How animals conceive of death and dying—and what it can teach us about our own relationships with mortality
When the opossum feels threatened, she becomes paralyzed. Her body temperature plummets, her breathing and heart rates drop to a minimum, and her glands simulate the smell of a putrefying corpse. Playing Possum explores what the opossum and other creatures can teach us about how we and other species understand mortality, and demonstrates that the concept of death, far from being a uniquely human attribute, is widespread in the animal kingdom.
With humor and empathy, Susana Monsó tells the stories of ants who attend their own funerals, chimpanzees who clean the teeth of their dead, dogs who snack on their caregivers, crows who avoid the places where they saw a carcass, elephants obsessed with collecting ivory, and whales who carry their dead for weeks. Monsó, one of today’s leading experts on animal cognition and ethics, shows how there are more ways to conceive of mortality than the human way, and challenges the notion that the only emotional reactions to death worthy of our attention are ones that resemble our own.
Blending philosophical insight with new evidence from behavioral science and comparative psychology, Playing Possum dispels the anthropocentric biases that cloud our understanding of the natural world, and reveals that, when it comes to death and dying, we are just another animal.
“Insanely readable with a brilliant setting and characters that jump off the page. I absolutely loved The Inheritance!” — Lisa Jewell
Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder.
Meet the Agarwals, who have gathered on a private, luxury island off the west coast of Scotland for a much-anticipated family reunion.
Raj, the patriarch and a business tycoon, is about to announce to his wife and three children the succession plan for his multimillon-dollar Delhi-based company. Shalini, the fragile matriarch, is ready to have her husband to herself after years of sacrifice to the family business. Myra, the golden child, owner of the island and host of the reunion, is, unbeknownst to her family, on the brink of bankruptcy. Aseem, the son and supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and his duty to family. Aisha, the youngest, a party girl whose antics are legendary, can’t pass up an opportunity to wreak havoc. And then there’s Zoe, Aseem’s wife, the outsider whose #InstaPerfect life is built on a foundation of lies.
They’ve all got secrets they would die to protect. Who will survive this high-stakes reunion, and who will become a victim of their own greed? One thing is certain: this family gathering will shatter more than just their illusions of unity.
A collection of 10 books in the bold non-fiction series Extraordinary Lives, perfect for readers age 7+. This is a series of books on people who have lived extraordinary lives and done amazing things.
This boxset edition of the Extraordinary Lives series brings together the incredible stories of some of the world’s most inspiring individuals.
Packed full of inspirational stories, fantastic facts and dynamic illustrations, Extraordinary Lives shines a light on important modern and historical figures from all over the world.
This Collection Includes:
• The Extraordinary Life of Michelle Obama
• The Extraordinary Life of Malala Yousafzai
• The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank
• The Extraordinary Life of Greta Thunberg
• The Extraordinary Life of Stephen Hawking
• The Extraordinary Life of Neil Armstrong
• The Extraordinary Life of Mahatma Gandhi
• The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing
• The Extraordinary Life of Nelson Mandela
• The Extraordinary Life of Steve Jobs
Key Features:
– Beautifully illustrated books
– Empowering and educational stories
– Perfect gift for every curious child
With beautiful black-and-white illustrations, this treasury of fascinating real-life stories will inspire and delight curious children aged 7+ and is the perfect addition to any bookshelf.
In an era defined by rapid technological change, a seismic shift is underway. From the rise of digital platforms that mediate our interactions—with markets, with governments and perhaps most importantly with each other as citizens— to the growing tension between our online personas and our real-world identities, the forces of technology, geography and society are colliding in ways we are only beginning to understand.
Even as technology opens up new opportunities for civic engagement, it simultaneously disrupts the very foundations of societal cohesion. The digital age has given rise to a new stage for global drama—one where surveillance, the weaponization of information and the erosion of trust in national and multilateral institutions are playing out in real time. But as these forces evolve, so too must our understanding of how individuals and societies can navigate them.
Will digital societies endure, or are they doomed to collapse under the weight of their own contradictions? Can democracy as we know it survive in a world where power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few tech giants? And as nations grapple with the changing dynamics of governance, how will international norms, laws and institutions adapt?
In GeoTechnoGraphy, Samir Saran and Anirban Sarma offer a compelling analysis of the forces reshaping the modern world. Drawing on groundbreaking research and incisive insights, they examine how the convergence of geography and technology—geotechnography—is redefining power and writing new rules for its exercise.
