Bad Nature: How Rat Control Shapes Human and Nonhuman Worlds

Offers insights into the social and cultural implications of humans’ relationships with rats and the natural world.

Apart from the occasional pet owner who has rats, most people regard rats as disease-carrying nocturnal pests, scurrying around dumpsters and dragging slices of pizza through New York City subways. Since rats are seemingly omnipresent in human life, why do we harbor such negative feelings about them, and why are they among the creatures most frequently targeted for systemati...