‚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
How did you choose your home? What side of the bed do you sleep on? Could you be like a spider? In this memoir–infused exploration of evolutionary theory, Maximilian Werner shows how our Pleistocene instincts inform our everyday decisions and behaviors in a fresh and friendly modern–day
Walden.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
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
Über den Autor
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.