What I Don't Know About Animals

Don't be fooled by the title--British novelist, essayist, and memoirist Diski (Skating to Antarctica) knows quite a bit about animals. In this treatise, she tackles the unknowable: philosophical questions about animals' consciousness; what she refers to as "an abyss of knowledge that we simply can't cross"; and ethical questions about how humans treat them. Beginning with childhood memories, she examines the cartoon animals she watched in the cinema, as well as her many trips to the zoo, where she once witnessed a chimpanzees' tea party. As an adult, she visited the Kenya Tsavo wildlife reserve and studied elephants with Dr. Barbara McKnight, and a Somerset farm during the lambing season. At age 58, she overcame arachnophobia by participating in the "Friendly Spider Programme" offered by the Zoological Society of London. In addition, Diski examines animals in the abstract, discussing the ideas of Derrida, Bentham ("perhaps the founding father of the animal rights movement"), and controversial animal trainer/philosopher Vicki Hearne, among others, and reflects on passages from the Bible and other creation stories that involve animals. While her anecdotes make for engaging reading, Diski raises far graver questions than the cover image of cuddly lambs would suggest. (Sept.)