Wildhood

 Book 25 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from February 20 - March 8

Wildhood: The Epic Journey from Adolescence to Adulthood in Humans and Other Animals

My Opinion

4 stars

The title and description is accurate so if the book looks interesting I would say it's worth the reader's time.  I'm not an expert on any of these topics but when there are 51 pages of notes in a 355 page book it seems well-researched.

The very first paragraph sums up what to expect from the book.

"Wildhood, the shared experience of adolescence across species, begins with the physical changes of puberty and ends when an individual has acquired four essential life skills. To become successful adults, all Earth's animals must learn how to: stay safe; negotiate social status; navigate sexuality; and live as adults."

They primarily focused on four wild animals biologists tracked through adolescence and beyond: Ursula the king penguin, Shrink the spotted hyena, Salt the humpback whale, and Slavc the European wolf.

The prologue felt like reading a textbook but the rest of the book had a narrative approach and was much smoother and more readable.

I'm a softie who can't watch animal documentaries and even this book teeters close...it "humanizes" the animals so I felt sad when they were bullied or had to leave their parents but I also cheered for them when they succeeded.  I had an especially soft spot for Shrink.