Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves
Mama's Last Hug is a fascinating exploration of the rich emotional lives of animals, beginning with Mama, a chimpanzee matriarch who formed a deep bond with biologist Jan van Hooff. Her story and others like it--from dogs "adopting" the injuries of their companions, to rats helping fellow rats in distress, to elephants revisiting the bones of their loved ones--show that humans are not the only species with the capacity for love, hate, fear, shame, guilt, joy, disgust, and empathy. Frans de Waal opens our hearts and minds to the many ways in which humans and other animals are connected.
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Frans de Waal, PhD, is a biologist and ethologist, world-renowned for his work on the social intelligence of primates. He has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People and is the author of numerous books, including The Ape and the Sushi Master, which was named a New York Times Notable Book, Our Inner Ape, and Peacemaking among Primates, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award. He is a Charles Howard Candler Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University and the director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Center in Atlanta.
Through colorful stories and riveting prose, de Waal firmly puts to rest the stubborn notion that humans alone in the animal kingdom experience a broad array of emotions.--Barbara J. King
De Waal's eye-opening observations argue for better treatment and greater appreciation of animals, even as he ensures that you'll never look at them--or yourself--the same way again.
An original thinker, [de Waal] seems to invite us to his front-row seats, sharing the popcorn as he gets us up to speed on the plot of how life works, through deeply affecting stories of primates and other animals, all dramas with great lessons for our own species.--Vicki Constantine Croke
There is nothing sentimental about de Waal's position.... All the things he has learned about animals have come from observation. He is a brilliant observer, and is often amazed by what he sees.--Michael Bond
Before I realized Frans de Waal's connection to Mama's actual last hug, I sent the online video link to a large group of scientists saying, 'I believe it is possible to view this interaction and be changed forever.' Likewise, I believe that anyone reading this book will be changed forever. De Waal has spent so many decades watching intently and thinking deeply that he sees a planet that is deeper and more beautiful than almost anyone realizes. In these pages, you can acquire and share his beautiful, shockingly insightful view of life on Earth.--Carl Safina, author of Beyond Worlds: What Animals Think and Feel
