Publisher Description

"Werner's prose is compelling, his natural history is thoroughly engaging, and his line of curious inquiry is an admirable attempt to better understand humanity and its changing relationship with the external world."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLYFrom which side of the bed you sleep on to where to play a backyard game of hide-and-go-seek, Maximilian Werner examines elements of everyday behavior through the eye-opening lens of evolutionary theory in this memoir-infused nonfiction. Werner applies an intriguingly fresh take to seldom-explored habits of humans and animals alike, guiding readers backward in time to the Pleistocene.

Author Biography

MAXIMILIAN WERNER is the author of Crooked Creek, Gravity Hill and Black River Dreams, a collection of literary fly fishing essays that won the 2008 Utah Arts Council's Original Writing Competition for Nonfiction. Mr. Werner's poems, fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Matter Journal: Edward Abbey Edition, Bright Lights Film Journal, The North American Review, ISLE, Weber Studies, Fly Rod and Reel, and Columbia. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and two children and teaches writing at the University of Utah.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Acknowledgments 20 Introduction 21 Part I: Arachnophilia 28 Part II: A Field Guide to Habitat Theory i. The Pine Grove Saga 62 ii. Home Advantage 76 iii. Assume the Position 81 iv. Singing in the Morning, Singing in the Evening. . . 85 v. Leave Your Flowers by the Door 95 vi. Caves: Affordable Housing 100 vii. The Way I Take 105 iix. A Case of Nerves 115 ix. Song of the Cave Trance 123 x. The Good Neighborhood 134 xi. Yards, Death, and the Healing Sleep 153 Part III: Implications of an Ecochildhood i. I Killed; Therefore I Am 160 ii. Death's Rich Pageant 160 ii. Morality, Grief, and Waste 180 iv. Fort Building 189 v. Imaginary Friends 201 vi. The Dog Days of Summer 207 vii. A Brief History of Aggression 210 iix. Fight Club 216 ix. Blood Letting and the Damnedest Things 227 x. Hunters and Drivers 244 xi. Denouement 249

Review

"Werner's prose is compelling, his natural history is thoroughly engaging, and his line of curious inquiry is an admirable attempt to better understand humanity and its changing relationship with the external world." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Werner makes evolutionary theory accessible through case studies of both human and nonhuman subjects, teaching us how immersed all living creatures still are in the things that made the difference between life and death hundreds of generations ago." --SALT LAKE CITY WEEKLY
"This book provides an entry into the great epic of evolution in a way that makes it both accessible and inspiring. This is no small accomplishment, and we are all indebted to Maximilian Werner." --MARY EVELYN TUCKER, co-author of Journey of the Universe
"Join this sensitive and perceptive naturalist as he explores his yard and nearby caves and mountains, carefully observing the activities of myriad life forms, and then reflecting insightfully on the evolutionary story we share with them. Learn from him how to feel completely at home in the world." --LOYAL RUE, author of Religion is Not about God
"Werner's book, thought-provoking and emotionally satisfying, takes us on a journey, a journey that ultimately urges each one of us to get up, go outside and hunt around the edges of our homes for the mysteries that await." --SYLVIA TORTI, author of The Scorpion's Tail

Review Quote

"Werner's prose is compelling, his natural history is thoroughly engaging, and his line of curious inquiry is an admirable attempt to better understand humanity and its changing relationship with the external world." --Publishers Weekly "Werner questions why he responds to particular situations in particular ways, from choosing which bedroom to give his son to feeling less protective of a friend than of his wife during hikes, and tries to connect those subconscious decisions to evolutionary reasons." --ForeWord Reviews "Werner makes evolutionary theory accessible through case studies of both human and nonhuman subjects, teaching us how immersed all living creatures still are in the things that made the difference between life and death hundreds of generations ago." --Salt Lake City Weekly "This book provides an entry in to the great epic of evolution in a way that makes it both accessible and inspiring. This is no small accomplishment and we are all indebted to Maximilian Werner." --Mary Evelyn Tucker, co- author, Journey of the Universe "Join this sensitive and perceptive naturalist as he explores his yard and nearby caves and mountains, carefully observing the activities of myriad life forms, and then reflecting insightfully on the evolutionary story we share with them. Learn from him how to feel completely at home in the world." --Loyal Rue, author of Religion is Not about God: How Spiritual Traditions Nurture Our Biological Nature and What to Expect When They Fail "Werner's book, thought-provoking and emotionally satisfying, takes us on a journey, a journey that ultimately urges each one of us to get up, go outside and hunt around the edges of our homes for the mysteries that await." --Sylvia Torti, author of The Scorpion's Tail

Competing Titles

Evidence for Evolution Alan Rogers 9780226723822 18.00 University Of Chicago Press 06/2011 How Humanity Came into Being: The Evolution of Consciousness Martin Lockley 9780863157325 36.00 Floris Books 05/2010 How We Decide Jonah Lehrer 9780547247991 14.95 Mariner Books 01/2010 Games Primates Play: An Undercover Investigation of the Evolution and Economics of Human Relationship Dario Maestripieri 9780465020782 27.99 Basic Books 04/2012 When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice Terry Tempest Williams 9780374288976 23.00 Sarah Crichton Books 04/2012

Description for Sales People

A humanities guy exploring backyard science, Werner offers a layman's view of evolutionary theory. Werner's accessible, welcoming prose invites the reader to move in closer for a fresh look at everyday human activities and commonplace natural wonders. With a voice and viewpoint all his own, Werner takes a well-earned place on the shelf between the evolutionary theory of E.O. Wilson and the shimmering prose of Terry Tempest Williams. A confident, thought provoking speaker, Werner will facilitate a panel of Torrey House Press authors at the 2012 Utah Book Festival and will be a featured presenter at the 2013 festival. Werner teaches writing at the University of Utah, and is well connected in the West's writing circles.

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