Playing Possum
How Animals Understand Death
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Playing Possum
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lisa S. Ware
About this listen
When the opossum feels threatened, she becomes paralyzed. Her body temperature plummets, her breathing and heart rates drop to a minimum, and her glands simulate the smell of a putrefying corpse. Playing Possum explores what the opossum and other creatures can teach us about how we and other species understand mortality, and demonstrates that the concept of death, far from being a uniquely human attribute, is widespread in the animal kingdom.
With humor and empathy, Susana Monso tells the stories of ants who attend their own funerals, chimpanzees who clean the teeth of their dead, dogs who snack on their caregivers, crows who avoid the places where they saw a carcass, elephants obsessed with collecting ivory, and whales who carry their dead for weeks. Monso, one of today's leading experts on animal cognition and ethics, shows how there are more ways to conceive of mortality than the human way, and challenges the notion that the only emotional reactions to death worthy of our attention are ones that resemble our own.
Blending philosophical insight with new evidence from behavioral science and comparative psychology, Playing Possum dispels the anthropocentric biases that cloud our understanding of the natural world, and reveals that, when it comes to death and dying, we are just another animal.
©2021, 2022 Susana Monso; English translation copyright 2024 by Princeton University Press (P)2024 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Word of Dog
- What Our Canine Companions Can Teach Us About Living a Good Life
- By: Mark Rowlands
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 4
If you have spent any part of your life with a dog, you may have found certain questions popping, unbidden, into your mind: Is my dog living a fulfilled life? Is my dog a good dog? Does my dog love me? Addressing these questions compels you to confront not just your dog's life but yours as well—to think about what fulfillment, and meaning, in life really is. In The Word of Dog, philosopher Mark Rowlands explores these questions and suggests that in dogs we can see hints—faint, shrouded, but discernible—of what a better way of living might look like.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Everything
- By Nancy on 03-03-25
By: Mark Rowlands
-
The Rest Is Memory
- By: Lily Tuck
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 10
First glimpsed riding on the back of a boy’s motorcycle, fourteen-year-old Czeslawa comes to life in this mesmerizing novel by Lily Tuck, who imagines her upbringing in a small Polish village before her world imploded in late 1942. Stripped of her modest belongings, shorn, and tattooed number 26947 on arriving at Auschwitz, Czeslawa is then photographed. Three months later, she is dead. How did this happen to an ordinary Polish citizen? This is the question that Tuck grapples with in this haunting novel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
heartbreaking
- By Amazon Customer on 02-12-25
By: Lily Tuck
-
Knife
- Meditations After an Attempted Murder
- By: Salman Rushdie
- Narrated by: Salman Rushdie
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 569
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 511
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 511
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are. What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Triumph of Life
- By Donna Ponte on 04-17-24
By: Salman Rushdie
-
The Serviceberry
- By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 728
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 687
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 687
As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and optimistic
- By Steve on 12-18-24
-
All That Remains
- A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes
- By: Sue Black
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 616
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 531
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 531
Dame Sue Black is an internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist. She has lived her life eye to eye with the Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in this book, which is part primer on the basics of identifying human remains, part frank memoir of a woman whose first paying job as a schoolgirl was to apprentice in a butcher shop, and part no-nonsense but deeply humane introduction to the reality of death in our lives. It is a treat for CSI junkies, murder mystery and thriller fans, and anyone seeking a clear-eyed guide to a subject that touches us all.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted a science book about forensics. I got a mostly-memoir instead.
