What a fascinating subject and a wonderful lesson from this renowned animal behaviorist, who just happens to be autistic. She makes numerous comparisons between the brain of an animal and an autistic person as they are both different in some ways from a person with a "normal" brain. I learned a lot and appreciate even more how intelligent Temple is.

I enjoyed this, and learned a lot about animals.

However, I question the validity of her premise that autism is halfway between animals and normal people. The premise itself may be correct--but her argument in support is circular.

I can see how her autism helps her FEEL more connected to animals, and how that connection may allow her insights into animal behaviors and mental processes that "normal" people may not have. But such a supposition is a poor foundation for science--and in this book she often blurs the like between "I think I have insight because my mental process might be similar to animals" and "I know this about animals because it's similar to how I am as an autistic person."

I have mixed feelings about Temple Grandin's "Animals in Translation". On the one hand, she writes about interesting and useful concepts. On the other hand, parts of her book are outdated (I checked the publication date 3 times while reading to confirm the book was written this century) and oversimplified.

I'm a professional dog trainer, so I'm constantly trying to figure out better and different ways to explain reinforcement (positive and negative), punishment (positive and negative), the hyper-specificity of fear, generalization of behaviors, the need for socialization, etc., to my students. These are all hard concepts for many to understand, and Grandin does a magnificent job of explaining them plainly. Her simple way of explaining these training concepts was wonderful, but doesn't work nearly so well when applied to more complex scientific concepts.

If Grandin's book had been filled to the brim with journal citations and science vocabulary, it wouldn't have reached nearly as wide of an audience. However, she has dumbed things down to the point that she makes dramatic and overgeneralized statements. (For instance, her inaccurate statements about "normal people". It makes me wonder how many of her statements about people with autism, or animals, are also inaccurate.) Her writing style also makes it hard to differentiate fact, from theory, from hypothesis, from her own speculation. Her use of outdated hypotheses was especially grating.

One example of this, was her use of the triune brain model (the reptile, animal and human brain) as fact. I learned about this model in college, but only in the sense that it hasn't been embraced by the scientific community as a valid hypothesis since the 1990's.

Based on her writings, she is also appears to be a believer in dominance theory. Dominance theory originated with a study of captive wolves back in the 1940s. This study spawned more studies of captive wolves. Captive wolves act nothing like wolves in the wild. Wolves in zoos are (usually) unrelated and forced to live together in an unnatural environment--as a result they do engage in violent social struggles. These findings on captive wolves were then wrongly applied to wild wolves, and then our pet dogs. In the wild, struggles for "dominance" would simply take too much energy. Wolf packs work like a family depending on each other to survive, and fighting would inhibit the pack's ability to do so.

The definition of "dominance" is not what most people believe it to be (which is also the way that Grandin uses this word). Dominance only describes the relationship between two individuals in terms of one individual having pick of a specific resource (such as food, water, toys, etc.) over the other individual. Dominance of a resource is not achieved through force, but through through one individual peacefully allowing the other first pick. It's like letting your little brother have the chicken leg out of the bucket of fried chicken. Technically, you could physically assault your brother to claim the chicken leg for yourself, but it's easier just to let you brother have it. When you see a dog use force to get what they want, it isn't dominance, but instead an anxiety-based behavior. This tends to be exacerbated when followed up by verbal/physical threats from a human owner attempting to show their "dominance" over the anxious dog. Dominance theory is not only flawed and dangerous, but also ignores that fact that wolves are NOT dogs. Dogs are about 14,000 years (or possibly 100,000 according to Grandin) of evolution away from wolves. Dominance theory has widely penetrated our society, but has been on it's way out of dog training for about 20 years now.

Due to this, Grandin's book was incredibly hard to get through. Most any time she talked about dogs, I ended up putting the book down and walking away out of frustration. The plain language of this book leads me to believe its intended audience is readers with little science background. This combined with the blurred lines between outdated concepts, current theories, and personal speculation, I worry that many readers won't think critically about the concepts she's introducing.

