Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review:
This book has answered many questions and gave me a new perspective on our world. I think it is a treasure; a good material to study at schools. Good book for everybody - not only for animal lovers, but also (and especially) for those who never gave a damn about animals.

"Animals in Translation" belongs to every household. Another title that I suggest to consider is "Can We Live 150 Years?" by M. Tombak. It is about different subject but also fascinating...


Rating:
Summary: A View Through Dr. Doolittle's Eyes
Review: Dr. Grandin gives a fascinating tour through the halls of her perception. Will make you think and re-think, and enlarge your empathy not only for people-- but all the creatures with which we share this earth. An amazing trip. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Excellent Reading for those who work with Horses
Review: Excellent, well written book for those who work or train horses. Her approach explains to us "normal" verbal persons our animals actions and attitudes. If you have wondered, "Why did my horse, dog, cat do that?" please read this book. Expecially interesting and easily applicable for those who ride or train young animals.

Makes you wonder, who is training who?

Rating:
Summary: fascinating
Review: 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.

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Summary: An Autistic Understanding of Animal Behavior
Review: I have been reading Animals in Translation for almost a month. There is so much to learn between its covers. Temple Grandin suffers from autism. This lifelong affliction, though, apparently helps her to better understand the animal kingdom. An autistic human being thinks in pictures---and this is probably the way an animal perceives the outer world. Thankfully, I saw no evidence that she shares the fatuous philosophical views of Peter Singer. Animals are not equal to us. Some people may even have to eat them to remain healthy. Vegetarianism is not always a viable option. Grandin does not make the mistake of anthropomorphizing these creatures. On the contrary, she warns that this inevitably hurts them. Are you a dog lover? Her insights on how best develop a viable relationship with your canine friend is alone worth the price of this splendid book.

Do you remember B.F. Skinner? It seems that he was not always the perfect gentleman. Grandin is also not sure if the famous behaviorist theories pass the test of logical consistency. Are you worried about the conditions of our slaughter houses? The author provides recommendations that could alleviate much suffering. Our elected officials should know that Grandin is not all that thrilled by some of the rules and regulations mandated by governmental bureaucrats. Often they backfire and stupidly cause more harm than good. Upton Sinclair wrote his famous, The Jungle, in 1906. Temple Grandin contends that there are still problems which cannot be ignored.

Animals are geniuses in their own unique manner. Pigeons, for example, may be able to tell the difference between a Monet and a Picasso. I can't always do that! Chimpanzees sometimes even manufacture their own tools. We homo sapiens dominate the planet. Still, we should never overlook the contributions of these creatures. The world would be a very lonely place without them. Animals in Translation is a must read. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and delightful read
Review: 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.

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Summary: Disappointing and unfocused
Review: This book starts out being very interesting reading. It is well written in an honest and engaging style. The author often states that many of her theories are just that, her own impressions. She relates animal behavior and sensory input to those of an autistic person, as is the objective of this book, as indicated by the title.

I was with her up to Chapter 4, Animal Aggression. During this chapter, she completely abandons the correlation between animals and autistic people and begins what comes very close to nothing more than an extended off-topic rant. This chapter is filled with page after endless page of horrific examples of incidences in which animals (mostly but not limited to dogs) viciously and violently kill or maim their owners, their owners’ children, their neighbors, or their neighbors’ children. On page one of this chapter, she clearly states that “hideous fatal dog attacks on humans” average about 15 a year (“fatal” is the key word here). She calls this amount “tiny.” At this point you are still feeling pretty secure about having little Fido or Fifi on the bed with you or with your children. However, further into this chapter, after scaring the heck out of you with stories that would certainly turn anyone considering getting a dog off the whole idea, she tells us this: “If you are going to get a dog, you can’t plan on preventing dog bites by keeping your dog safely locked up in your house or yard, either, because dogs almost always bite people they know, usually people they know well. Around four and a half million people get bitten every year, and the Centers for Disease Control report that over 75 percent of the dogs in these incidents belong either to the family of the person who got bitten, or a friend.” (This is then cited with a reference.) The next paragraph contains the phrases “Left to their own devices, dogs can become dangerous to other dogs, to cats, and to humans…” and “Dogs are so aggressive by nature…” I have been in a multi-dog (more than 2) household for over 30 years (somehow I have managed to escape being bitten, mauled, or killed by my dogs, apparently miraculously); I read this book before going to sleep a couple of nights in a row, and this chapter had the same effect on me as telling a child about monsters who live in closets and then turning out the light and saying nighty-night. The message seems to be Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid.

Last night I re-checked the title of this book, since I had read at that point most of the Animal Aggression chapter without seeing the word “autistic” or autism in general mentioned anywhere in it. Where’s the relevance here?

The author had pretty well lost me by this point anyway—but I thought maybe it would get back on track when she got off the dog topic (it’s hard not to come away with a very strong impression that she just plain doesn’t like dogs). However, then I noticed that the next chapter was entitled “Pain and Suffering.”

Hmmm. Okay. Enough is enough. Therefore, I can’t offer any opinion or information about this book past the Animal Aggression chapter. It’s not that animal lovers/owners should close their eyes to the reality that all animals, even your adorable fluffy little poodle, are just that—animals—with all the potential behaviors that go along with being an animal. However, Ms. Grandin’s book strays far from its titled objective, “using the mysteries of autism to decode animal behavior,” when she goes on at such length about the dangers inherent in owning a pet dog (or a male deer, or a pig, or a number of other animals). It’s a shame that she lost her focus in the middle of the book; I found the earlier chapters, written from the perspective of an autistic person (thinking in images rather than language), to be helpful in understanding my dogs’ point of view, and I will keep those lessons in mind as I try to figure out their various behavioral quirks.


Rating:
Summary: Fascinating read
Review: This is a terrific book. I have never read anything quite like it -- anyone who loves animals, and is interested in psychology and the human mind must give this book a look.

Staci Layne Wilson
Author of Staci's Guide to Animal Movies

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Summary: Animals are Smarter than we Realize
Review: This story is told in a straight forward and fascinating way. The author uses her own experiences to enlighten the reader on how animals think and perceive. She uses humor as well as many anecdotes to underscore her points on animal behavior and the brain. Although quite scholarly, this author never leaves the reader behind. She quickly explains concepts and terms that might bog down the non-professional. I have friends waiting in line to borrow my book. Two thumbs up!

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Summary: Will Change The Way We Think of Animals Forever
Review: What is so wonderful about this book, besides the fact that it's an engrossing read, is that you will never think of animals, especially your dogs and cats, the same way again. Using existing scientific work and her brilliant analogy to autism, she gives the only fresh view of the animal kingdom in centuries. Full of brilliant anecdotes, engagingly written, and fascinating throughout, this book is to animal studies what The Origin of Species to evolution. Be in on the revolution--read this book!