Wildhood: the epic journey from adolescence to adulthood in humans and other animals

‘The authors steer clear of excesses of ethology or anthropomorphism, and they emphasise that maturity is not a goal but a process. A lucid, entertaining account of how creatures of many kinds learn to navigate the complex world that adulthood opens.’ * Kirkus * ‘A life-changing perspective on adolescents. A treasure trove of scientific exploration and practical implications for how we understand and support youth.’ -- Dr Daniel J. Siegel, author of Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain ‘Human teens have much in common with their counterparts throughout the animal kingdom — and those commonalities are eye-opening as described in the latest from biologist Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Bowers. Reassuring ... should appeal to anyone who’s ever raised an adolescent, human or otherwise.’ STARRED REVIEW * Publishers Weekly * ‘Unfailingly fascinating — and sometimes downright mind-blowing — this a remarkably original account of the nature, meaning, and purpose of adolescence in today’s world … Wildhood is one of the most insightful books ever written about this critically important stage of life.’ -- Laurence Steinberg, professor of psychology at Temple University, and author of Age of Opportunity ‘It blew my mind to discover that teenage animals and teenage humans are so similar. Both are naïve risk-takers. I love this book!’ -- Temple Grandin, PhD, author of Animals Make Us Human and Animals in Translation ‘Deeply researched and beautifully written, this account of the trials faced by teenagers across the animal kingdom inspires compassion for young people and appreciation for what they must accomplish on the journey into adulthood.’ -- Lisa Damour, PhD, author of Under Pressure and Untangled ‘This fascinating book tells the compelling story of adolescence across species, framed in the convincing context of evolutionary and adaptive explanations.’ -- Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain ‘Our teenage years can be many things, from fraught to exhilarating. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers show them to be something else altogether — essential for humans and animals. Read their enlightening journey and you will never see the transition to adulthood the same way again.’ -- Neil Shubin, PhD, author of Your Inner Fish and The Universe Within ‘Wildhood’s tour of the natural history of adolescence is original, entertaining and constructive, full of ideas for understanding it better.’ -- Richard Wrangham, PhD, author of The Goodness Paradox and Catching Fire ‘A masterpiece. This is a spellbinding lens on the ways creatures with big bodies yet little life experience figure out how to survive and thrive. Read Wildhood.’ -- Wendy Mogel, PhD, author of Voice Lessons for Parents and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee ‘Wise, entrancing and astounding.’ -- Daniel E. Lieberman , PhD, author of The Story of the Human Body: evolution, health and disease ‘Paradigm-shattering. This illuminating new book generates dozens of hypotheses for raising educating, counselling and treating, and living life as an adolescent human.’ -- Dr Gene Beresin, professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School ‘An incredibly fascinating read, Wildhood illuminates what humans can learn from the animal world and how all species are more connected to one another than they may appear.’ STARRED REVIEW -- Melissa Norstedt * Booklist * ‘This compelling account of how strongly human adolescent behaviours are rooted in our wild animal past should intrigue general science readers and fans of Zoobiquity.’ * Library Journal * ‘The wild adventure of adolescence has never been analysed in such depth. In lively personalised accounts that keep our attention, the authors explain how the transition to independence works in each species, and why it looks so similar across the board.’ -- Frans de Waal, PhD, author of Mama’s Last Hug and Our Inner Ape ‘Those travails of adolescence? It isn’t just you. Or your culture. Or even your species. Wildhood uses riveting stories about the challenges overcome by specific whales, wolves, and more to put the challenges of adolescence in a universal evolutionary context for the first time. Groundbreaking and fascinating.’ -- Dr Randolph M. Nesse, author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings ‘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 anthropomorphise to find some of the similarities between animal and human teenagers uncanny, and the lessons they have to learn remarkably similar.’ -- Judith Newman * The New York Times * ‘Harvard evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and science journalist Kathryn Bowers draw fascinating connections between human and animal young adulthood.’ -- Laura Pearson * The Chicago Tribune, ‘28 New Books You Need to Read Now’ * ‘The vivid storytelling and fascinating scientific digressions in Wildhood make it a pleasurable read.’ -- Patrick J. Kiger * Los Angeles Times * ‘There is much here for the nature lover, the parent seeking advice, and the college freshman tackling ‘adulting.’ By laying out the adolescent experience of so many species in rich detail, the authors normalise and celebrate the beauty and complexity of our own species’ journey into the big wide world.’ -- Linda Welbrecht * Science Magazine * ‘Take the authors up on their invitation to observe animals in the wild and in your own household, and you’ll never look at other beings the same again. Wildhood is for parents, nature lovers, and the curious alike. You’ll be wild for it.’ -- Terri Schlichenmeyer * Times Record * ‘Reading [Wildhood], I was surprised to see that many of the adolescent behaviours humans exhibit are wired in for adolescents of most species. This may not provide much consolation for you as you try to guide your teen through the dangers of risk-taking, but it provides insights into how much your teen is exhibiting normal adolescent behaviour shared with birds and monkeys. Most importantly, it’s a reminder that this is usually not about you.’ -- Mark Phillips * Marin Independent Journal * ‘A fascinating and well-written book about the universal journey of adolescence. It is full of insights about humans as well as many other animals. There is much that human teenagers can learn from the experiences of adolescent penguins and hyenas.’ -- Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens ‘Lively and eye-opening.’ -- Miriam Cosic * The Australian * ‘Engaging and informative … Wildhood is a fascinating read that provides a powerful new lens on the tricky transition to adulthood.’ -- Rebekah Lyell * NZ Booklovers * ‘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 * ‘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 behaviour is not only inevitable for most creatures in that stage of development but truly valuable.’ -- Duncan Strauss * Washington Post * ‘Wildhood is a thoroughly engaging study of the in-between years and the strands of commonality that run through the awkward adolescences of so many species. The book will teach you things about the torments and ecstasies you endured during your own in-between years, and it may incline you to look more kindly on the desperate, low-status blunderings of the teenagers who occasionally show up in your own home and on your own tax forms.’ -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Review * ‘Wildhood is a look at human behaviour through the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is fascinating.’ -- Jeff Maynard * The Herald Sun * ‘In Wildhood, the authors examine how human adolescence is rooted in our animals past and influences how we navigate the transition ... Wildhood is a look at human behaviour throughout the eyes of creatures large and small, and the result is funny, informative and fascinating.’ -- Jeff Maynard * Life & Style Weekend * ‘Adolescence collides spectacularly with the tree of life in Wildhood … It turns out that adolescents all across the animal kingdom do the same things, and for good evolutionary reasons … [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 * Praise for Zoobiquity: ‘[A] very credible argument for collaboration between disciplines … entertaining and beautifully written.’ * New York Journal of Books * Praise for Zoobiquity: ‘[Y]ou will find the argument hard to resist. Plus you will have some killer dinner party gems. Who could resist the story of lemurs with erectile dysfunction, or the iguanas that ejaculate prematurely?’ * New Scientist * Praise for Zoobiquity: ‘Illuminating … This very engaging book is difficult to put down. It provides lots of information in an easy-to-understand manner that doesn’t feel overwhelming, perhaps because of the liberal use of humour throughout. Reading Zoobiquity gave this reader a totally new perspective on his furred and feathered neighbors.’ * The Boston Globe *