Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind
4.6 | 239 ratings
Price: 12.99
Last update: 01-18-2026
Product details
- ASIN : B075NQJV34
- Publisher : Chelsea Green
- Accessibility :
- Publication date : September 18, 2017
- Edition : Illustrated
- Language : English
- File size : 5.3 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 227 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1603587563
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank:#380 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Natural History (Books)
- Animal Psychology Science in Zoology
- Crafts, Hobbies & Home (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:4.64.6 out of 5 stars(239)
Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal KindTop reviews from the United States
- Julie MorleyCharmed and charmed againAward winning nature writers—and best friends— Sy Montgomery and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, have crafted a beautiful message in Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind. Their inspired collection of essays “put humans back into the animal world and bring animals into the human world—where we all belong.” As they deftly weave their research, their experiences and deeply insightful reflections together into small, and approachable essays, they invite the reader to consider how animals teach us, rescue us, heal us, restore us, and empower us, in the words of the authors. From cats that reduce heart attack risk to dogs that boost our immune systems, Montgomery and Marshall Thomas provide scientific facts and anecdotal information that elaborates on why we are so enriched by our relationships with other animals
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The essays are brief, and full of fun facts and poignant ironies; In “A Memorial Day Tribute to War Animals,” Montgomery describes how we humans, the most warmongering species on the planet, enlist animals to help us in our battles, but also as mascots, to support our morale in troubled times. Or one of my favorites, “Failure to Communicate,” she cautions about our misinterpretation of wild animal behavior and inability to understand what they are communicating, that often leads to tragedy for us and for them. In “Death of a Dog,” Marshall Thomas points out the inequity of mourning animals in this society, that we don’t get days off, flowers, or funerals. In Bears, Marshall Thomas presents the relatively low risk of being attacked by bears, and explores the ambiguous feelings of living among them in rural New England.
The authors present colorful vignettes framing our diverse human experiences with and exploring our feelings about other animals, both tamed and untamed. They plumb a range of literature to present us with both critical commentary about our human exceptionalism and resonant odes to the wonder of our animal kin. They regale us with evidence of animal intelligence, creativity and depth of feeling. The reader is forced to reconsider the way our culture has suppressed the perception of animals as not only equals, but gifted with powers that we have lost. In this collection, they are the superheroes, and we need them more than ever.
As an environmental educator and nature writer, I always value writing that conveys what experience with other species teaches us. I am completely charmed by this little book. I recommend it with all my heart. - Athena PNBrilliant essays by two astounding authorsA readable, engaging collection of essays by two of the most readable and engaging writers in the field: if you've not yet read anything by these authors you're in for a real treat! The essays in 'Tamed and Untamed' bounce seamlessly between its two authors, each is about 3 pages long (originally published as an occasional column in the Boston Globe newspaper). Though short, they are elegant, pithy commentaries on many facets of animal/human life.
The essays often focus on interactions between animals and humans and boldly state the authors' own feelings on their topics, something serious animal writers avoided in the past thinking to make their work more scientific when in fact it merely made their work artificial. One cannot pretend to be uninfluenced by close association with animals (unless one is something of a sociopath): we humans are social creatures, and we have been social with other animals for tens of thousands of years, if not longer. This is a fact embraced and promoted by both Thomas and Montgomery and we readers benefit from this enormously. As Montgomery writes in the book: "One reason we created this collection of essays was to put humans back into the animal world and bring animals into the human world - where we all belong."
The book is organized into six sections by topic: Animals & People, Birds, Dogs & Cats, Wild Animals, Tiny Animals and Animal Abilities, with a brief introduction by Vicki Constantine Croke. There are a number of lovely line drawings by various artists and a well-organized index; the essays themselves often reference works by other authors/researchers which makes it easy to pursue further reading on anything that catches your interest.
Each section is filled with intriguing writing. I'm not much of a bird person and thought I'd probably just skim that section but no, I was entranced. Although all the essays fit within their section title they're surprisingly wide-ranging: in 'Animals & People' there's an essay on Thunder, 'Dogs & Cats' has a thoughtful piece on The Death of a Dog, and 'Tiny Animals' gets quite tiny indeed with an essay on water bears.
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is the great lion author in the field of animal behavior; she's written extensively on animals both human and otherwise, and herThe Tribe of Tiger: Cats and Their Cultureis one of the most profound books on animals & humans I've ever read. Similarly her book on the !Kung tribesmen,The Harmless Peopleis a classic in the field of modern anthropology, a standard text for many cultural anthropology curricula (Thomas and her family lived amongst the !Kung for several years in the 1950s, when this tribe still lived in its ancient way, relatively untouched by modern society.) Sy Montgomery is Thomas' heir apparent in the animal behavior field and herThe Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousnessis a moving and stunningly well-written book. Both women have authored many outstanding works (detailed in the front pages); Montgomery writes extensively for children as well as adults. A few essays in 'Tamed and Untamed' relate to some of the authors' other works but most essays touch on topics they've not previously published in any of their other writings.
For anyone interested in animals, this is a must-read collection. - auntiebooInteresting for animal lovers.I have read nearly all the books by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and loved them - especially the non-fiction. She is a true animal lover and an interesting writer. I would have liked to know her.
- Sandra Waters customerShort and Wonderfully Informative TalesWhat a great combination of writers. Wonderful short stories, some show harsh realities. This informs the reader of animals and their lives that often we just don't know about. It is easy reading. I plan on giving this book to friends for Christmas. You can not get better and more knowledgable authors, they understand animals and feel their pain too. Sy Montgomery always touches me with her big heart and genuine compassion. It comes across in all her writing, so I buy everything she writes and keep waiting for more. We are so blessed to have such good nature books.