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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 intelligence has exploded – but the way we relate to wild animals has yet to catch up. Meet the Neighbors asks: What would it mean if we took animal minds seriously? Science shows that the creatures who share our everyday landscapes – from devoted geese to clever raccoons to playful turtles – are thinking, feeling individuals. Should we then see them as fellow persons, even citizens? Weaving in the latest research, Brandon Keim takes us into courtrooms and wildlife hospitals, under backyard decks and into deserts, to meet the philosophers, rogue pest controllers, ecologists, wildlife doctors, and others who are reimagining our relationships to animals and to nature. 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.
Brandon Keim is an independent journalist specializing in animals, nature, and science. His work appears regularly in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Nautilus, National Geographic, and elsewhere. He lives in Bangor, Maine.
"[A]n empathetic, scientifically convincing counternarrative [...] Meet the Neighbors offers a fresh, imaginative, and at times thrilling perspective on animals' lives and on how science and ethics may work together in honoring them."
– Barbara J. King, Science Magazine
"A heartfelt and unique look at the inner life of animals and how we so often fail to understand them. Keim writes with pathos, curiosity, and an acute expert awareness to craft a book that is sure to be an instant classic. Highly recommended."
– Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation
"Few writers plumb the lives of our non-human brethren with more sensitivity and originality than Brandon Keim. In Meet the Neighbors, Keim serves as graceful, good-humored guide to the extraordinary wild communities that flourish in our own backyards. You'll surely feel new empathy for your local raccoons, robins, and rats after reading this profound, big-hearted book."
– Ben Goldfarb, author of Crossings and Eager
"Meet the Neighbors is an indispensable companion for anyone who has ever been curious about the animals with whom we share our space. Keim's book opens our eyes to the wonder in our midst, from the smallest bee to the wittiest coyote. What we learn should change how the law treats animals, how society treats them, and how we treat them as neighbors."
– Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times best-selling author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know and Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Unique Bond
"Keim provides fascinating insight into ways humanity might take animal rights more seriously [...] The result is a potent complement to Martha C. Nussbaum's Justice for Animals."
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A big-hearted and heavily researched exploration of what it means to treat animals with respect. [...] Written with humble curiosity about where these ideas might lead us."
– Dayton Martindale, Sentient Media
"Keim presents all of this information with insight and compassion [...] [Meet the Neighbors is] a comprehensive guide to thinking of animals not as anonymous creatures, but as individuals."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Does your love of animals fill you with wonder about how they experience being alive? And do you wonder what to do with your feelings for animals? Author Brandon Keim has filled these pages with intelligence and generosity. This is a mind-opening, heart-healing book about the other-than-human lives who share this planet and people working passionately for their care – and their future."
– Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel
"Through the compelling stories and voices of an inspiring cast of characters, both animal and human, Meet the Neighbors invites each of us to reimagine how we view and treat our animal kin. Rich in behavioral insights and crafted with unstinted empathy, Brandon Keim calls for a profound cultural shift – not just for their sakes, but for ours. Open minds and hearts will be rewarded."
– Sean B. Carroll, biologist and author of The Serengeti Rules and A Series of Fortunate Events
"This special book is a love letter to nature, an intimate look into her pulsing heart. The forest becomes a reflection of the rodent personalities who plant her seeds, the landscape an expression of the coyote mother, literally sculpted by her predator families. All the creatures, all the birds, the insects, the amphibians – their minds and bodies weave the tapestry that is life. We get to see how humans are part of this threading, and how we can join and support the community of other non human persons. You will never look at a rat, a donkey, or a frog in the same way. I love how this book gently challenges conventional conservation, drawing on indigenous wisdom, finding ways to live with more compassion for our wild kin. This is the kind of thinking that needs to be nurtured. It gives us inspiration to respect, to care, and to be connected."
– Craig Foster, creator of My Octopus Teacher
