| |
Shop
| |  |
|
Best Sellers | |
Home Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior | |
|  | |  | | | Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior | | | | | SKU:
AH-22-01-693 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | I don't know if people will ever be able to talk to animals the way Doctor Doolittle could, or whether animals will be able to talk back. Maybe science will have something to say about that. But I do know people can learn to "talk" to animals, and to hear what animals have to say, better than they do now. --From Animals in Translation
Why would a cow lick a tractor? Why are collies getting dumber? Why do dolphins sometimes kill for fun? How can a parrot learn to spell? How did wolves teach man to evolve? Temple Grandin draws upon a long, distinguished career as an animal scientist and her own experiences with autism to deliver an extraordinary message about how animals act, think, and feel. She has a perspective like that of no other expert in the field, which allows her to offer unparalleled observations and groundbreaking ideas.
People with autism can often think the way animals think, putting them in the perfect position to translate "animal talk." Grandin is a faithful guide into their world, exploring animal pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, learning, and, yes, even animal genius. The sweep of Animals in Translation is immense and will forever change the way we think about animals.
*includes a Behavior and Training Troubleshooting Guide 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
| | | |
List Price:
| $15.00 | |
Our Price:
| $10.20
& eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
| |
You Save:
| $4.80 (32%)
|
| | |
|
| | Product Details | | Author: | Temple Grandin | | Paperback: | 372 pages | | Publisher: | Mariner Books | | Publication Date: | January 02, 2006 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0156031442 | | Product Length: | 8.06 inches | | Product Width: | 5.38 inches | | Product Height: | 1.01 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.79 pounds | | Package Length: | 7.72 inches | | Package Width: | 5.28 inches | | Package Height: | 1.1 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.79 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 206 reviews |
| |
| | Features | ISBN13: 9780156031448Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
| |
| | Used and New |
| All | |
| $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.07 | Used
- Good | | | $0.26 | Used
- Good | | | $0.27 | Used
- Good | | | $0.94 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.94 | Used
- Good | | | $0.98 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.99 | Used
- Good | | | $0.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.00 | Used
- Good | | | $1.00 | Used
- Good | | | $1.45 | Used
- Good | | | $1.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.49 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.49 | Used
- Mint | | | $1.49 | Used
- Good | | | $1.59 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.75 | Used
- Good | | | $1.87 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.89 | Used
- Mint | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | New | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.01 | New | | | $2.03 | New | | | $2.07 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.40 | Used
- Good | | | $2.45 | Used
- Good | | | $2.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.49 | Used
- Good | | | $2.50 | Used
- Good | | | $2.60 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.74 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.74 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.75 | Used
- Good | | | $2.85 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.89 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $2.90 | Used
- Good | | | $2.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.97 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.98 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | New | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Good | | | $3.00 | Used
- Good | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- Good | | | $3.25 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.29 | Used
- Good | | | $3.47 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.48 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.50 | New | | | $3.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.75 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.88 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| New | |
| $2.00 | New | | | $2.01 | New | | | $2.03 | New | | | $2.99 | New | | | $3.50 | New | |
| Used | |
| $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.07 | Used
- Good | | | $0.26 | Used
- Good | | | $0.27 | Used
- Good | | | $0.94 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.94 | Used
- Good | | | $0.98 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.99 | Used
- Good | | | $0.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.00 | Used
- Good | | | $1.00 | Used
- Good | | | $1.45 | Used
- Good | | | $1.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.49 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.49 | Used
- Mint | | | $1.49 | Used
- Good | | | $1.59 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $1.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.75 | Used
- Good | | | $1.87 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.89 | Used
- Mint | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.07 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.40 | Used
- Good | | | $2.45 | Used
- Good | | | $2.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.49 | Used
- Good | | | $2.50 | Used
- Good | | | $2.60 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.74 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.74 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.75 | Used
- Good | | | $2.85 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.89 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $2.90 | Used
- Good | | | $2.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.97 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.98 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Good | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Good | | | $3.00 | Used
- Good | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.00 | Used
- Good | | | $3.25 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.29 | Used
- Good | | | $3.47 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.48 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.74 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.75 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.88 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| |
| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 206 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
209 of 219 found the following review helpful:
 Fascinating and delightful read Jan 22, 2005
By bookarts
"bookarts"
I savored every moment of reading this book. Grandin has an enthusiasm for her subject that she combines with endless quantities of fascinating research and observations about animals. The book isn't exactly what I expected - I thought it would focus more on her own interactions with animals. However, because the book is so engagingly written and the information is so interesting, the difference between what I expected and what I got didn't diminish my enjoyment in the least.