The Sour Mango Tree is a homage to a life less ordinary. Palya Lankesh was an author, journalist, screenplay writer, poet and translator. His multi-faceted and prolific oeuvre encompasses essays scripts and stories, among much else. This volume is a translation of his memoir, Hulimavina Mara which includes his prose and poetry and is a rare glimpse into the mind of the maverick. Twenty-five years after Lankesh left us, this volume enables us to truly appreciate the significance of his legacy.
Hedgewar chronicles the untold story of the enigmatic founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose vision for India’s cultural revival continues to shape the nation’s socio-political landscape. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, this biography traces Hedgewar’s journey from an orphaned child in colonial India to the mastermind behind one of the world’s most secretive organizations.
Set against the backdrop of a country grappling with colonial rule, rising communal tensions, and the complexities of modernity, this book opens a window to Hedgewar’s philosophy of cultural nationalism, his challenges with contemporaries like Gandhi, Nehru and Savarkar, and his transformative leadership. It explores his inner struggles to make sense of his own critique of Hindu society.
More than a biography, this work is a window into the labyrinth of India’s civilizational ethos, offering a nuanced perspective on the RSS’s origins and its impact on India today. Hedgewar: A Definitive Biography is a must-read for those seeking to understand modern India’s complexities through the life of one controversial, yet extraordinary man.
Layla is a scholar of women’s histories and stories. Her life is a carefully constructed set of routines in her small American liberal arts college, but all of that is about to change…
Mira is a renowned Sufi storyteller who is running from a terrible past. When she learns that the murdered woman in the library was carrying a note from the killer addressed to her, she is presented with an opportunity to break a cycle of trauma and hurt. To confront her past, she must disclose the truth to Layla.
Together they enter the realm of Story, but can Layla find the forgiveness in her heart necessary to lead them to the answers they are looking for?
This contemporary murder mystery takes readers from small town America to the mountains of Afghanistan.
Most of us have travelled by train and experienced true India. Shared food and stories with our co-travellers. Or reached the platform, gasping to find the train leaving with a merry whistle. And in a queue for tickets, dug through our wallets for exact change, complaining about the slow clerk.
Have you ever thought about what goes on in the minds of the deadpan faces that peek through the grilled counter, mechanically issuing tickets to faraway places while rooted to their seats?
In Platform Ticket, Sangeetha chronicles her time as a ‘commercial clerk’ in the Indian Railways. Between sleepless graveyard shifts and heart-warming moments with travellers, Sangeetha’s life was far from dull. Her years of service, network of colleagues with varied experiences, and storytelling prowess guarantee an enjoyable behind-the-scenes look at this indispensable service in our country.
छोटी-छोटी आदतों से लाएँ बड़े बदलाव एक प्रेरणादायक किताब है जो आपके जीवन को सुधारने के लिए छोटे लेकिन प्रभावी बदलावों पर केंद्रित है। यह किताब आदतों के विज्ञान, प्रैक्टिकल टिप्स और कदम-दर-कदम मार्गदर्शन के माध्यम से आपको सकारात्मक आदतें अपनाने और बुरी आदतों को छोड़ने में मदद करती है, ताकि आप अपने लक्ष्यों को आसानी से हासिल कर सकें।
इस संग्रह में शामिल कहानियाँ, हमारी दुनिया में नई शक्ति से फैलते अन्याय और असमानता के अंधेरे के साथ ही उपभोक्तावादी समाज की प्रदर्शनप्रियता, झूठी रंगीनियों और इनसे पैदा हताशा-टूटन को उजागर करती हैं। यहाँ राजनीति-कॉरपोरेट-धर्म-पर्यावरण के संकट मानवीय और अमानवीय संबंधों के साथ एक नए शिल्प और चकित करने वाली भाषा में प्रकट होते हैं। शिल्प के माने यह नहीं हैं कि भाषिक करतब को ही कहानी मान लिया जाए जहां परंपरा की गाँठें, इतिहास की उलझनें और साधारण मनुष्य के जीवन की सचाइयाँ ही गायब हों, बल्कि ये कहानियाँ अपने ही अनजाने और मुश्किल रास्तों पर चलते हुए तलघर, भग्न गलियों, मलिन बस्तियों, जंगल, कब्रिस्तान और श्मशान, मल्टी स्टोरी इमारतों और मधुमक्खी के छत्तों तक एक जैसी सहजता से जाती हैं।
