A New York Times Editor’s Pick ** People Best Books ** Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Books ** Chicago Tribune 28 Books You Need to Read Now **
“It blew my mind to discover that adolescent animals and humans are so similar…I loved this book!” —Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human and Animals in Translation
A “vivid…and fascinating” (Los Angeles Times) investigation of human and animal adolescence from the New York Times bestselling authors of Zoobiquity.
Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and animal behaviorist Kathryn Bowers studied thousands of wild species searching for evidence of human-like adolescence in other animals. With a groundbreaking synthesis of animal behavior, human psychology, and evolutionary biology, their research uncovered something remarkable: the same four high-stakes tests shape the destiny of every adolescent on planet Earth—how to be safe, how to navigate social hierarchies, how to connect romantically, and how to live independently. Safety. Status. Sex. Self-reliance.
To bring these challenges to life, the authors analyzed GPS and radio collar data from four wild adolescent animals. Will a predator-naïve penguin become easy prey? Can a low-born hyena socialize his way to a better life? Did a young humpback choose the right mate? Will a newly independent grey wolf starve, or will he become self-reliant? The result is a game-changing perspective on anxiety, risky behavior, sexual first times, and leaving home that can help teenagers and young adults coming of age in a rapidly changing world.
As they discover that “adolescence isn’t just for humans” through “rollicking tales of young animals navigating risk, social hierarchy, and sex with all the bravura (and dopiness) of our own teenage beasts” (People), readers will learn that in fact, this volatile and vulnerable phase of life creates the basis of adult confidence, success, and even happiness. This is an invaluable guide for parents, teenagers, and anyone who cares about adolescence, who will find “the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar” (The New York Times Book Review).
Industry Reviews
"Adolescence collides spectacularly with the tree of life in Wildhood: The Epic Journey from Adolescence to Adulthood in Humans and Other Animals... [The book] obliterates the siren song of human exceptionalism... Reading this book is enlightening, both scientifically and personally." -Carlo C. Maley, Evolution, Medicine & Public Health. "Wildhood is a contemplation of how we are like, and unlike, other animals, using the widespread phenomenon of adolescence as an anchor... Readers will come away with an appreciation for a host of other qualities-friendship, social status, cooperation, leaving home and coming back-that are rooted in that one crucial stage of life." -Marlene Zuk, The Wall Street Journal "Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers go deep and wide in addressing the raft of species-spanning equivalents. The authors make clear that, in a fundamental sense, adolescent animals and teen humans encounter the same sorts of challenges - and that what may strike elders of any species as nutty, exasperating behavior is not only inevitable for most creatures in that stage of development but truly valuable." -Duncan Strauss, Washington Post "The vivid storytelling and fascinating scientific digressions in Wildhood make it a pleasurable read. It's also a book parents may find reassuring: The authors show that the often painful struggles human and animal adolescents go through are a way of developing the skills and experience that will make it possible for them to function as adults. But there's also another implicit message in Wildhood about the interconnection among the planet's species. The awareness that we're all in this together ought to motivate humans to stop ravaging the planet so it can continue to be a place where adolescents of many different species can find their ways into adulthood." -Patrick J. Kiger, Los Angeles Times "Adolescence may seem unique to the human experience, but Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers vividly reveal that many species navigate this crucial time between childhood and adulthood, which they so aptly call 'wildhood.'" -Booklist, Top 10 Sci-Tech Books of the Year "Adolescence isn't just for humans. Here an evolutionary biologist offers up rollicking tales of young animals navigating risk, social hierarchy, and sex with all the bravura (and dopiness) of our own teenage beasts." -People "All this time spent reading books on adulting can be harrowing for a worried parent who isn't entirely sold on the survival skills of her teenage son. I needed some reassurance.... Luckily, I found it with a king penguin, a hyena, a humpback whale and a wolf.... Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers...follow this cast of characters as they face the trials of making it into adulthood in their savage and competitive worlds. You don't even need to anthropomorphize to find some of the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar." -Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review "Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Kathryn Bowers draw fascinating connections between human and animal young adulthood." -Meredith Wolf Schizer, Newsweek "Bestselling authors of Zoobiquity, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, paired up again to research what we can learn about adolescent behavior from their counterparts in the animal kingdom... in their newest book, Wildhood. Their five-year study found many similarities between the thrill-seeking and sometimes inexplicable-seeming choices of teens and those of adolescent animals developing in the wild." -Laura Pearson, The Chicago Tribune, 28 New Books You Need to Read Now "An enduring story plot finds a youth suddenly alone in the world, struggling to find shelter from the elements, safety from predators, food, and new friends. These struggles usually involve some tough lessons but ultimately lead to knowledge, a new identity, self-reliance, and maybe even love. In...
