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Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World
What does the science of animal intelligence mean for how we understand and live with the wild creatures around us?
Honeybees deliberate democratically. Rats reflect on the past. Snakes have friends. In recent decades, our understanding of animal cognition has exploded, making it indisputably clear that the cities and landscapes around us are filled with thinking, feeling individuals besides ourselves. But the way we relate to wild animals has yet to catch up. In Meet the Neighbors, acclaimed science journalist Brandon Keim asks: what would it mean to take the minds of other animals seriously?
In this wide-ranging, wonder-filled exploration of animals’ inner lives, Keim takes us into courtrooms and wildlife hospitals, under backyard decks and into deserts, to meet anew the wild creatures who populate our communities and the philosophers, rogue pest controllers, ecologists, wildlife doctors, and others who are reimagining our relationships to them. If bats trade favors and groups of swans vote to take off by honking, should we then see them as fellow persons—even members of society? When we come to understand the depths of their pleasures and pains, the richness of their family lives and their histories, what do we owe so-called pests and predators, or animals who are sick or injured? Can thinking of nonhumans as our neighbors help chart a course to a kinder, gentler planet? As Keim suggests, the answers to these questions are central to how we understand not only the rest of the living world, but ourselves.
A beguiling invitation to discover an expanded sense of community and kinship beyond our own species, Meet the Neighbors opens our eyes to the world of vibrant intelligence just outside our doors.
Honeybees deliberate democratically. Rats reflect on the past. Snakes have friends. In recent decades, our understanding of animal cognition has exploded, making it indisputably clear that the cities and landscapes around us are filled with thinking, feeling individuals besides ourselves. But the way we relate to wild animals has yet to catch up. In Meet the Neighbors, acclaimed science journalist Brandon Keim asks: what would it mean to take the minds of other animals seriously?
In this wide-ranging, wonder-filled exploration of animals’ inner lives, Keim takes us into courtrooms and wildlife hospitals, under backyard decks and into deserts, to meet anew the wild creatures who populate our communities and the philosophers, rogue pest controllers, ecologists, wildlife doctors, and others who are reimagining our relationships to them. If bats trade favors and groups of swans vote to take off by honking, should we then see them as fellow persons—even members of society? When we come to understand the depths of their pleasures and pains, the richness of their family lives and their histories, what do we owe so-called pests and predators, or animals who are sick or injured? Can thinking of nonhumans as our neighbors help chart a course to a kinder, gentler planet? As Keim suggests, the answers to these questions are central to how we understand not only the rest of the living world, but ourselves.
A beguiling invitation to discover an expanded sense of community and kinship beyond our own species, Meet the Neighbors opens our eyes to the world of vibrant intelligence just outside our doors.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published July 16, 2024
112 people are currently reading
5397 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Keim
3 books39 followersBrandon Keim is a freelance journalist specializing in science, nature, and animals. His latest book, Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than-Human World, is about animal personhood — knowing them as thinking, feeling beings — and our relationships to wild animals and to nature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
October 17, 2024
Brandon Keim's excellent book Meet the Neighbors seems to be one that suffers from a title and cover that don't quite match what is inside. (Though, I do love the subheading phrase "more-than-human worlds.") It's strange that the idiom, "don't judge a book by its cover" is still so popular when it is arguably less practiced today than it ever was given the wide reach of the internet and availability of graphic design. The welcome mat with all of the animals on it resembles a child's nature show to me, but Keim did not write a cutesie book about animals as one-dimensional cartoon characters. I assume the title and design were created to reach as wide an audience as possible- anyone who likes other-than-human animals and wants fun facts about them. This strategy sometimes works for sales but often results in disappointment by readers who expected something lighter.
Keim's book is grounded in reality and is written with great sensitivity, deep thought, and a level of honesty I often do not encounter in these kinds of texts- even from those whose entire goal is to de-center humans in discussions about other animals. This is not a buzzfeed-esque fun-fact book (though there are certainly many fun facts and heartwarming stories within) nor is it a book focused solely on more-than-human animal traits. The parts that mostly focused on facts about animals were the beginning sections of the book which I thought could have used more organization. This initially left me worried that I might be reading another run-of-the-mill book of animal facts, which is just fine, but moving forward took me into another world entirely. This book is includes a mixture of general info and research about other animal minds and experiences as well as discussion about how humans treat and view fellow creatures. The latter can make it tough to read at times. However, even as a person who generally has a hard boundary against reading detailed accounts of animal cruelty and exploitation, I encourage folks to push through those parts. I make exceptions to this rule when the information is used to make larger, complex points and to combat common knowledge in important ways that cannot be done accurately without including said details. Basically, when it makes me think about things in ways I had not before, I will make my way through it. I believe this book does this. It does so in ways that are exceptional in comparison to others in the genre.
We are currently in a place, at least in much of western culture, where it is super cool to talk about climate change, but not to actually take responsibility for it. It is super cool to discuss amazing fun facts about other animals, as long as we always keep them a step below us and don't challenge the ways we exploit them. It is super cool to combat threats to endangered species, including blaming other species introduced by us, as long as the threats combatted aren't human (you know, the main threat.) Even in far left circles, these kinds of neoliberal and reactionary ways of thinking are common in regards to nonhuman animals. It's even fashionable to tokenize human struggles in reasoning as to why other species do not deserve respect and consideration. This book forces the reader to confront all of these anthropocentric biases and more. Keim acknowledges the great importance of the little bits of happiness we can gain from Dodo videos while also acknowledging that we "live in a world of wounds," as he said when he generously joined VINE book club last month. Keim also grapples with conflicts and questions that are often left out on the more liberatory side of things, such as when humans should intervene to help other animals and what kind of interventions are more wasteful or disruptive than they are helpful. He consistently asks the question- what would an individual from this species think or want? He ponders things such as the differences in opinion bears vs salmon might have in regards to habitat management and how humans choose which species to focus on helping or admiring. The most illuminating parts of the book for me personally, were those that discussed introduced/non-native, "overpopulated," and/or species labeled as "pests." I had not even realized just how much bias I had internalized about certain dilemmas even as a 18 year die hard (collective liberation) vegan with a ton of animal rescue experience who knows that these things are more complicated that the anthropocentric ways they are presented.
This book is what I was hoping the the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains would have been. Even though MTN is not entirely about these species and conflicts, it tells multiple sides of the story in honest ways as much as a human can attempt to without being able to interview other species. I had no idea, for instance, that introduced (non-native) donkeys had rewilded in many places and helped other species survive through things like oasis digging in deserts. I had heard of "judas goats," but never knew about "judas donkeys," which were only mentioned in a footnote, but are truly one of the most heart wrenching examples of cruelty I have read about. I can't stop thinking about them, but do not regret learning this as part of the full story. I have read countless texts that explain how rats and feral cats threatened island nesting birds, which insisted that killing all of them was the only solution. Those texts neglected to mention that humans overfishing, habitat destruction, and killing of the ocean were countless times worse for said birds and everyone else. Keim also discussed how said purge of feral cats was also used to reduce competition with foxes, only to find that foxes at more threatened birds than the cats (who ate more rodents.) The culling of introduced pigs ended up taking away food from golden eagles, who then turned on the foxes, which then meant the eagles had to be "managed." I am a birder and often see people patting themselves on the back when telling people to keep their cats indoors (which I agree with for the record,) but will attack anyone who even questions how our actions affect birds (outside of the abstract or pointing the finger at other human groups- usually in oppressive ways.) We learn that feral cats are the "top killers" of birds when they aren't. We are. But, many writers (outside of animal rights and liberation niche texts) are encouraged not to talk about this as the reader needs the ability to channel the upset about what is happening onto someone else. Keim doesn't fall into that trap.
Keim also did a lot of research and got a lot of big names to interview. Bobby Corrigan on rodents for example. Again, the way he approached the book exceeds what you often find in nature and animal literature. He interviews scientists, environmentalists, lawyers, wildlife "management" services, philosophers, naturalists, animal sanctuary founders, zoo employees, and so on. He also presents one of the most honest sections on hunting and fishing- particularly westernized hunting that rebranded itself as "conservationist" (after hunting drove many species to, or near to, extinction.) I don't know if I have ever read a text that acknowledged the horrors hunters have committed, the trouble with ecosystem imbalance caused by overpopulation of certain species (and harm to other species,) the other human activities that often cause more harm but get less attention/ire than hunting (such as urbanization,) the conservation efforts of a subset of hunters, and how those conservation efforts ultimately serve hunters, ranchers, and loggers more than other animals or ecosystems (by prioritizing sport, profits, trophies, and species hunters want to kill even at cost of true balance and other species harmed by their "conservation" practices.) Keim even calls out the permission fallacy and idea of animals "giving their lives" as a way to redirect from the reality that their lives are taken. He is not claiming taking a life is always wrong, on the contrary, it is sometimes a necessity including for other species. But, he combats this view usually touted by people romanticizing hunting by claiming animals are super into being shot or stabbed for conservation, tradition, sport, trophy, food, or all of the above. It's very rare to find that level of honesty and diligent research on a topic so sensitive to many people on all sides. Keim truly seemed more interested in understanding the dilemma than taking a side.
As a bird nerd, I learned so many new things about birds from this book. Some were depressing and far more were fascinating. Yet, he also has me thinking hard about what species I am fascinated by and how that affects my actions. I have lots of photos of birds eating insects and fishes. While I have definitely felt for these animals, especially when that damned ring-billed gull held that squirming fish for ages before finally killing them, what is it about birds that attracts me? And how does that affect my actions? I'm not saying I have never considered these things, but Keim gave me new ways to think about them. One might think based on what I have said here that there is a punishing way to these thought processes, but on the contrary, I actually found Keim's outlook freeing. It is often honesty, however painful, that is much less anxiety inducing in the long run. This book allows me to see myself as part of this world- an animal among many other animals- and to examine what that means to me
As you may be able to tell, I could write a book on this book. I want to leave some surprises for the reader as well. I highly recommend Meet the Neighbors and I hope that if you find your expectations dashed a bit, that you can move forward and take what else the text has to offer because there is a lot here that I have rarely found elsewhere.
This was also posted to my storygraph and blog.
Keim's book is grounded in reality and is written with great sensitivity, deep thought, and a level of honesty I often do not encounter in these kinds of texts- even from those whose entire goal is to de-center humans in discussions about other animals. This is not a buzzfeed-esque fun-fact book (though there are certainly many fun facts and heartwarming stories within) nor is it a book focused solely on more-than-human animal traits. The parts that mostly focused on facts about animals were the beginning sections of the book which I thought could have used more organization. This initially left me worried that I might be reading another run-of-the-mill book of animal facts, which is just fine, but moving forward took me into another world entirely. This book is includes a mixture of general info and research about other animal minds and experiences as well as discussion about how humans treat and view fellow creatures. The latter can make it tough to read at times. However, even as a person who generally has a hard boundary against reading detailed accounts of animal cruelty and exploitation, I encourage folks to push through those parts. I make exceptions to this rule when the information is used to make larger, complex points and to combat common knowledge in important ways that cannot be done accurately without including said details. Basically, when it makes me think about things in ways I had not before, I will make my way through it. I believe this book does this. It does so in ways that are exceptional in comparison to others in the genre.
We are currently in a place, at least in much of western culture, where it is super cool to talk about climate change, but not to actually take responsibility for it. It is super cool to discuss amazing fun facts about other animals, as long as we always keep them a step below us and don't challenge the ways we exploit them. It is super cool to combat threats to endangered species, including blaming other species introduced by us, as long as the threats combatted aren't human (you know, the main threat.) Even in far left circles, these kinds of neoliberal and reactionary ways of thinking are common in regards to nonhuman animals. It's even fashionable to tokenize human struggles in reasoning as to why other species do not deserve respect and consideration. This book forces the reader to confront all of these anthropocentric biases and more. Keim acknowledges the great importance of the little bits of happiness we can gain from Dodo videos while also acknowledging that we "live in a world of wounds," as he said when he generously joined VINE book club last month. Keim also grapples with conflicts and questions that are often left out on the more liberatory side of things, such as when humans should intervene to help other animals and what kind of interventions are more wasteful or disruptive than they are helpful. He consistently asks the question- what would an individual from this species think or want? He ponders things such as the differences in opinion bears vs salmon might have in regards to habitat management and how humans choose which species to focus on helping or admiring. The most illuminating parts of the book for me personally, were those that discussed introduced/non-native, "overpopulated," and/or species labeled as "pests." I had not even realized just how much bias I had internalized about certain dilemmas even as a 18 year die hard (collective liberation) vegan with a ton of animal rescue experience who knows that these things are more complicated that the anthropocentric ways they are presented.
This book is what I was hoping the the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains would have been. Even though MTN is not entirely about these species and conflicts, it tells multiple sides of the story in honest ways as much as a human can attempt to without being able to interview other species. I had no idea, for instance, that introduced (non-native) donkeys had rewilded in many places and helped other species survive through things like oasis digging in deserts. I had heard of "judas goats," but never knew about "judas donkeys," which were only mentioned in a footnote, but are truly one of the most heart wrenching examples of cruelty I have read about. I can't stop thinking about them, but do not regret learning this as part of the full story. I have read countless texts that explain how rats and feral cats threatened island nesting birds, which insisted that killing all of them was the only solution. Those texts neglected to mention that humans overfishing, habitat destruction, and killing of the ocean were countless times worse for said birds and everyone else. Keim also discussed how said purge of feral cats was also used to reduce competition with foxes, only to find that foxes at more threatened birds than the cats (who ate more rodents.) The culling of introduced pigs ended up taking away food from golden eagles, who then turned on the foxes, which then meant the eagles had to be "managed." I am a birder and often see people patting themselves on the back when telling people to keep their cats indoors (which I agree with for the record,) but will attack anyone who even questions how our actions affect birds (outside of the abstract or pointing the finger at other human groups- usually in oppressive ways.) We learn that feral cats are the "top killers" of birds when they aren't. We are. But, many writers (outside of animal rights and liberation niche texts) are encouraged not to talk about this as the reader needs the ability to channel the upset about what is happening onto someone else. Keim doesn't fall into that trap.
Keim also did a lot of research and got a lot of big names to interview. Bobby Corrigan on rodents for example. Again, the way he approached the book exceeds what you often find in nature and animal literature. He interviews scientists, environmentalists, lawyers, wildlife "management" services, philosophers, naturalists, animal sanctuary founders, zoo employees, and so on. He also presents one of the most honest sections on hunting and fishing- particularly westernized hunting that rebranded itself as "conservationist" (after hunting drove many species to, or near to, extinction.) I don't know if I have ever read a text that acknowledged the horrors hunters have committed, the trouble with ecosystem imbalance caused by overpopulation of certain species (and harm to other species,) the other human activities that often cause more harm but get less attention/ire than hunting (such as urbanization,) the conservation efforts of a subset of hunters, and how those conservation efforts ultimately serve hunters, ranchers, and loggers more than other animals or ecosystems (by prioritizing sport, profits, trophies, and species hunters want to kill even at cost of true balance and other species harmed by their "conservation" practices.) Keim even calls out the permission fallacy and idea of animals "giving their lives" as a way to redirect from the reality that their lives are taken. He is not claiming taking a life is always wrong, on the contrary, it is sometimes a necessity including for other species. But, he combats this view usually touted by people romanticizing hunting by claiming animals are super into being shot or stabbed for conservation, tradition, sport, trophy, food, or all of the above. It's very rare to find that level of honesty and diligent research on a topic so sensitive to many people on all sides. Keim truly seemed more interested in understanding the dilemma than taking a side.
