An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around UsAn Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
What it's about
Every animal lives inside its own sensory bubble, a world of the signals it can pick up. Ed Yong tours them: the colors birds see that we can't, the electric fields fish use to talk, the echoes bats hear, the vibrations spiders feel through their webs, the magnetic maps that may guide turtles across oceans, and the many eyes of a scallop.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Goodreads Choice Award. Yong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer, is full of wonder and fun, and you'll never look at your dog the same way.
You'll love it if you liked
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Underland
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our TimeGood to know
It's packed with science but very readable. Each chapter covers one sense, so it's easy to read in pieces.
By the numbers
- Readers95 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller52 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz26 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #19 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #44 of the 481 new books we rank
- #233 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, True story
If you like this, read next
Project Hail Mary
The Anxious Generation
The Tainted Cup
Atmosphere
Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World
Everything Is TuberculosisExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Goodreads Choice Award. It ranks #233 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 82.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us about?
Every animal lives inside its own sensory bubble, a world of the signals it can pick up. Ed Yong tours them: the colors birds see that we can't, the electric fields fish use to talk, the echoes bats hear, the vibrations spiders feel through their webs, the magnetic maps that may guide turtles across oceans, and the many eyes of a scallop.
How long does it take to read An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us?
About 12 hours (464 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us?
If you liked it, try The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, Underland by Robert Macfarlane or The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner.