Read “Meet the Neighbors” During Libby's Global Digital Book Club

Join Libby Reads, the global digital book club from Libby, the library reading app. From March 26 to April 9, Clermont County Public Library cardholders can enjoy Meet the Neighbors, a heartfelt and unique look at the inner life of animals by Brandon Keim.

Meet the Neighbors is available as an ebook or audiobook for free with no waitlists or holds through Libby. You can read/listen to Meet the Neighbors on your phone, tablet, Kindle, or desktop computer.

The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, with no late fees.

About Meet the Neighbors

What does the science of animal intelligence mean for how we understand and live with the wild creatures around us?

In this wide-ranging, wonder-filled exploration of animals' inner lives, Keim takes us into courtrooms and wildlife hospitals, under backyard decks and into deserts, to meet anew the wild creatures who populate our communities and the philosophers, rogue pest controllers, ecologists, wildlife doctors, and others who are reimagining our relationships to them.

Meet the Author

Brandon Keim is a journalist specializing in animals, nature, and science. He is the author of The Eye of the Sandpiper: Stories from the Living World, and most recently, Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World. His work appears regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Nautilus, and elsewhere. He would like to think that his spirit animal is a bear, but more realistically, it’s a groundhog or snapping turtle. He lives in Bangor, Maine. 

A Letter from the Author

Dear book club friends,

I can still remember the first time I visited the public library in my hometown of Bangor, Maine. It is a grand old stone building, the sort of place where footsteps echo as you enter and the air is cool in summertime, even without air conditioning. Back in those days, a polished wooden card catalog lined one wall, an oaken monument to knowledge.

It was a serious place, but the seriousness felt like a form of respectful welcome. Of course, the librarians, stern at first blush, were warm and helpful and encouraging. If a kid wanted to smuggle in a hot chocolate on a winterʼs day and curl up on a chair to read, they would pretend not to see it.

Those experiences left me with a lifelong appreciation for libraries and what they represent. Nowadays, the library in Bangor, like so many, plays an even larger role in the community than before, with programs and activities that help people in need and bring us together in an era of dislocation. I value libraries more than ever—and so I am honored to be part of the Libby Reads program and delighted that you chose to read Meet the Neighbors.

Back when my book was still a fledgling of an idea, I thought it was going to be about the science of animal intelligence. Thatʼs still a big part of it, but Meet the Neighbors became much more. Itʼs also a celebration of nature; a reflection on how we think about nature and about animals; and ultimately an invitation to weave a deeper awareness of other animals into your experience of the world around you.

I hope you come away from it with a richer, more joyful connection to all your neighbors, human and nonhuman alike.

Thank you for reading,

Brandon Keim

Discussion Questions for Meet the Neighbors

1. Who are the wild animals whoʼve meant the most to you (or who captured your heart or imagination, or got on your nerves….)? Are there wild animals you often see in your everyday life?

2. The first several chapters discussed the science of animal intelligence. What was most interesting to you?

3. It has long been said that only humans have language. Human-style language is exceptional, but many animals communicate in ways that have elements of language, and much of our communication with one another is non-linguistic. If you could only use gestures, touch, and a handful of words, what sort of life and relationships could you have?

4. Brandon Keim argues that while people see their pets as thinking, feeling individuals, they donʼt usually see wild animals that way. Do you think that is true?

5. Chapter 5 discusses the idea of legal rights for animals. Do you think that animals should have legal rights? If so, what rights might these be? Would these be the same for each species? Would they differ depending on whether an animal is domestic or wild?

6. Chapter 6 explores the idea of representation for animals in political and social institutions. Could you imagine this happening? What would it look like if animals were represented in, say, a neighborhood association? A city council? A shoe company?

7. Keim writes about the social construction of animals: How we think about them differently and treat them differently, depending on the category to which they are assigned. (Some animals are used for food; others for research; others for labor; some are companions. Then there are wild animals, who can be common, threatened, or endangered; so-called game or non-game; invasive, alien, feral, or native; and so on.) Is this something you had thought much about before? Do you think itʼs fair?

8. After the first four chapters, every chapter includes at least one animal character. Were any of these characters especially compelling to you?

9. Animals considered non-native or invasive are sometimes killed in order to help native species. What do you think about this? Are there times when you feel itʼs justifiable? Or that itʼs not?

10. The activities of wild animals allow the natural world to flourish: by creating soil, planting seeds, pollinating and fertilizing plants, and so on. What do we owe them in return?

11. What does it mean to be a good neighbor to other human beings, and also to animals?