As a bird nerd, I learned so many new things about birds from this book. Some were depressing and far more were fascinating. Yet, he also has me thinking hard about what species I am fascinated by and how that affects my actions. I have lots of photos of birds eating insects and fishes. While I have definitely felt for these animals, especially when that damned ring-billed gull held that squirming fish for ages before finally killing them, what is it about birds that attracts me? And how does that affect my actions? I'm not saying I have never considered these things, but Keim gave me new ways to think about them. One might think based on what I have said here that there is a punishing way to these thought processes, but on the contrary, I actually found Keim's outlook freeing. It is often honesty, however painful, that is much less anxiety inducing in the long run. This book allows me to see myself as part of this world- an animal among many other animals- and to examine what that means to me
As you may be able to tell, I could write a book on this book. I want to leave some surprises for the reader as well. I highly recommend Meet the Neighbors and I hope that if you find your expectations dashed a bit, that you can move forward and take what else the text has to offer because there is a lot here that I have rarely found elsewhere.
This was also posted to my storygraph and blog.
June 14, 2024
***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***
Meet the Neighbors tackles a broad and complicated subject area. What do animals think and feel and how can we, as humans, better incorporate them into society? I appreciate how the author broke this down in multiple ways.
What does the science say? He acknowledges this is a young field of research and covers both the results and limitations of studies. What does philosophy say? He goes way back, hundreds of years, to build up to our current thinking on the sentience of animals. What do the courts say? Yes, there have been court cases on the topic of animal personhood and rights. So far, no real victories for animal advocates beyond moral victories. What do we say as individuals? This is what it comes down to. What feels right in our own souls when it comes to interacting with individual animals as well as populations of animals?
While the book could be dry at times, and some chapters will speak to individuals more than others, it was still a worthwhile read for animal lovers and those who are focused on conservation. The chapter on coyotes was particularly poignant for me as it encompassed the struggle between happiness and suffering that exist in life and how sometimes all we can do is try to lessen the suffering a little bit.
Meet the Neighbors tackles a broad and complicated subject area. What do animals think and feel and how can we, as humans, better incorporate them into society? I appreciate how the author broke this down in multiple ways.
What does the science say? He acknowledges this is a young field of research and covers both the results and limitations of studies. What does philosophy say? He goes way back, hundreds of years, to build up to our current thinking on the sentience of animals. What do the courts say? Yes, there have been court cases on the topic of animal personhood and rights. So far, no real victories for animal advocates beyond moral victories. What do we say as individuals? This is what it comes down to. What feels right in our own souls when it comes to interacting with individual animals as well as populations of animals?
While the book could be dry at times, and some chapters will speak to individuals more than others, it was still a worthwhile read for animal lovers and those who are focused on conservation. The chapter on coyotes was particularly poignant for me as it encompassed the struggle between happiness and suffering that exist in life and how sometimes all we can do is try to lessen the suffering a little bit.
July 2, 2024
Meet The Neighbors by Brandon Kind If anyone is like me they probably first thought this book was a thriller about devious neighbors and secrets but no this is about our furry and winged neighbors we live so closely with. The author has filled his book with experts court cases and reasons why we should do our best to live peacefully with animals that aren’t so different from ourselves. In the book we learn how coyotes socialize we learn about rats who have remorse elephants who mourn their dead in birds whose sum mate for life and we even hear about those people who think nothing of killing them and going about their day. I have always loved animals but until recently I really did view them as just dumb animals and it’s books like this that’s definitely changing my view of these creatures we co-exist with on this planet. I did think there was way too much talk about rights not that I don’t believe animals deserve them but when you go overboard peoples vision tends to glaze over and they stop listening or at least I know that’s the case with me. I did fine a lot of the talk about happy the elephant was very interesting and I absolutely would recommend this book I found it very entertaining and informative most of it was all so interesting. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.#WWNortonandCompany, #NetGalley,#BrandonKind, #MeetTheNeighbors,
August 28, 2024
EXACTLY. This book sums up everything I've felt about animals my whole life, but it's much more eloquent and well-researched than my usual teary "Hey, animals have lives and feelings, too!" outbursts.
The parts about the horrible things we humans do to our non-human neighbours made me sick and angry, but I think it's important for us all to know about stuff like that. Like someone in the book is quoted as saying, "Suffering is not less real because we don't look at it." So true. And maybe by looking at it, we can build up enough communal rage to actually make some important changes.
Excellent book.
The parts about the horrible things we humans do to our non-human neighbours made me sick and angry, but I think it's important for us all to know about stuff like that. Like someone in the book is quoted as saying, "Suffering is not less real because we don't look at it." So true. And maybe by looking at it, we can build up enough communal rage to actually make some important changes.
Excellent book.
October 12, 2025
as a huge fan of thinking ab the feelings of animals, i didn’t necessarily need this book. but i certainly did enjoy it. chapter on coyotes was my fav. did i shed a tear listening to the part ab animals in love? of course i did!
this book i will compare to fuzz and pests. those ones are better. but also different. but just better in general. all three are gorgeous girls and should all be read. they complement each other quite well. but fuzz and pests are near and dear to my soul and i’ll never stop thinking ab them. i think i will eventually stop thinking ab this one. but this one was still very very good and interesting.
also. made me think ab hunting morals which is always an interesting topic in my mind. much to ponder
this book i will compare to fuzz and pests. those ones are better. but also different. but just better in general. all three are gorgeous girls and should all be read. they complement each other quite well. but fuzz and pests are near and dear to my soul and i’ll never stop thinking ab them. i think i will eventually stop thinking ab this one. but this one was still very very good and interesting.
also. made me think ab hunting morals which is always an interesting topic in my mind. much to ponder
September 16, 2024
The first couple of chapters dealt with animal intelligence and communication, and they were the best parts of the book. However, they were kind of scattershot and muddled with various examples of rats, bees, etc., surprising us with their advanced thinking but these parts were kind of a stream of anecdotes.
