The Wild Life of Our Bodies

Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today

By: Rob Dunn

Narrated by: David Stifel

Biologist Rob Dunn reveals the crucial influence that other species have upon our health, our well-being, and our world in The Wild Life of Our Bodies - a fascinating tour through the hidden truths of nature and codependence. Dunn illuminates the nuanced, often imperceptible relationships that exist between homo sapiens and other species, relationships that underpin humanity's ability to thrive and prosper in every circumstance. Fans of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma will be enthralled by Dunn's powerful, lucid exploration of the role that humankind plays within the greater web of life on Earth.

©2011 Rob R. Dunn (P)2020 Tantor

a new but scientifically well-founded view of our dependence on the natural world.

the book's vision of urban biomes is quite hopeful. cliff-dwelling plants, gut-dwelling worms, the vital function of the far-from-useless appendix -- all of this is vastly illuminating. though I'm not willing to get infested with hookworms quite yet..

Get It!

I love to learn and love the idea of non-fiction, but 90% of the time I'm so disappointed that now I almost never purchase a non-fiction book anymore. They are either 1) poorly organized/ rambling/ stream of thought, 2) the author just waxes on about themselves and how great they are, or 3) they are just so speculative. I saw this one on my Bookbub deals and checked to see if Audible had it (as a busy mom I don't get time to myself to read, but I can always listen when I'm driving and doing chores). It happened to be in the free member library until the end of the month so I got to listening right away. I love it. It's very accessible and easy to understand for a lay person (that's been one of the criticisms by lower reviewers- but I don't think the target audience is someone that already has really in-depth knowledge who's ready for lots of sciency language and concepts and I've learned a lot that I've now been able to research myself further for more detailed information). It's really humorous and fun. It's really well organized with great logical flow from one topic to the next. I liked it so much- I think I'm going to go ahead and purchase it and re-listen (something I almost never do). I think this author did a really excellent job of introducing the audience to new concepts and to get it thinking in new directions!

A note about some of the lower reviews- I'd say they are a bit unfair. One was about the evolution agenda- but I don't think you can read a book about how microbes shaped us without discussing evolution so if you can't get into that, then this just isn't going to be for you. Several commented that the author was "promoting" the use of parasites in healthy bodies and has lost site of the fact that we are now more healthy and live longer than ever without them. In fact, the author specifically states that he hasn't bought into the concept, but that those who have have certainly presented enough hypothesis and evidence that it deserves further scientific inquiry, energy and resources that it's not getting. Another criticism is that much of what he discusses are just untested hypotheses and speculative. He's quite open about that and discusses the scientific process and it's limitations as well as what evidence, whether it's paper thin or substantial, was used by various scientists to formulate their ideas.

Purple prose - overwritten

If you want to try out Rob Dunn, listen to A Natural History of the Future. I really liked it. This one OTOH, I am giving up on. It’s badly overwritten, over the top, sweeping generalizations. He’s lost the researcher cool that suited him so well in ANHofF.