There are ideas in this book that are accurate and would be helpful in interacting with animals, but others that are outdated or (like dominance theory) even harmful. The title "Animals in Translation" implies this book will gives readers a greater understanding about the inner workings of an animal's mind. However, I mostly feel like I need to fact check everything I learned from reading this book.

There were so many interesting and enlightening points in this book, I’ve found myself quoting parts of it to various people I know, like the parrot Alex who surprised everyone by spelling the word nut for a treat or why cattle don’t cross cattle guards on roadways, because they see the depth between the lines. I didn’t know that autistic people see the world in fragments, but after Grandin explained it, lots of things make sense, like an autistic person not being able to look directly at you and the savant kitchen worker my husband knew many years ago when he was bartending, who could count silverware in a tray at a glance and tell you what day of the week you were born on by the date. Her information about animals gives me a new appreciation for the dozen or so cats we’ve had over the years—Magnolia who played fetch with marshmallows, Eliza who was sweet and nurturing, Pi who was sensitive and got her feelings hurt easily, Abo who liked to bob his head and dance, Jazz who sits by the window and speaks ‘bird talk,’ and our newest, shy little Pippin who is threatened if we stand up, but when we sit down will climb into our laps for a pet. They’re all different with their own personalities and ‘talents.’ I love this book! Grandin is correct when she says animals make us human.

I had serious problems with the way this book is written. Though Grandin's plainspoken writing style is refreshing, I often felt like she was oversimplifying very complex ideas in order to appeal to a scientifically illiterate audience (or worse, to make her arguments more convincing). Statements such as "Autism is a kind of way station on the road from animals to humans" aren't just over-dramatic (and ultimately nonsensical), they're also potentially offensive. Much of the book is purely speculative, and I'm left wondering whether it's really appropriate to write a popular science book that's mostly about completely untested hypotheses (this seems to be a growing trend in popular science literature, but that's another discussion entirely).

At the very least, Grandin could have been clearer in differentiating between 1) widely accepted scientific consensus, 2) well regarded schools of thought, 3) contested minority theories, 4) solitary experiments that have not been reproduced, 5) purely anecdotal evidence from her own life or that of friends, and 6) her own untested hypotheses. As is, they all sort of blur together, and a reader not entirely familiar with how science works might be led to buy into Grandin's arguments with less skepticism than is warranted. It certainly didn't help that many of the studies and "facts" she mentioned weren't even cited. Those that were were often cited as news publications ABOUT scientific studies rather than directly citing the studies themselves. It's important to remember that much of what is written about in the book is outside of Grandin's own area of professional expertise, and though I think it's perfectly fine to write about a topic you don't have a degree in, it was things like that that made me wonder whether Grandin herself could stand to be a little more skeptical, methodical, and cautious. To put it simply, I trusted her when she was talking about farm animals and dogs, less so when she was talking about neuroscience and other kinds of animals, and not at all when she tried giving insight into stuff like politics or child rearing.

One constant point of annoyance: For someone with a PhD in Animal Science, I was astounded that Grandin seemed to have no idea whatsoever of what the word "animal" even means. The book was littered with phrases like, "Animals feel pain. So do birds, and we now have pretty good evidence that fish feel pain too" or "I know dung beetles are insects, not animals, but..." Since distinguishing between the six taxonomical kingdoms is one of those things you learn in 9th grade bio class, I can only assume that Grandin is dumbing down for her audience. This has the duel effect of insulting the intelligence of those readers who have a basic grasp of Bio 101, and spreading misinformation and confusion among those who don't.

