Evolved: Chronicles of a Pleistocene Mind

by Maximilian Werner, John Alcock (Foreword by)

Overview

"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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937226176
Publisher:	Torrey House Press
Publication date:	06/11/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations i

Foreword ii

Acknowledgments v

Wandering and Wondering: A New Story for the World 1

Arachnophilia 12

A Field Guide to Habitat Theory

i The Pine Grove Saga 46

ii Home Advantage 58

ii Assume the Position 62

iv Singing in the Morning, Singing in the Evening… 65

v Leave Your Flowers by the Door 74

Vi Caves: Affordable Housing 78

vii The Way I Take 82

viii A Case of Nerves 91

ix Song of the Cave Trance 99

x The Good Neighborhood 109

xi Yards, Death, and the Healing Sleep 125

Implications of an Ecochildhood

i I Killed; Therefore I Am 132

ii Death's Rich Pageant 140

iii Morality, Grief, and Waste 151

iv Fort-Building 157

v Imaginary Friends 168

vi The Dog Days of Summer 174

vii A Brief History of Aggression 176

viii Fight Club 181

ix Bloodletting and the Damnedest Things 191

x Hunters and Drivers 206

xi Denouement 210

Editorial Reviews

"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

"Werner makes evolutionary theory accessible through case studies of both human and nonhuman subjects, teaching us how immersed all living creatures still are in the things that made the difference between life and death hundreds of generations ago."
—SALT LAKE CITY WEEKLY

"This book provides an entry into the great epic of evolution in a way that makes it both accessible and inspiring. This is no small accomplishment, and we are all indebted to Maximilian Werner."
—MARY EVELYN TUCKER, co–author of Journey of the Universe

"Join this sensitive and perceptive naturalist as he explores his yard and nearby caves and mountains, carefully observing the activities of myriad life forms, and then reflecting insightfully on the evolutionary story we share with them. Learn from him how to feel completely at home in the world."
—LOYAL RUE, author of Religion is Not about God

"Werner's book, thought–provoking and emotionally satisfying, takes us on a journey, a journey that ultimately urges each one of us to get up, go outside and hunt around the edges of our homes for the mysteries that await."
—SYLVIA TORTI, author of The Scorpion's Tail

From the Publisher