The rest of the book was about animal rights and how we need to coexist with animals but it got very repetitive and some of the arguments seemed impractical and unconvincing.
The rest of the book was about animal rights and how we need to coexist with animals but it got very repetitive and some of the arguments seemed impractical and unconvincing.
June 2, 2025
I believe the point of this book is to think about animals, all animals more compassionately. “If we understand other animals, as thinking, feeling, self-aware beings, with friends and families and relationships, as fellow persons and neighbors in a more than human city, then we ought not to kill them unless truly necessary.”
The book begins by establishing the intelligence that animals have and the importance of community within many animal worlds. The second section concerns animal rights. The third section talks about some animals that are traditionally maligned in our coexistence. The final section talks about animals in the wild and how they should be managed, if at all.
A chapter of the book called “The Invaders” talks about Non-native species of animals that are considered invasive and should be destroyed. “What might people learn if they set aside, preconceived God notions about nativity and non-nativity and if they looked with clear eyes at what these species actually did?” In many cases, in fact, non-native species provide benefits to the environments they are inhabiting. Often these non-native species are callously exterminated in the name of conservation. “Callousness can only be maintained at the cost of compassion.“
The book begins by establishing the intelligence that animals have and the importance of community within many animal worlds. The second section concerns animal rights. The third section talks about some animals that are traditionally maligned in our coexistence. The final section talks about animals in the wild and how they should be managed, if at all.
A chapter of the book called “The Invaders” talks about Non-native species of animals that are considered invasive and should be destroyed. “What might people learn if they set aside, preconceived God notions about nativity and non-nativity and if they looked with clear eyes at what these species actually did?” In many cases, in fact, non-native species provide benefits to the environments they are inhabiting. Often these non-native species are callously exterminated in the name of conservation. “Callousness can only be maintained at the cost of compassion.“
April 22, 2025
Deeply empathetic, highly insightful, and very entertaining. This book deepened my understanding of what it must feel like to share a planet with a noisy, destructive, wasteful, murderous, generally pain-in-the-ass species like humans. I will never look at urban wildlife the same way again.
Read
May 15, 2025DNF - the book lost me when they started talking about experiments on live dogs!!! Hard stop!
May 3, 2025
I LOVED this book! I learned so much about animals’ cognitive and emotional intelligence, and I really enjoyed Keim’s storytelling. This book serves as a compelling call for people to change the way we perceive and interact with animals but arguing that they are intelligent creatures deserving of rights.
As a Christian I struggle to walk the line between humans having dominion over animals and being responsible for stewarding them well, but I definitely think we too often treat animals as disposable or even evil, and that we need to treat them with more love and kindness. I recommend everyone read this book!!!
As a Christian I struggle to walk the line between humans having dominion over animals and being responsible for stewarding them well, but I definitely think we too often treat animals as disposable or even evil, and that we need to treat them with more love and kindness. I recommend everyone read this book!!!
February 20, 2025
Growing up, my grandma would tell me stories of growing up in Oklahoma during the dust bowl. Many of these were stories about animals with whom she’d been close with. She always told me that people underestimated the depth, intelligence, and soulfulness of animals. I remember my family rolling their eyes, hearing the story for the tenth time, but even from a young age it seemed a correct observation. Anyone who has spent a lot of time around animals, or has had a deep emotional connection with an animal knows this implicitly. Luckily there’s been good ol’ western philosophy and Christianity to talk you out of what you’ve known in your heart to be true. Seems like that’s at least starting to change.
Of course I’ve heard the usual evidence—elephant and whale intelligence and behavior and rituals, etc. but over the past few years in particular I’ve really wanted to read a book like this that gives a survey course on the current state of knowledge about the emotional and intellectual capabilities of animals. This really is that book. I learned a ton and really thought the book was laid out well. Starting with general examples of animal depth (which are often stunning—turns out they are complex beings with deep interior lives), and moving into real life applications, debates, cases, then bringing it back to how people are trying to help, and finally ending at an overview of the current state of the philosophy of humane morality around animal well being in the Anthropocene. Nicely done.
Of course I’ve heard the usual evidence—elephant and whale intelligence and behavior and rituals, etc. but over the past few years in particular I’ve really wanted to read a book like this that gives a survey course on the current state of knowledge about the emotional and intellectual capabilities of animals. This really is that book. I learned a ton and really thought the book was laid out well. Starting with general examples of animal depth (which are often stunning—turns out they are complex beings with deep interior lives), and moving into real life applications, debates, cases, then bringing it back to how people are trying to help, and finally ending at an overview of the current state of the philosophy of humane morality around animal well being in the Anthropocene. Nicely done.
July 24, 2025
DNF at 75%. I really really enjoyed the beginning of this, but then he really got anti-zoo and as a zookeeper I couldn’t continue. He was spreading so much misinformation about zoos and I just couldn’t listen anymore.
March 11, 2025
Author Brandon Keim shows his deep love for animals and the natural world on every page of this wonderful book. Laboratory animals, invasive species, wildlife rehabilitation, hunting, and conservation are just some of the issues he touches on. More often than not, Keim reaches no solid conclusions—rather, he encourages the reader to think deeply and broadly and above all, with compassion. In this age of climate change, science denial, and a United States government that is retreating from any and all considerations of our environment and its care, books like this are vital. We must look at the big picture, and we must act to preserve the Earth and its inhabitants before it’s too late.
