The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well with the Rest of Life

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Rob Dunn

The Call of the Honeyguide

What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well with the Rest of Life

Rob Dunn

$59.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Basic Books
28 October 2025

Ecological science, the Biosphere; Applied ecology

How rethinking our relationships with other species can help us reimagine the future of humankind

In the woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, sometime deep in our species' past, something strange happened: a bird called out, not to warn others of human presence, but to call attention to herself. Having found a beehive, that bird-a honeyguide-sought human aid to break in. The behavior can seem almost miraculous: How would a bird come to think that people could help her? Isn't life simply bloodier than that?

As Rob Dunn argues in The Call of the Honeyguide, it isn't. Nature is red in tooth and claw, but in equal measure, life works together. Cells host even smaller life, wrapped in a web of mutual interdependence. Ants might go to war, but they also tend fungi, aphids, and even trees. And we humans work not just with honeyguides but with yeast, crops, and pets. Ecologists call these beneficial relationships mutualisms. And they might be the most important forces in the evolution of life.

We humans often act as though we are all alone, independent from the rest of life. As The Call of the Honeyguide shows, we are not. It is a call to action for a more beneficent, less lonely future.

By: Rob Dunn
Imprint: Basic Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 238mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 32mm
Weight: 600g
ISBN: 9781541605732
ISBN 10: 154160573X
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 28 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Rob Dunn is professor in the Department of Applied Ecology and senior vice provost at North Carolina State University. He is the author of seven previous books, including A Natural History of the Future and Never Home Alone. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Reviews for The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well with the Rest of Life

""The Call of the Honeyguide celebrates cooperation between species as a driving force in evolution, and a cornerstone of the human relationship to nature. It is a book brimming with fascinating ideas to ponder and savor, all conveyed with Rob Dunn's signature mix of clarity, insight, and wit.""--Thor Hanson, author of Close to Home