The confusion over the category of "animal" extends to talking about humans as well: "People were animals too, once," she writes. And what - we're not any more? Throughout the book, Grandin condemns overgeneralizing (a vice she associates with "normal people") and champions a pragmatic focus on specific details (a skill she associates with autistic people and animals) as the best way to handle any situation. Yet Grandin is guilty of many massive over-generalizations (the aforementioned "waystation" idea being one example, her failure to treat autism as a spectrum being another). And among the most frustrating of these for me was Grandin's view of humanity's relationship to the rest of the animal world, which is vague, romantic, and naive. Statements like "dogs and people belong together" or "people and animals are supposed to be together" amount to nothing more than mushy utopianism. What exactly would such a thing even mean? Together how? Grandin never elaborates.

Her idea of "nature" is pretty unscientific as well. At one point she asks, "Is animal infanticide really what nature intended? Or is it, at least some of the time, an aberration of what nature intended?" That question doesn't even begin to make logical sense. What kind of mystical nature is Grandin talking about that has things like intention? Nature doesn't intend. There are no aberrations in nature. These are human concepts. Nature just is. Even if she takes the classic anthropocentric view of defining nature as "everything in the world except humans and things made by humans," the question still doesn't make any sense. Animals have been killing their young long before humans even existed. What Grandin really means to say is that animal infanticide seems to serve no evolutionary purpose. This may be debatable. But either way, plenty of animal (and especially human) behaviors serve no apparent evolutionary purpose. "Evolutionarily advantageous" is not the same as "natural" and neither of those is the same as "right," "good," "moral" or what have you.

All that having been said, Grandin's many anecdotes are entertaining and there's a lot of cool ideas to chew on throughout. If you're an avid reader of pop neuroscience or animal studies books, you might already have encountered a good deal of this stuff, but the parallels Grandin draws are interesting (even if I'm skeptical of some of them) and her emphasis on "getting inside the black box" of the animal mind is an important one. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, even if I was often frustrated with it.

This book was a great pleasure, pulling together material from a wide range of research and anecdotal experience. I see that some people are objecting to its very strong point of view that does not always accord with accepted theories; however, if you're going to read a book by an autistic person who hugely changed the treatment of food animals for the better by having a unique point of view, that point of view is what you signed up for. This is a popular book intended to expose a general audience to interesting ideas on animal behavior, and it does that well.

Like a lot of other books these days, this one could have been better edited. It fairly often says "animals" when it means "mammals," which is annoying but that any good editor would have caught and corrected. There are other similar errors. There is no way of telling if these come from Grandin or her co-author--or are related to Grandin's autism, which might be possible.

If you want the original research studies and an academically rigorous discussion you want a different book or to become a professional animal behaviorist. This book, however, is full of Aha! moments and that appealing point of view that I mentioned earlier.

Oh, for those who know me personally, my wife wishes me to mention that SHE checked this out of the library but that I stole it and zoomed through it while she was reading something less engaging. Look for her review soon.

Simply amazing. Eye opening. Paradigm shifting. I love the way Temple Grandin leverages her autistic traits to try and bridge the communication gap between animals and humans. As a person with autism, Grandin has learned through vivid experience that she sees the world in a fundamentally different way than most neurotypical people.

In addition to being a person with autism, Temple Grandin also has a PhD in Animal Science from University of Illinois and is a world renowned expert on animal behavior. Big companies frequently call on her expertise when they are having trouble managing livestock. Much like Sherlock Holmes, she has a knack for noticing small details and solving mysteries.

As a person who loves to ponder the human brain I found Grandin so insightful. I adored stories about why she thinks animals become superstitious, pigs with weird kinks, or why small-boned creatures are naturally more curious than large-boned. She had fantastic insights about choosing a dog too. I learned a lot and came away with a better understanding of both autism and animal behavior. Fantastic book.