Read
September 10, 2024DNF - I was enjoying this book’s insights into animals and human attitudes toward them. However, it blindsided me with graphic descriptions of horrific animal cruelty, and I can’t take any more.
January 31, 2025
interesting thesis, lots of possibilities, I wanted to enjoy it. This dragged more than it needed to. Better editing?
February 19, 2025
Really wonderful book :) everyone should read this
November 9, 2024
Review: Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World (Brandon Keim). I went to a literary event at the Music Hall Lounge some months ago to her Brandon Keim present this book (and also at the same time Paul Bierman presenting his book When the Ice is Gone), both of which presentations made my heart ache, for all the beauty around us which so often we are just squandering in our belief that we are a superior species (not a belief I subscribe to). So this is the book I had been reading in bits and pieces at work, on breaks or during slow periods. Sometimes the descriptions of the horrors we visit upon other living creatures made me cringe, but the book is so rich in laying forth the manifold reasons we should embrace other living creatures as our neighbors on this planet, something Native Americans like Kathy Pollard who lives in Orono, Maine understands: "We are taught from a very, very young age...not to hurt other life because it is inconvenient to us." The Judeo-Christian contradicts this philosophy, in its "go-forth-and-conquer mentality that also manifests in a sense of dominance over nature, of other lives as resources to be owned." Instead, this tome shows us and explores {this passage is from the naturalist Henry Beston}: "We need another and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals...We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein do we err." There are so many lovely passages as Keim introduces us to the science behind learning animals' own consciousness in the world, and ultimately reminds us: "To care about others [animals are our neighbors in life] is to be constantly reminded of how much pain and struggle there is in the world, and also how it is within each of our grasps to make a differnence that is...world changing. There is so much that can be done, collectively and individually, to live better--more kindly, more thoughtfully, more fairly--with the animals around us." It lifted me up... and away from the dreadful human centered environment we are struggling with right now.
October 8, 2024
This is one of my favorite books. The storytelling and informative prose, which was constructed in an entertaining and accessible way, was enjoyable to read and covered many topics that are highly interesting to me such as ethics, conservation of wildlife and their natural habitats, animal behavior, empathy, and scientific discoveries. It's a book that examines what I have already known to be true since I was a child, that animals are thinking and feeling beings that deserve to live out their natural lives with respect and dignity, but backs it up with science and ethics.
Keim provides a detailed timeline of the philosophy, religion, ethics, science, and law that has informed how humans treat animals and how that has shifted over time in our ever-changing world. He did such a great job researching this topic. I have made note of several of his sources so that I can read those, too. There are many powerful science backed stories about animals and their cultures that point to the realization that we we should be seeing them as persons deserving of much better treatment than the western world is giving them. Keim has presented such a wide variety of perspectives here so that we can see this issue of how we treat animals from many points of view and consider how we fit into this mosaic of ethics and philosophy.
This book is dynamic, at times it tugs at your heartstrings and reveals things about animals that most people have no idea about that brings about a sense of awe and wonder. There are times that this book touches on behaviors by humans towards animals that will horrify you, break your heart, and make you angry. It's necessary to know these things if we as humans are ever to find a way to a more ethical and equitable world for all species. I think this book has the power to change the world both one person at a time and eventually on a legal and cultural level. I'm trying to convince all of my friends and family to read it. It's life changing and inspiring and an enjoyable read.
Keim provides a detailed timeline of the philosophy, religion, ethics, science, and law that has informed how humans treat animals and how that has shifted over time in our ever-changing world. He did such a great job researching this topic. I have made note of several of his sources so that I can read those, too. There are many powerful science backed stories about animals and their cultures that point to the realization that we we should be seeing them as persons deserving of much better treatment than the western world is giving them. Keim has presented such a wide variety of perspectives here so that we can see this issue of how we treat animals from many points of view and consider how we fit into this mosaic of ethics and philosophy.
This book is dynamic, at times it tugs at your heartstrings and reveals things about animals that most people have no idea about that brings about a sense of awe and wonder. There are times that this book touches on behaviors by humans towards animals that will horrify you, break your heart, and make you angry. It's necessary to know these things if we as humans are ever to find a way to a more ethical and equitable world for all species. I think this book has the power to change the world both one person at a time and eventually on a legal and cultural level. I'm trying to convince all of my friends and family to read it. It's life changing and inspiring and an enjoyable read.
December 21, 2025
This book was a beautiful coincidence, especially the Barbara Smuts quote about squirrels at the beginning, as I’ve been putting nuts and seeds out in a feeder for our squirrel (and bird) neighbors for more than a year. I have to admit, I didn’t have high hopes about this book. I am happily surprised!
Other than the 5th chapter that was mostly about the legal matters which I knew of, and didn’t care to follow in detail, it is quite a page-turner. I realized quickly that when the focus was on the specifics of an animal’s life, their experiences, rather than the human animals and what they were doing, I was much more interested. I took notes, highlighted, and enjoyed this book very much. A couple of good things about it:
- Lots of interesting information I did not know
- Really well written, and I loved the in-text citation format
- It is not just a bunch of interesting info about animals, it is a really well organized, thought-provoking book.
