The Call of the Honeyguide - by Rob Dunn (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

How rethinking our relationships with other species can help us reimagine the future of humankind

In the woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, sometime deep in our species' past, something strange happened: a bird called out, not to warn others of human presence, but to call attention to herself. Having found a beehive, that bird--a honeyguide--sought human aid to break in. The behavior can seem almost miraculous: How would a bird come to think that people could help her? Isn't life simply bloodier than that?

As Rob Dunn argues in The Call of the Honeyguide, it isn't. Nature is red in tooth and claw, but in equal measure, life works together. Cells host even smaller life, wrapped in a web of mutual interdependence. Ants might go to war, but they also tend fungi, aphids, and even trees. And we humans work not just with honeyguides but with yeast, crops, and pets. Ecologists call these beneficial relationships mutualisms. And they might be the most important forces in the evolution of life.

We humans often act as though we are all alone, independent from the rest of life. As The Call of the Honeyguide shows, we are not. It is a call to action for a more beneficent, less lonely future.

Review Quotes

"Brimming with amazing stories and generative ideas. The many surprising ways that human life is shaped by mutualism are brought to brilliant light in these pages. My copy has more pages earmarked for their startling insights than any other recent book. A must-read." --David George Haskell, Pulitzer-finalist author of The Forest Unseen

"The Call of the Honeyguide celebrates cooperation between species as a driving force in evolution, and a cornerstone of the human relationship to nature. It is a book brimming with fascinating ideas to ponder and savor, all conveyed with Rob Dunn's signature mix of clarity, insight, and wit."--Thor Hanson, author of Close to Home

About the Author

Rob Dunn is professor in the Department of Applied Ecology and senior vice provost at North Carolina State University. He is the author of seven previous books, including A Natural History of the Future and Never Home Alone. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.