ideas instead of just regurgitating summaries of what was already known

What three words best describe Kris Koscheski’s performance?

Upbeat but monotonous

2 people found this helpful

Warning

Only read it if you are stable and have a plan of your future. And consult with a terapist. Good information if you able to take it.

1 person found this helpful

Pretty good

Pretty good. Coalesces a number of fairly familiar ideas into insightful arguments and anecdotes .
As a writer I feel like this book gave breadth to the dimension of which I understand narrative.

1 person found this helpful