- I’m already a critical animal studies scholar doing an interdisciplinary humanities PhD, and I’m vegan too. So I didn’t need to be convinced to care about nonhuman animals. I was already on board. BUT… I am sure that this is a book that would interest anyone who says they like animals.
So I urge you to read it, and gift it to your friends. “The point was to feed your imagination,” says Keim. It achieves that purpose, and reaches beyond.
I agree with Keim that we might be too late to avert a climate crisis, but it does not mean that thinking about (and doing) what is possible and within one’s grasp for a kinder, more thoughtful and fairer life is meaningless.
Because “We still need to nourish islands of care and abundance and make the world better for those who survive. For our neighbors” (p.293)
My thanks to the author and the people who contributed to the making of the book.
Other than the 5th chapter that was mostly about the legal matters which I knew of, and didn’t care to follow in detail, it is quite a page-turner. I realized quickly that when the focus was on the specifics of an animal’s life, their experiences, rather than the human animals and what they were doing, I was much more interested. I took notes, highlighted, and enjoyed this book very much. A couple of good things about it:
- Lots of interesting information I did not know
- Really well written, and I loved the in-text citation format
- It is not just a bunch of interesting info about animals, it is a really well organized, thought-provoking book.
- I’m already a critical animal studies scholar doing an interdisciplinary humanities PhD, and I’m vegan too. So I didn’t need to be convinced to care about nonhuman animals. I was already on board. BUT… I am sure that this is a book that would interest anyone who says they like animals.
So I urge you to read it, and gift it to your friends. “The point was to feed your imagination,” says Keim. It achieves that purpose, and reaches beyond.
I agree with Keim that we might be too late to avert a climate crisis, but it does not mean that thinking about (and doing) what is possible and within one’s grasp for a kinder, more thoughtful and fairer life is meaningless.
Because “We still need to nourish islands of care and abundance and make the world better for those who survive. For our neighbors” (p.293)
My thanks to the author and the people who contributed to the making of the book.
August 8, 2024
While this is a book full of examples of animal sentience and how they think and feel, it is more about how humans look on wild animals and their attitudes on living with them. Science has finally proved repeatedly and resoundingly that animals are not the mindless, instinct only driven creatures they were labeled for hundreds of years in Western civilization and others. The author explores the variety of intelligent thought among animal, as well as how the attitudes toward animals by humans has guided out actions over the centuries, with examples so brutal you will beg to unsee them. But things are changing, and certainly can change more. Keim follows coyotes in the city, donkeys in the desert, frogs in puddles and so much more. He concentrates most on the intersection of urban and wild creatures as this is where human attitudes play the larger role, with examples of where humans are learning to cohabitate with animals before considered dangerous or vermin. The section on humane pest control was especially enlightening. This is a dense read that tends to meander a great deal, and concentrates on humans far more than animals. Animal lovers well be absolutely devastated in some extremely graphic sections. There is much fascinating research and many important ideas to be found here, and well worth exploring.
July 4, 2025
Anyone that loves animal or science books (me, me, me) will fall in love with the story-filled experiences of animals so that humans can appreciate animals-- not for what they bring to humans but for the animals themselves and what/who they are as evidenced from a woman's connection with a queen bee she befriended for a bit before she died.
We can't judge animal intelligence by human standards nor can we say they don't know how to survive or exist because their world is not our human world but every so often glimpses into animal life (and through studying animals) helps us recenter our understanding as the best neighbors that can exist. The book would pair well with ANYTHING Sy Montgomery writes, especially her How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals. The vibe is very similar as the message is also similar to An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.
We can't judge animal intelligence by human standards nor can we say they don't know how to survive or exist because their world is not our human world but every so often glimpses into animal life (and through studying animals) helps us recenter our understanding as the best neighbors that can exist. The book would pair well with ANYTHING Sy Montgomery writes, especially her How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals. The vibe is very similar as the message is also similar to An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.
May 5, 2024
"Meet the Neighbors" by Brandon Keim invites readers into a captivating journey through the realm of animal cognition, challenging us to reconsider our relationship with the creatures that inhabit our surroundings. Delving into the fascinating intricacies of animal intelligence, Keim explores the lives of various species, from honeybees and rats to snakes and swans, revealing their remarkable abilities and complex social dynamics.
Through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis, Keim sheds light on the profound implications of recognizing the mental lives of animals. Drawing on examples from diverse settings, including courtrooms, wildlife hospitals, and natural habitats, the author provokes thought on how we interact with wildlife and the ethical considerations that arise.
"Meet the Neighbors" is not just a book about animals; it's a profound reflection on our place in the natural world and our responsibilities towards its inhabitants. It challenges readers to expand their sense of community and empathy, offering a compelling vision for a more compassionate coexistence with the nonhuman beings that share our planet.
(And thank you for the giveaway opportunity that provided access to this enlightening exploration.)
Through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis, Keim sheds light on the profound implications of recognizing the mental lives of animals. Drawing on examples from diverse settings, including courtrooms, wildlife hospitals, and natural habitats, the author provokes thought on how we interact with wildlife and the ethical considerations that arise.
"Meet the Neighbors" is not just a book about animals; it's a profound reflection on our place in the natural world and our responsibilities towards its inhabitants. It challenges readers to expand their sense of community and empathy, offering a compelling vision for a more compassionate coexistence with the nonhuman beings that share our planet.
(And thank you for the giveaway opportunity that provided access to this enlightening exploration.)
