Frans De Waal's Reading List

"Haruki Murakami's trilogy '1Q84' kept me spellbound for all of its 1,328 pages, which is unusual for me," says the biologist Frans de Waal, whose latest book is "Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist." "Such an unrealistic story, yet so realistically told."

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By the Book: Frans De Waal (2022)

NYT By the Book column (2022-03-31).

Source: www.nytimes.com

1Q84

Haruki Murakami · Buy on Amazon

"Haruki Murakami's trilogy "1Q84" kept me spellbound for all of its 1,328 pages, which is unusual for me. Such an unrealistic story, yet so realistically told."

The Code Breaker

Walter Isaacson · Buy on Amazon

""The Code Breaker," by Walter Isaacson, should perhaps be titled "The Code Breakers," because it's about two women who discovered new molecular gene-editing tools and shared the Nobel Prize. Science writing at its best."

Ravens in Winter

Bernd Heinrich · Buy on Amazon

"Bernd Heinrich describes the ravens of Maine, such as in "Ravens in Winter," which is to be read by the fireside because of all its freezing scenes."

The Rise of Wolf 8

Rick McIntyre · Buy on Amazon

"Rick McIntyre's series about alpha wolves in Yellowstone focuses on leadership and personality, starting with "The Rise of Wolf 8.""

Naturalist

E. O. Wilson · Buy on Amazon

"My favorite memoirs are "Naturalist," by E. O. Wilson, and Robert M. Sapolsky's "A Primate's Memoir." Both books convey a boyish enthusiasm for animal behavior."

A Primate's Memoir

Robert M. Sapolsky · Buy on Amazon

"Robert M. Sapolsky's "A Primate's Memoir." Both books convey a boyish enthusiasm for animal behavior, and recall the way I was drawn to animals as a child."

The Naked Ape

Desmond Morris · Buy on Amazon

"While poking fun at our species, Morris was also one of the first to denounce the blank slate view of humankind."

King Solomon's Ring

Konrad Lorenz · Buy on Amazon

"Other popular books that I read at the time were Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring" and Jane Goodall's "In the Shadow of Man.""

In the Shadow of Man

Jane Goodall · Buy on Amazon

"Other popular books that I read at the time were Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring" and Jane Goodall's "In the Shadow of Man.""

The Invention of Nature

Andrea Wulf · Buy on Amazon

"I read with amazement about his travels across the globe to discover how all of nature is interconnected."

Klara and the Sun

Kazuo Ishiguro · Buy on Amazon

"I read Kazuo Ishiguro's "Klara and the Sun" to see if his speculative fiction is as good as Murakami's. It was quite good, but not as good."

The Spinoza Problem

Irvin Yalom · Buy on Amazon

"I read history books whether they are real or imaginative, such as recently "The Spinoza Problem," by Irvin Yalom."

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