Grandin does a much better job of making the scientific information more interesting and less dry than in her previous book, Thinking in Pictures, which contained long passages about medications that could be used to treat autistic people. I found that book to be much more uneven. Animals in Translation, however, held on to my attention from the first page to the last. While she also includes a generous amount of scientific information in this book, it is all so interesting and sometimes surprising, that I was never bored. If you have pets or are simply interested in animals and/or biology, this is a must-read.
71 of 78 found the following review helpful:
 2 1/2 stars, because it is half a good book Sep 16, 2006
By citywulf
When the author focuses on what she knows - autism, neurobiology, and domestic livestock - this book offers many insights. By applying some excellent existing research in neurobiology about what animals are truly capable of perceiving and feeling (read some of the referenced books for confirmation of emotions in animals) and applying her own experiences with domestic livestock and insights founded in her autism (a much more visual world than "normal" people (her word, not mine)), Dr. Grandin shows how a more visual, detail-oriented animal encounters the world.
Sadly, Dr. Grandin - perhaps wanting to appeal to a wider audience - tries also to include predator species such as our companion dogs and cats in her book. Her lack of direct experience with predator species is palpable in everything she writes about them. Her data sources are extremely outdated(Monks of New Skete, anyone?) and her own discussions are highly anecdotal ("my neighbor's dog..." "my childhood cat..."). Her word choices reveal her discomfort with the subject matter (much use of terms such as "probably" "pretty much" "nobody knows why"). Nor does she make any effort to validate her suppositions. Her "Troubleshooting" chapter should be avoided like the plague (recommending a shock collar for chasing behavior can create aggression, as the dog learns to associate the chase object with pain).
If you read this book, take it with a grain of salt and by no means use it as your only reference. Her own references are excellent and can be used for further study. Also, for those interested primarily in dogs, Patricia McConnell has an exceptional new book, For the Love of a Dog, that is grounded in more recent data and a lifetime of working with dogs.
104 of 121 found the following review helpful:
A novel look at animal behavior, but with room for improvement. Aug 28, 2006
By Monika
"equestrienne_23"
What author Temple Grandin has attempted to do here is to use her own experiences as an autistic person to gain insight into the way animals perceive and react to the world around them. She explains that autism seems to impair the ability of the neocortex, or frontal lobes of the brain, to obtain and process information, and that animals likewise have less well-developed frontal lobes than normal humans do. Her theory is that the impairment of an autistic person's brain, in essence, makes them far closer to other animals than to non-autistic humans in how they view the world. As a result, Grandin has largely been able to help people better relate to their pets, and also to design more humane slaughterhouse equipment and more effective auditing procedures for slaughter facilities.
The book starts off well, with Grandin offering many insights that show that, in some ways, she really does have a better understanding of animal perception and thought than "normal" humans. Her principle examples revolve around the fact that animals, like autistic people, are detail-oriented. Their inability to generalize and see the "big picture" often leads to fixations on small things that the average person would not notice. Grandin illustrates this with stories from her inspections of meat plants, where something as simple as an abrupt change in lighting, or a reflection on a puddle - things which have entirely escaped the plant operators' notice - have been causing cattle to balk and refuse to go where they are being directed. She goes on to explain exactly why these details, which don't seem like much of a reason to be afraid, are so disturbing to the animals. Her observations, while not things that would immediately jump out at most people, make a lot of sense once she has explained them. Grandin also includes a useful checklist of things to look for when trying to determine what may be frightening an animal.
However, there are also some not-so-positive aspects to the book. In many places Grandin deviates from her theme of using autism to understand animals, and starts making speculations that not only have no connection to autism, but which seem to have little to back them up at all beyond the author's own opinions. She uses phrases like "statistics have shown" but then fails to elaborate on these supposedly evidential statistics, giving no information on who collected the information, when the study was done, or how large of a sample was used. This particularly comes into play when she discusses pit bulls - a topic she turns to repeatedly throughout the book. Grandin makes no attempt to hide her great distaste for pit bulls (she does not specify whether she is referring to American Pit Bull Terriers in particular, or all of the various breeds that fall under the generic "pit bull" label) and also Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Chows.