August 18, 2025
Our understanding of emotions, the ability to form connections or even reactions to pain have changed over time, just in humans. When one looks at more contemporary research into animal behavior and communities as Brandon Keim does for Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than-Human World the results are similar, our understandings have changed.
Brandon Keim is a science journalist and pulls from both scientific literature, interviews and direct experience to populate the different narratives across the book. He looks at both legal history for animals to be considered capable of determining their own needs through cases tied to zoo elephants. Like Mary Roach's Fuzz, Keim also spends time with pest control efforts, but with a more humane practitioner who's main goal is preventing future issues by spending more time on investigating each case instead of just applying poisons. A welcome book that should have you considering all who live near you, not just those in houses.
Recommended to readers of nature, animals as conscious beings, or human animal interactions.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Brandon Keim is a science journalist and pulls from both scientific literature, interviews and direct experience to populate the different narratives across the book. He looks at both legal history for animals to be considered capable of determining their own needs through cases tied to zoo elephants. Like Mary Roach's Fuzz, Keim also spends time with pest control efforts, but with a more humane practitioner who's main goal is preventing future issues by spending more time on investigating each case instead of just applying poisons. A welcome book that should have you considering all who live near you, not just those in houses.
Recommended to readers of nature, animals as conscious beings, or human animal interactions.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
January 12, 2025
This is an excellent read for anyone wanting to delve into the intricate, nuanced shades of gray we call modern day wildlife advocacy and "management." As Keim says, these are two branches with similar goals holding each other at arm's length, sometimes muddying waters enough to prevent progress on conservation. While we cannot take ourselves out of the equation, it's past time we take humankind from the center of it and give space to all the other minds on the planet. In Keim's words, "what do we owe them? This, at least: open-mindedness and willingness to challenge our own assumptions... What - and who - might be seen if people looked upon those animals anew, with a sense of curiosity and wonder and care?"
August 21, 2024
Five stars is my highest possible rating. It means a book that is life-changing, amazing, beautiful, intriguing, and engrossing.
Even by that metric Meet the Neighbors deserves more than five stars.
This book is beautifully and wonderfully written, and it is engaging from the very first word. It makes you face your biases about animals and ecosystems and reevaluate your assumptions. It is full of delightful anecdotes, enchanting facts, and fascinating characters both human and otherwise.
I can't wait until more people have read it so I can discuss the ideas in it. It is a masterpiece and everyone needs to read it.
Even by that metric Meet the Neighbors deserves more than five stars.
This book is beautifully and wonderfully written, and it is engaging from the very first word. It makes you face your biases about animals and ecosystems and reevaluate your assumptions. It is full of delightful anecdotes, enchanting facts, and fascinating characters both human and otherwise.
I can't wait until more people have read it so I can discuss the ideas in it. It is a masterpiece and everyone needs to read it.
November 15, 2024
This book wasn't at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be more about facts and interesting things about animals in a human world. Maybe that's my fault for not reading the description more closely. Instead, it was a hardcore animal rights book. Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's what I was expecting. And I do like being exposed to thinking I am not familiar with. So, it passes the test there. But I felt like in many cases the author romanticized and fictionalized the lives of some of these animals in a way that wasn't accurate. When I feel like fiction is being presented as fact, I don't like that.
September 7, 2024
Meet the Neighbors is a fact-dense look at the inner lives of animals and how our increasing awareness of animal emotion and intelligence shapes our evolving world. The text can be dry at times, especially when re-treading on topics covered elsewhere, such as animal emotion. Chapters on litigation surrounding the legal rights of animals and the intersection between animal rights and ecology management, especially, are eye-openers. Overall Meet the Neighbors is a thoughtful, well-written look at how we ad humans can be better neighbors to the nonhumans with whom we share an environment.
October 9, 2024
I thought this was going to be a lot more about animal communication and response to problems they face. Instead it was much more about human efforts to rethink how we relate personally and as a society to animals: do we support them? use them? misuse and exploit them? and if support, how? what push backs do those like Kim meet with from other people? should animals have legal representation? etc. Quite in depth survey of efforts around the world to rethink, relegalize, etc. our relationship to animals in a natural world we are increasingly making difficult for ourselves.
November 13, 2025
3.75⭐️
“To care about others is to be constantly reminded of how much pain and struggle there is in the world, and also how it is within each of our grasps to make a difference that is, for someone, world changing. There is so much that can be done, collectively and individually, to live better-more kindly, more thoughtfully, more fairly-with the animals around us.”
A bit dry at parts and sometimes I felt like he was raising questions and not giving a great answer? But other times I was so invested I couldn’t put the book down. My favorite chapter was about the bears 🐻
“To care about others is to be constantly reminded of how much pain and struggle there is in the world, and also how it is within each of our grasps to make a difference that is, for someone, world changing. There is so much that can be done, collectively and individually, to live better-more kindly, more thoughtfully, more fairly-with the animals around us.”
A bit dry at parts and sometimes I felt like he was raising questions and not giving a great answer? But other times I was so invested I couldn’t put the book down. My favorite chapter was about the bears 🐻
December 12, 2024
Excellent book. Clever organization—as a walk around the actual neighborhood, but with excursions far afield. Packed with information about species and individual creatures. Extensive information about scientific—and practical—debates. What is the best way to practice conservation? Keim is both passionate an advocating for particular theories and fair-minded in presenting a wide range of positions.
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