An engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals pests and others not-from cats
to rats elephants to pigeons-and what this tells us about our own perceptions beliefs and
actions as well as our place in the natural world A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall.
A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between
human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don't expect or want them we
respond with fear rage or simple annoyance. It's no longer an animal. It's a pest. At the
intersection of science history and narrative journalism Pests is not a simple call to look
closer at our urban ecosystem. It's not a natural history of the animals we hate. Instead this
book is about us. It's about what calling an animal a pest says about people how we live and
what we want. It's a story about human nature and how we categorize the animals in our midst
including bears and coyotes sparrows and snakes. Pet or pest? In many cases it's entirely a
question of perspective. Bethany Brookshire's deeply researched and entirely entertaining book
will show readers what there is to venerate in vermin and help them appreciate how these
animals have clawed their way to success as we did everything we could to ensure their failure.
In the process we will learn how the pests that annoy us tell us far more about humanity than
they do about the animals themselves.
