{"product_id":"9781982181536","title":"On Animals","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eOn Animals\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Susan Orlean\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Magnificent.” —\u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e * “Beguiling, observant, and howlingly funny.” —\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e * “Spectacular.” —\u003ci\u003eStar Tribune \u003c\/i\u003e(Minneapolis)\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e* “Full of astonishments.” —\u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSusan Orlean—the beloved \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e staff writer hailed as “a national treasure” by \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e and the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Library Book\u003c\/i\u003e—gathers a lifetime of musings, meditations, and in-depth profiles about animals.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“How we interact with animals has preoccupied philosophers, poets, and naturalists for ages,” writes Susan Orlean. Since the age of six, when Orlean wrote and illustrated a book called \u003ci\u003eHerbert the Near-Sighted Pigeon\u003c\/i\u003e, she’s been drawn to stories about how we live with animals, and how they abide by us. Now, in \u003ci\u003eOn Animals\u003c\/i\u003e, she examines animal-human relationships through the compelling tales she has written over the course of her celebrated career.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThese stories consider a range of creatures—the household pets we dote on, the animals we raise to end up as meat on our plates, the creatures who could eat us for dinner, the various tamed and untamed animals we share our planet with who are central to human life. In her own backyard, Orlean discovers the delights of keeping chickens. In a different backyard, in New Jersey, she meets a woman who has twenty-three pet tigers—something none of her neighbors knew about until one of the tigers escapes. In Iceland, the world’s most famous whale resists the efforts to set him free; in Morocco, the world’s hardest-working donkeys find respite at a special clinic. We meet a show dog and a lost dog and a pigeon who knows exactly how to get home. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEqual parts delightful and profound, enriched by Orlean’s stylish prose and precise research, these stories celebrate the meaningful cross-species connections that grace our collective existence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e“Every essay in the book is magnificent. . . . Part of what makes this book so immensely readable is the coupling of a brilliant essayist’s friendly, funny voice with a committed generalist’s all-embracing curiosity. There appears to be nothing in the world that doesn’t interest Orlean, and she has such a companionable way of conveying her fascinations that readers can’t help being fascinated too. . . . [Orlean] is a writer who sees crucial connections between animals and people. This emphasis on interconnectedness emerges not just from one essay after another but also from the cumulative effect of the collection as a whole. Even more than the linguistic pyrotechnics, the friendly wit or the mesmerizing storytelling, that’s the true gift of \u003ci\u003eOn Animals\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMargaret Renkl, \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Original, perceptive, and clever . . . Orlean excels as a reporter. . . . Her pages are crammed with quirky characters, telling details, and flabbergasting facts. Readers will find these pages full of astonishments. . . . Even though Orlean claims the animals she writes about remain enigmas, she makes us care about their fates. Readers will continue to think about these dogs and donkeys, tigers and lions, chickens and pigeons long after we close the book’s covers.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSy Montgomery, \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Beguiling, observant, and howlingly funny . . . Beware: Cuddling up with \u003ci\u003eOn Animals\u003c\/i\u003e is even more absorbing than watching a bear rummage through a Tahoe kitchen on YouTube.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Rachel Levin, \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “A close read of her new book suggests that beneath the surface variety of subjects and locales in her writing, there’s an underlying unity: heedless, headlong enthusiasm. . . . She is a moth drawn to moths who are drawn to the flame. . . . Ms. Orlean has a rare knack for finding these people, and an even rarer one for starting them talking. . . . Do not underestimate her curiosity, or the sharpness of her eyes.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Jeremy McCarter, \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Spectacular . . . One is likely to imagine Susan Orlean’s eyes sparkling as she composed the essays in \u003ci\u003eOn Animals\u003c\/i\u003e. . . . Orlean strikes a perfect balance between hilarious and informative. . . . Orlean has a gift for the indelible detail. . . . Readers fond of seemingly effortless writing about animals will savor this book.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Minneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “She relies on her powers of observation, conveyed with unflappable curiosity. . . . Orlean is committed to investigating the dizzying multiplicity of roles animals serve—employee, best friend, harbinger of climate change—and the places where those functions intersect.