This one is interesting. It's a review of Temple Grandin's book and not particularly complimentary. I've had this book recommended to me a few times but for some reason I've always had a bit of a gut reaction not to put it in my "next order from Amazon". I could never quite put a finger on why I didn't like the sound of it, although I do tend to be turned off people who claim, for whatever reason, to have a "special relationship" with horses/animals. Just too egotistical for me. Linda Kohanov's Tao of Equus was a classic example!

http://www.upc-online.org/whatsnew/81105grandin.htm

I'd be interested to hear what those of you who have read it thought of this review.

Thanks
Catherine

I must say, I'm in very substantial agreement with the review - not the only place you'll see people saying what a pity Temple Grandin utilises her "insights" into non-human animal minds to find easier ways to kill them. The chief value of "Animals in Translation" for me is just that it does bring into relief the omnipresence of language in average human thinking/perceiving and just hints at how non-human animals, in inhabiting a language-free (verbal, symbolic language, I mean!)world experience their lives in a way we can only get vague external impressions of.

I've read the book but can't remember it very well. I do remember that it has a lot of info in there that isn't really about autism and animals but just about animals/enrichment/slaughter houses etc.

Ethics-wise she does come across as contradictory in many places but then I find most people's ethics (including my own) somewhat illogical wrt farming/animal products.

I do remember that it reads exactly how she speaks (I've seen her speak twice at conferences and on TV, including a recent Horizon) and if I hadn't seen her speak before reading the book I don't think I'd have understood her manner. Its hard to describe but anyone who has seen her in person, or on TV will see what I mean.

I'm afraid I switch off when Temple Grandin's findings are reported as I believe that she designed the 'wheat pressure box'. This is a supposedly humane way of calming and handling wild mustangs. It works by putting the horse in a sort of box and then filling it with wheat, totally immobalising the animal. The animal then becomes miraculously calm and is able to be handled. We had to research this on one of our EBQ case studies and without looking for my notes, think we found that the horses were actually suffering from tonic immobility.

yes- that wheat pressure box business is weird - is it still in use?

Hi everyone,

Its Julie here on rachels computer....I started to read this book and didn't get too far into it before thinking that I must be Autistic myself!! I lost count of the times she stated that "normal people" couldn't see what she saw because we (normal people) are not visual thinkers and would not notice if a horse (or cow or whatever) baulked at a shadow or the sun glinting off metal etc!! Maybe I am autistic.....along with everyone else on this site

Yes Julie, that is exactly how I felt too!! Also I was very disappointed in the book, from what I can remember there was also a lot of stuff on animal training that was based on old fashioned out dated ideas and showed little understanding or appreciation of the advancements that have been made. Yet another book to add to the growing list of ones that I wouldn't reccommend, Francis!!! Sorry I haven't got much further on the list that I would, they all seem to come with cautions of some kind!! And I know I'm far from perfect so I don't want to be too down on other people, but it never ceases to amaze me some of the drivel that is written about horse behaviour. I don't see how anyone can do an effective job without understanding learning theory, horse ethology and of course the psychophysiology of stress and it's impact on learning, plus horse welfare. All of the books that I have criticisms of seem to miss out on one of these. Sorry if I sound a bit forthright but it is the middle of the night and I can't sleep for thinking of some of the cases I am working on at the moment where the people just do not seem to take on board what I am saying. I think I am being too tactful, I need to develop a thicker skin and be a bit blunter and accept that people won't like it!! It is not the horses that are difficult to work with in this game, it is the owners!!
Helen

Thanks for all your comments. I don't think this book will be moving up my "read urgently" list! Julie (great to see you here! Hope you're well), your post really made me laugh - half the time I find I know what Jak's likely to spook at before he does. Does that make him slow or me autistic?!