Thais P.

Not just a continuation of book 1

Revisado: 04-17-18

I really enjoyed book 1, but I figured book 2 would be just more of the same, and I didn’t think it would be as good as the first. I was very pleasantly surprised. The descriptions of the challenges and successes of the elk and red wolf reintroduction programs were fascinating, particularly since one of our local science museums has participated in the red wolf breeding program. This book far exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it.

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Relevant and convincing

Revisado: 04-16-18

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would (and have) recommend this audiobook to friends.Do you know how, when you hear or learn of something new, you suddenly start hearing about it all over? That’s the way it was for me with this book and the ideas contained within. Some specific examples include an interview with the author on one of the podcasts I follow, this book referenced in another, and another interview with the author on YouTube.

The author presents the case that emotions are constructed and not hardwired, and that no universal “fingerprint” exists for an emotion. She does so in a clear, comprehensive, and convincing manner with plenty of evidence and examples to illustrate. At first I was confused that she repeatedly indicated some controversy over the theory, which seemed to be common sense to me, until she systematically recounted and disproved the ways that older theories on emotion have been accepted and are prevalent in our culture. She even cites specific experiments and how those experiments were flawed. In this age of emojis and emoticons, I came to realize just how far-reaching the implications of her ideas could be.

The entire book was interesting and relevant, but my favorite part was a discussion of how emotion concepts vary widely from culture to culture. The author lists a number of words from other cultures that have no direct equivalent in English, but seem like they should. She also notes what kind of ramifications there could be if we were to adopt these words as we have the German “schadenfreude”.

This book was longer than I expected, but was well worth the time. I was repeatedly surprised (and pleased) as each new chapter revealed another facet of emotions that I had not considered. I actually decided to listen to this book in the hope I could learn to control my own emotions better, and the author covers that as well. I found myself considering her ideas and their implications long after I had finished the book, and I have recommended it to many friends.

What does Cassandra Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is not one of those books that is clearly better in the audio form, but Cassandra Campbell's reading was clear and appropriate, and I would not have had the time or inclination to read this book in the printed format.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not have an extreme reaction, but the book was certainly thought-provoking. I had to laugh at the list of words from other cultures that describe complex emotional concepts since many of the concepts resonate in our culture. For example, the Japanese “ageotori” which is defined as “the feeling of looking worse after a haircut”. Who hasn't experience that?

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