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A NEW SCIENTIST NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR ''Show[s] us that, ultimately, the history of rats is a history of ourselves.'' THE SUNDAY TIMES ''Fascinating and prejudice-busting reading.'' NEW SCIENTIST ''An intelligent and enlightening book'' MICHAEL MORPURGO A cultural and social history of the rat, examining how one creature achieved total world domination and has inspired such love and loathing. Rats are creatures which inspire fear and fascination in equal measure. Their lives are more closely entwined with humans than any other animal, but they remain the most misunderstood of all species. In Stowaway , Joe Shute explores our complex and contradictory relationship with the rat. He travels the world from sub-Saharan Africa to the Rocky Mountains and visits some of the most rodent-infested cities on earth to unpick the myths we tell ourselves about rats and investigate the unexplored secrets of their own extraordinary lives. Joe delves into the hidden world they inhabit beneath our feet, learns about their role in natural ecosystems and how they have shaped human history. He also discovers their incredible intelligence and the bonds they form with humans when given the chance. Stowaway questions what the lives of rats reveal about our own, and whether there might be a better way to live alongside this most misunderstood species.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Devil's Lapdog
Chapter 2: Rat Tails
Chapter 3: Tunnels
Chapter 4: Ratopolis
Chapter 5: Heroes and Villains
Chapter 6: Quarry
Chapter 7: Prey
Chapter 8: Borders
Chapter 9: Fancy
Chapter 10: Rat Island
Chapter 11: Burrows
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index
About the author
Joe Shute is an author and journalist with a passion for the natural world. He writes features for The Daily Telegraph and is the newspaper’s long-standing Saturday ‘Weather Watch’ columnist. He is currently a post-graduate researcher funded by the Leverhulme Unit for the Design of Cities of the Future (LUDeC) at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Joe previously worked as a trainee journalist on the Halifax Evening Courier and the Yorkshire Post as its crime correspondent. His other books include Forecast: A Diary of the Lost Seasons and A Shadow Above: The Fall and Rise of the Raven. He lives in Sheffield with his wife (and rats).
@JoeShute
