An engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals
"pests" and others not--from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons--and
what this tells us about our own perceptions, beliefs, and actions, as
well as our place in the natural world
A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street.
Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between
human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don't expect
or want them, we respond with fear, rage, or simple annoyance. It's no
longer an animal. It's a pest.
At the intersection of science, history, and narrative journalism,
Pests is not a simple call to look closer at our urban ecosystem. It's
not a natural history of the animals we hate. Instead, this book is
about us. It's about what calling an animal a pest says about people,
how we live, and what we want. It's a story about human nature, and how
we categorize the animals in our midst, including bears and coyotes,
sparrows and snakes. Pet or pest? In many cases, it's entirely a
question of perspective.
Bethany Brookshire's deeply researched and entirely entertaining book
will show readers what there is to venerate in vermin, and help them
appreciate how these animals have clawed their way to success as we did
everything we could to ensure their failure. In the process, we will
learn how the pests that annoy us tell us far more about humanity than
they do about the animals themselves.