In addition, Grandin puts forth some opinions on dog training that range from strange to absurd. Two things in particular caught my attention. First, she strongly advocates the outdated "alpha" theory for establishing dominance over one's dog. And secondly, I found myself greatly puzzled when she posed her theory that leash laws result in undersocialized dogs. She goes on to reminisce about how, when she was a child, dogs in her neighborhood were allowed to roam free, and that there were rarely any fights. Perhaps this was the case in her neighborhood, but in most places allowing one's dogs to roam free without supervision poses many risks. And leash laws in no way prevent a dog from being well socialized - they just require that a dog owner take an active role in introducing their pets to other animals and humans.
Finally, I was slightly dismayed with Grandin's writing style itself, though I'm not sure whether this is just a lack of writing skill, or a by-product of her autism. Grandin is obviously well-educated and experienced, but the text felt more like a junior high research report with a lot of scientific words thrown in. She often uses the same phrases repetitively, and also uses juvenalized terms for some things. However, the author does admit that written language does not come naturally to her, and that she often draws on a collection of "stock phrases" to communicate, which is what makes me wonder if this aspect of the writing is actually due to the nature of her autism. However, she also makes the mistake of repeatedly using terms like "I believe" or "my opinion is" when putting forth her theories. While these theories obviously ARE her ideas, making statements of the "I think" variety in scientific writing makes the arguments sound weaker, especially when she fails to back up her claims with research or other evidence. Many times she simply concludes an argument with the statement "and I can prove it!" but then fails to go on to give actual proof.
On the whole, the book is a bit of a mixed bag. Though my previous three paragraphs focused on things I found disappointing, I do not mean to give the impression that Grandin's work is all bad. It's certainly not. She does have a lot of good insights, and when she backs up her assertions with specific evidence, her ideas are quite fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the beginning of the book, where she explains the differences in detail-perception between animals, autistic people, and non-autistic people, and also the sections devoted to animal language / communication, and the co-evolution of dogs and humans. In the end I would probably still recommend Grandin's book to readers, with the provision that one should take a slightly hesitant approach in deciding which of her arguments should be readily accepted, and which need further proof.
27 of 31 found the following review helpful:
Landmark book. Mar 13, 2005
By Nicholas Dormaar
Animals in Translation: Using the mysteries of autism to decode animal behavior.
I will never think about animals, and about autism, and about "normal" people quite the same way again. This is a landmark book.The book is badly organized. You will have to read every page. You may not be interested in the long pages where she talks about slaughter houses, but then right in the middle of a paragraph you suddenly come across a bit of wisdom that you would not want to have missed. Right then you must underline it or you will never find it back again. The upshot of this book is that animals do not have a fully functioning frontal lobe, nor do autistic people, and she tells us throughout the book what that is like, over and over again until you start to get a deep understanding of what it is like. We get a better understanding of ourselves too. The frontal lobe "puts it all together", and having put it all together, we race over the details like a speed boat over water. We do not see the details. An autistic person on the other hand, can not help but see them. He sees all the details, and only the details. He is overwhelmed by them. He sees all forty shades of brown. He can not see the forest for the trees, and more trees, and more trees. He hears every tone. He smells every odor. His life is a jumble of details. As you might expect, her book is rich in details about her own life and about all the animals she knows and when you emerge at the other end of the book, you feel immersed. Being a "normal" person you can not remember all the details, but you "know" something about these people's lives, and about animals' lives in a way you could never get from a text book. And yet, at the same time, she also has a doctorate and she does her own research. She has the training to write the text book, but then, being autistic, she can not. She does not hold the whole picture and therefore it remains a badly organized book. That is the message. That is what it is like to be autistic. That is what it is like to be an animal. Nicholas Dormaar
British Columbia, Canada.
23 of 26 found the following review helpful:
fascinating Feb 01, 2005
By S. Good
"Northernaire Wildlife Rescue"
I am a wildlife rehabilitator and do a good deal of reading about animals and their needs/behavior etc. 'Animals in Translation' is the most facinating book on animals that I've ever come across. It includes examples of wildlife as well as domestic and farm animals. It's beautifully written and the author makes very complicated information completely comprehensible to the non scientific person. In her book, Ms Grandin has opened the door to the mysteries of the animal kingdom and in doing so, made us wiser to their plight of living amongst humans. This book has answered many questions and given me a whole new perspective on our furry friends. Anyone who is curious about animals, has a pet or works with animals, should be reading the material written in this book.
See all 206 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| |
| |
| |  | |  |
|
Recently Viewed
| You may also like ... |