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMargaret Wappler, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “A broad meditation on how the connections we make, or fail to make, with animals mark us profoundly along our human journey . . . Orlean’s tone is conversational and self-questioning.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—USA Today \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e(4 out of 4 stars)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Fabulously fun . . . Orlean is such a virtuoso of unexpected joys and delights that she can make even the story of a lost dog read like a thriller. . . . Orlean’s high-octane enthusiasm never wanes. . . . Orlean’s readers will find themselves completely diverted by \u003ci\u003eOn Animals\u003c\/i\u003e’ irresistible menagerie.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—BookPage \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Delightful . . . Another winner featuring the author’s trademark blend of meticulous research and scintillating writing.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Entertaining and informative . . . Orlean’s prose dazzles . . . Animal lovers will find much to savor.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Vibrant . . . A revelry for readers wild for animals . . . Orlean’s deep pleasure in learning startling facts, her often wry tales about her personal life, her omnivorous attention to detail, and her juggler’s skill with words yield vivid, provocative, amusing, and wondrous stories.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR \u003ci\u003eTHE LIBRARY BOOK\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Moving . . . A constant pleasure to read . . . Everybody who loves books should check out \u003ci\u003eThe Library Book. . . . \u003c\/i\u003eOrlean, a longtime New Yorker writer, has been captivating us with human stories for decades, and her latest book is a wide-ranging, deeply personal, and terrifically engaging investigation of humanity’s bulwark against oblivion: the library. . . . As a narrator, Orlean moves like fire herself, with a pyrotechnic style that smolders for a time over some ancient bibliographic tragedy, leaps to the latest technique in book restoration, and then illuminates the story of a wildly eccentric librarian. Along the way, we learn how libraries have evolved, responded to depressions and wars, and generally thrived despite a constant struggle for funds. Over the holidays, every booklover in America is going to give or get this book. . . . You can’t help but finish \u003ci\u003eThe Library Book\u003c\/i\u003e and feel grateful that these marvelous places belong to us all.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Ron Charles, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A sheer delight. . . . Orlean has created a book as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Chris Woodyard, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Exquisitely written, consistently entertaining . . . A loving tribute not just to a place or an institution but to an idea . . . What makes \u003ci\u003eThe Library Book\u003c\/i\u003e so enjoyable is the sense of discovery that propels it, the buoyancy when Orlean is surprised or moved by what she finds. . . . Her depiction of the Central Library fire on April 29, 1986, is so rich with specifics that it’s like a blast of heat erupting from the page. . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Library Book\u003c\/i\u003e is about the fire and the mystery of how it started—but in some ways that’s the least of it. It’s also a history of libraries, and of a particular library, as well as the personal story of Orlean and her mother, who was losing her memory to dementia while Orlean was retrieving her own memories by writing this book.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Jennifer Szalai, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Captivating . . . A delightful love letter to public libraries . . . In telling the story of this one library, Orlean reminds readers of the spirit of them all, their mission to welcome and equalize and inform, the wonderful depths and potential that they—and maybe all of us, as well—contain. . . . In other hands the book would have been a notebook dump, packed with random facts that weren’t germane but felt too hard-won or remarkable to omit. Orlean’s lapidary skills include both unearthing the data and carving a storyline out of the sprawl, piling up such copious and relevant details that I wondered how many mountains of research she discarded for each page of jewels.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Rebekah Denn, \u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A flitting and meandering masterpiece . . . Compelling and undeniably riveting . . . This is a joyful book, and among its many pleasures is the reader’s ability to palpate the author’s thrill as she zooms down from stratospheric viewings of history, to viscerally detailed observations of events and people, and finally to the kind of irresistibly offbeat facts that create an equally irresistible portrait of the author herself.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—J. C. Hallman, \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781982181536\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Avid Reader Press \/ Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40590078738638,"sku":"9781982181536","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/O_f31d441a-7122-4f2f-b73c-c38e83be8de5.jpg?v=1637731197","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781982181536","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}