Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History

by Whitney Barlow Robles, Daniela Acitelli (reader)

A compelling and innovative exploration of how animals shaped the field of natural history and its ecological afterlives
 
Can corals build worlds? Do rattlesnakes enchant? What is a raccoon, and what might it know? Animals and the questions they raised thwarted human efforts to master nature during the so-called Enlightenment—a historical moment when rigid classification pervaded the study of natural history, people traded in people, and imperial avarice wrapped its tentacles around the globe. Whitney Barlow Robles makes animals the unruly protagonists of eighteenth-century science through journeys to four spaces and ecological the ocean, the underground, the curiosity cabinet, and the field. Her forays reveal a forgotten lineage of empirical inquiry, one that forced researchers to embrace uncertainty. This tumultuous era in the history of human-animal encounters still haunts modern biologists and ecologists as they struggle to fathom animals today.
 
In an eclectic fusion of history and nature writing, Robles alternates between careful historical investigations and probing personal narratives. These excavations of the past and present of distinct nonhuman creatures reveal the animal foundations of human knowledge and show why tackling our current environmental crisis first requires looking back in time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, History, Audiobook, Biology, Animals

Audio CD

First published November 21, 2023

Reviews

[Corvus]

DNF this one. Not bad but was telling me familiar info in a style that wasn't for me.

[Јас Лично · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a perplexing read, housing fascinating information within an irritatingly tedious presentation. Despite the author's evident depth of knowledge, the dense prose, excessive jargon, and lack of a cohesive narrative hinder engagement. I was torn between moments of enlightenment and frustration, making the book a challenging read.

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating inter-disciplinary read--as hard to characterize as a raccoon (!) Suited my interests in natural history and the history of western science. It contains a dusting of epistemology that could have been made more explicit, although the variety of topics addressed already made this a bit of an effort to hold together. More enjoyable than I expected.

[Olivia Bertelsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down.
I have a pretty solid science and biology background, but I just found this book hard to follow and I kept getting confused.
I might have enjoyed it and understood it better if I had read a physical copy instead of listening to the audiobook. While I did find it interesting, I just don't think this style of audiobook works for me.

[Geof Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could not decide what it wanted to be: memoir, history, or science and all three parts suffered. Also, too much emphasis on COVID at random parts for the rest of the content in the book.

[Lilac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, but I couldn't get into it. Not my style

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5
Incredibly interesting and exciting look at some relics of natural history collections and of natural history itself!