Bethany Brookshire: Pests (2022, HarperCollins Publishers)
English language
Published Dec. 11, 2022 by HarperCollins Publishers.
What makes a pest? Is such a label even fair? A fantastic blend of narrative and science, this book looks at different animals across time and space and our relationship to them. Prepare to have your assumptions challenged, no matter what your current viewpoint.
A really nice overview and anthropological examination of how and why we consider certain animals to be ‘pests’ and how that perception changes over time and by location. I really like the conclusion the author comes to as she goes through species, that mutual respect and cohabitation is what we should strive towards.
My one gripe is that her chapter on feral cats makes the claim that all animal welfare/rights groups are pro-TNR, and that just isn’t the case. Many are, certainly, but the majority often skew towards not endorsing it based on the inconclusive numbers.
(Listened to the audiobook narrated by Courtney Patterson, who did a fantastic job and really helped inject just the right amount of enthusiasm and energy Brookshire’s writing exudes)
Very readable volume on the ways humans interact with animals, positing that it's when they intrude on our homes, cities, and personal ideas of cleanliness that we call them "pests" and try to make them leave. Looks at a range of vertebrate species and ways we've attempted to save them, kill them, and coexist with them, drawing not only on scientific studies but also Indigenous and other non-Western perspectives.