Es nezinu, vai esmu piedzimusi kā balta lapa, bet aptvertu, ka zinu to, ko esmu mācījusies. Un daudz ko no tā, ko mācījusies es neesmu, es konkrēti un fiziski izjūtami NEZINU. Jau trīs mēnešus dzīvojot kopā ar suni, es pilnīgi godīgi varu pateikt, ka es NEZINU un NESAPROTU, kas notiek suņa galvā, kā viņš redz pasauli. Suns man šķita kā citplanētietis. Par citiem dzīvniekiem es īsti vispār nedomāju. Kaķis un trusis dzīvoja paši savu dzīvi un man norises viņu galvās neinteresēja. Ar suni viss ir citādāk. Es gribēju saprast, bet nespēju. Fiziski nespēju saprast. Un Temple man palīdzēja. Jūtos kā iemācījusies suņu smadzeņu norises alfabētu - dažas lietas kļūst skaidrākas, vismaz aptveramākas. Un ir iedrošinājums turpināt būt attiecībās ar suni, iepazīt viņu un apgūt neparasto dzīvnieku prāta un emociju dzīvi, no kuras daļa pilnīgi noteikti mājo arī katrā no mums - cilvēkiem. Jāpiekrīt grāmatas citātam, ka tieši "suņi ir tie, kas mūs padara par cilvēkiem". Vēl nekad līdz šim es nebiju jutusies tik ļoti cilvēks - gan labajā, gan sliktajā nozīmē - kā kopš brīža, kad man ir suns.

This is the most fascinating book I have ever read. The amazing Temple Grandin takes two subjects: autism and animal behavior,and draws comparisons with remarkable insight. She brings the world of animal behavior into sharp focus with examples and explanations and makes it easy for the lay reader to understand. She and coauthor, Catherine Johnson, write with a conversational prose that makes even the most difficult concepts easy to grasp. Every chapter elicits a "Wow".

Although the dry title may put some people off because it sounds clinical and cerebral, this absolutely exciting book holds a plethora of facts and wonders about the animals we come into contact with on a daily basis. A real eye-opener!

A fascinating look at how the author parallels her own life experiences as a person with autism to animal behavior. I had heard of Grandin, primarily in relation to her being one of the most famous autistic individuals who shares her unique perspective on life with her condition, but I was not aware until I read this book that she is a revolutionary figure in the meat industry. She opens by discussing the concept of a 'squeeze box', a device she created for herself to aid in reaching a state of calmness by exerting an even pressure all over her body (the same idea as the weighted blankets that are popular this holiday season), and how she applied the same concept in the cattle industry to get cows who needed vaccinations to willingly enter the chute and stay still while restrained. From there, Grandin discusses her other work in the cattle industry, how she was able to improve efficiency and make the slaughter process more humane because she finds that the autistic brain and the animal brain have more in common than a 'normal' human brain and an animal brain do. When cows were balking at entering buildings, forcing the handlers to resort to violence in order to make them obey, Grandin noticed bothersome details in terms of lighting and obstacles that the other humans were oblivious to, that, once corrected, allowed for a much smoother process and happier cows.
Grandin also provides advice to readers who may be facing challenges with their own animals, primarily horses and dogs, by delving into the science of animal behaviors and her reasoning, which combines the scientific research of others with her own experiences. While there are many authors out there who give training tips based on years of working with animals, Grandin's points that compare the animal brain with her own autistic brain, and how to get the best out of an animal without intentionally or unintentionally ending up doing more harm than good, offer a unique perspective I'd not encountered. At times, she is quite blunt with some of her phrasings, perhaps because she sees things as very literal and thinks in terms of pictures, not words, but I'm glad her co-author didn't smooth things out because if that's how she is, then her writing should reflect her personality. I would definitely be interested in reading more autobiographical pieces of hers.

Fascinating read. If you are interested in autism or animal behavior this book is a great jumping off point to get you thinking (and if you're anything like me, a list of multiple things to research more!).

Temple Grandin really is an interesting woman. A appreciate her views on animals so much. She does a wonderful job of explaining how her brain works differently from the neurotypical.

Talk about a book that you can't stop talking about! There is so much FASCINATING information crammed into this text. Far beyond animal behavior and psychology, this book changed my perspective on home decor, neurodivergence, training policies and so much more! Grandin is pragmatic and factual in her approach, yet somehow manages to evoke emotion and a feeling of mysticism. Highly recommend to anyone.