How to Be a Living Thing: Meditations on Intuitive Oysters, Hopeful Doves, and Being Human in the World...

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Mari Andrew

How to Be a Living Thing

Meditations on Intuitive Oysters, Hopeful Doves, and Being Human in the World

Mari Andrew

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Hardback

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English

Penguin Life
15 July 2025

Memoirs; Assertiveness, motivation & self-esteem; Wildlife: general interest

A luminous collection of essays exploring the lessons we can incorporate from the animal world in order to live more fully as humans

A luminous collection of essays exploring the lessons we can incorporate from the animal world in order to live more fully as humans

A shelter cat teaches us that our damaged parts, too, are worthy of love... a captive orca shows us that inconvenience and difficulties are the blessing of a full life... a gorilla teaches the universal language of grief... a group of oysters who prove that magic and science can and do coexist...

In How to Be a Living Thing, Mari Andrew reflects on the ways animals mirror, challenge, and deepen our experiences as living creatures in the world. Through her personal stories and explorations into the inner world of other creatures, Mari illuminates the opportunities and wonders of being a living thing. Highly-sensitive horses, overly-cautious donkeys, and silly social rats are just a few of the animal teachers who offer us glimpses of the glories and shortcomings of humanity.

Heartwarming, funny, and insightful, How to Be a Living Thing reminds us that we are perfectly imperfect beings, capable of profound connection with each other and with all other species of the remarkable natural world that surrounds us.

By: Mari Andrew
Imprint: Penguin Life
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 146mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 363g
ISBN: 9780593831663
ISBN 10: 0593831667
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 15 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Mari Andrew is a writer, artist, and speaker based in New York City. She is the author of Am I There Yet? and My Inner Sky and writes the newsletter Out of the Blue on Substack.

Reviews for How to Be a Living Thing: Meditations on Intuitive Oysters, Hopeful Doves, and Being Human in the World

""A beautiful book on bringing out the better angels of our nature. By carefully observing the animal kingdom, Mari Andrew brilliantly illuminates how we can get in closer touch with our humanity."" --Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking ""A balm and a resource for anyone feeling disconnected."" --Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment ""Oh, what a sensitive soul and keen intuition Mari Andrew has! It's no surprise her thoughtful insights extend beyond humanity to the whole living world."" --Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink and Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives