Animal Vegetable Criminal: When Nature Breaks the Law

(Hardback)

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What happens when nature and humanity clash In past centuries, wild animals who broke the law would be given lawyers and put on trial. But whats the solution now, as we humans dominate the planet and dont like it when wildlife gets in the way In this fresh, funny and thoroughly-researched book, Mary Roach examines the problems, solutions and organisms involved in the harmonious co-habitation of humanity with the rest of nature. Follow the author as she explores the realm of human-wildlife conflict, a crossroads of behavioural science and biology that brings us everything from the laser scarecrow to the langur impersonator. Travel to the bear-busy back alleys of Aspen, the gull-vandalised floral displays at the Vatican and leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Himalayas, then meet the behind-the-scenes experts trying to broker peace.

Reviews

A provocative and engaging exploration of our evolving relationship with the rest of nature.

-- Guardian

Combining diligently researched scientific reporting with the sniggering wit of a stand-up comicAnimal Vegetable Criminalloves an eyebrow-raising anecdote.

-- The Times
Bestseller Roach sheds light on natures malefactors in this often funny, always provocative surveyRoachs writing is wry, full of heart, and loaded with intriguing facts This eminently entertaining outing is another winner. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

Reading a Mary Roach book is like spending a luxurious and joyful evening with the perfect dinner guest. Delightful facts become indelibly etched in your brain, and only later do you realise that hours have passed and your face slightly hurts from smiling too hard. In Animal Vegetable Criminal, Roachs peerless storytelling skills are paired with a sense of moral urgency, as she recounts stories of humans and other animals, uneasily and clumsily learning to co-exist in a world that they must now share.

-- Ed Yong, science journalist and author of I Contain Multitudes
Hilarious! With Animal Vegetable Criminal,Mary Roach again takes us into an unfamiliar scientific realm, in this case the science of managing the conflicts between humans and the natural world lethal leopards, rampaging elephants, jet-downing birds, even killer trees. Its an ever-widening conflict zone, but one that Ms. Roach gleefully mines for a multitude of bizarre facts thatll make you snort coffee through your nose. -- Erik Larson, author of The Splendid and the Vile

An idiosyncratic tour with Roach as the wisecracking, ever-probing guide My favorite moments, ultimately, werent the funny ones, but those that reveal a bit of scientific poetry.

* New York Times Book Review *

With her characteristic dry wit, [Roach] brings an intense fascination to the seldom discussed details and the at times absurd miscellany in the unexplored corners of unappreciated research It is impossible not to smirk, chortle and sometimes outright belly laugh as you read her many wry asides and funny but fascinating footnotes But the real trick Roach pulls off is to keep you laughing while at the same time making sure the earnest points come across.

* New Scientist *

A hugely enjoyable exploration of what happens when the nature weve decided to love doesnt love us back. By turns hilarious and horrifying and often profound Roachs entertaining journeys are full of delightful curios and I was swept up in her joyful writing.

-- Gaia Vince, author of Transcendence

Each chapter is packed with the results of [Roachs] detailed investigations. Roach uses footnotes to add both depth and lightness to the topic at hand by capturing misfit studies, asides, and hilarious tangents Refreshing.

-- Science

Full of kernels of fascinating information Her approach is informative and unpretentious, and shes always armed with a dry sense of humor. Roach will change the way you think about the great outdoors. What more could you ask for

* BuzzFeed *

The book brims with Roachs irreverent humor, which particularly shines when she experiences human-animal conflict firsthand A blend of modern science and history, with Roachs flair for spotting hidden absurdities As another entry in Roachs canon of books,Animal Vegetable Criminalstands tall (and hairy), educating as much as it entertains.

* Science News *

[Animal Vegetable Criminal is] powerfully propelled by the force of Roachs unflinching fascination with the weird, the gross and the downright improbable Theres a wacky genius to [her] interjections [Her] curious and generous engagement with her subjects makes for world-expanding reading.

-- Washington Post

Traveling from a bear seminar in Reno to a bird-infested island in the Pacific that plagued the American military during World War II, among many other venues, Roach joyfully explores how human culture and wildlife, including plant life, have either found ways to coexist or are constantly at odds. Throughout, Roach highlights people who are genuinely passionate about the work, and she also includes suggestions for readers on how to deal ethically (and effectively) with their own wildlife issues, wherever they live.

From the terrifying to the frustrating, a great starting point for understanding the animal world.

-- Kirkus, starred review

A witty and thought-provoking look at the darker side of animal behaviour through the ages. Highly entertaining and informative excellent popular science writing.

-- Stephen Moss, naturalist and author

As hilarious as it is thought-provoking,Animal Vegetable Criminalis a brilliant read. Only Mary Roach can make such an obscure subject so intriguing. From battles with birds to marauding macaques, Roach reveals what happens when nature breaks human laws, with fascinating results.

-- Monty Lyman, author of The Remarkable Life of the Skin

Mary Roach has been writing brilliant, funny and illuminating popular science books for years. Unfortunately at least for those of us with ambitions to step into her shoes she has gone and done it again! Animal Vegetable Criminal is as good as anything this wonderful author has ever written, and that is saying something.

-- Graham Lawton, author of Mustnt Grumble: The surprising science of everyday ailments

I sometimes wonder what animals have done wrong to deserve humans and what we do to them. But I know that humanity has done something right to deserve Mary Roach, the best guide possible to the fascinating but sometimes fraught interactions between human, animal and nature. She prowls through this intersection of worlds with the sleek grace of a leopard, diving into garbage cans, Indian elephant politics and mass murders of murders of crows, with her usual wit and wisdom. Theres only one downside to this delightful and brilliant book, and thats that the animals cant read it too.

-- Rose George, journalist and author of Nine Pints

Animal Vegetable Criminal is as funny as it is immersive. It is littered with colourful details of characters The book is sympathetic to the complex problem of our coexistence with nature, and maintains that the dilemma of animals disturbing the peacefulness of our existence is only increasing in urgency.

-- New Statesman

This book is such a rich stew of anecdotes and lore that its best savored slowly, bit by bit No matter the situation, Roach approaches it with contagious enthusiasm.

-- BookPage, starred review

[A] splendid study of all things alimentary

-- Bill Bryson on Gulp

The most entertaining writer in science.

* The Times *

'Mary Roach has a knack for finding quirky corners of science to explore and does so with unfailingly good nature and charm.'

-- Fortean Times

Author Bio

Mary Roachis theNew York Times-bestselling author of several popular science books including Packing for Mars and Gulp. Her most recent book Grunt was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Science & Technology Book Prize. She has written for theGuardian,Wired,BBC Focus,GQandVogue. She lives in California.