Forget the Camel: The Madcap World of Animal Festivals and What They Say about Being Human

A raucous journey through eight animal festivals compels an environmental lawyer to ask what the stories we tell about animals reveal about our own humanity.

As the gates open at the racetrack in Virginia City, Nevada, three camels stumble out, ridden by amateur jockeys. A crowd of roaring spectators looks on gleefully, but as the camels approach the first turn, one loses its footing and crashes to the ground. While the camel's handlers rush to the animal, the race's emcee calls out in defen...