- By A Customer on 11-29-19
By: Sue Black
-
The Shock Doctrine
- The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,065
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,438
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,433
In her groundbreaking reporting, Naomi Klein introduced the term "disaster capitalism." Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she witnessed something remarkably similar. People still reeling from catastrophe were being hit again, this time with economic "shock treatment," losing their land and homes to rapid-fire corporate makeovers. The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman's free market economic revolution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
If It's Bad for Humanity, It's Good for Business
- By Nelson Alexander on 09-29-07
By: Naomi Klein
-
The Word of Dog
- What Our Canine Companions Can Teach Us About Living a Good Life
- By: Mark Rowlands
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 4
If you have spent any part of your life with a dog, you may have found certain questions popping, unbidden, into your mind: Is my dog living a fulfilled life? Is my dog a good dog? Does my dog love me? Addressing these questions compels you to confront not just your dog's life but yours as well—to think about what fulfillment, and meaning, in life really is. In The Word of Dog, philosopher Mark Rowlands explores these questions and suggests that in dogs we can see hints—faint, shrouded, but discernible—of what a better way of living might look like.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Everything
- By Nancy on 03-03-25
By: Mark Rowlands
-
The Rest Is Memory
- By: Lily Tuck
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 10
First glimpsed riding on the back of a boy’s motorcycle, fourteen-year-old Czeslawa comes to life in this mesmerizing novel by Lily Tuck, who imagines her upbringing in a small Polish village before her world imploded in late 1942. Stripped of her modest belongings, shorn, and tattooed number 26947 on arriving at Auschwitz, Czeslawa is then photographed. Three months later, she is dead. How did this happen to an ordinary Polish citizen? This is the question that Tuck grapples with in this haunting novel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
heartbreaking
- By Amazon Customer on 02-12-25
By: Lily Tuck
-
Knife
- Meditations After an Attempted Murder
- By: Salman Rushdie
- Narrated by: Salman Rushdie
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 569
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 511
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 511
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are. What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Triumph of Life
- By Donna Ponte on 04-17-24
By: Salman Rushdie
-
The Serviceberry
- By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 728
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 687
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 687
As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and optimistic
- By Steve on 12-18-24
-
All That Remains
- A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes
- By: Sue Black
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 616
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 531
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 531
Dame Sue Black is an internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist. She has lived her life eye to eye with the Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in this book, which is part primer on the basics of identifying human remains, part frank memoir of a woman whose first paying job as a schoolgirl was to apprentice in a butcher shop, and part no-nonsense but deeply humane introduction to the reality of death in our lives. It is a treat for CSI junkies, murder mystery and thriller fans, and anyone seeking a clear-eyed guide to a subject that touches us all.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted a science book about forensics. I got a mostly-memoir instead.
- By A Customer on 11-29-19
By: Sue Black
-
The Shock Doctrine
- The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,065
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,438
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,433
In her groundbreaking reporting, Naomi Klein introduced the term "disaster capitalism." Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she witnessed something remarkably similar. People still reeling from catastrophe were being hit again, this time with economic "shock treatment," losing their land and homes to rapid-fire corporate makeovers. The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman's free market economic revolution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
If It's Bad for Humanity, It's Good for Business
- By Nelson Alexander on 09-29-07
By: Naomi Klein
What listeners say about Playing Possum
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rebecca
- 03-17-25
Fascinating topic, well written, terrible narration
Very interesting material with an unusual (ie, philosophical) slant. However, I found the narrator unbearable, almost insulting. It is a testament to the worth of the book that I persevered. I apologize for being so harsh on the narrator, who I am sure thought she was helping bring the book alive, but unfortunately, as other reviews suggest, her delivery discouraged some readers from continuing to listen. My advice to such readers is: stick with it. The topic is important.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Hunt
- 04-18-25
Bad narration, not what I expected
I dove into this without much context and I would caution anyone interested in this to know what you’re getting into. This is written by a philosopher.
I wanted an overview of what science knows about this topic and it’s more a philosophical discussion that includes some of the science. There’s some interesting info, but that angle didn’t resonate well with me.
The narration is also maybe the worst I’ve encountered in an audiobook. The cadence and tone was distracting and hard to pay attention to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Matthew Dimick
- 12-07-24
Interesting field of study / engaging performance
The narrator gets a bad rap in the review—she’s actually really great! Science books can be hard to follow with monotone readers. This worked really well to keep me engaged. I wonder how much of the criticism of the reader has some veiled misogyny.
Author presents an interesting and relatively new field of study while expanding implications and evidence. Interesting!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beano
- 11-08-24
Fascinating and well delivered
The book, admittedly, is not for everyone but it's well researched and narrated with passion by Lisa Ware.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda Farrar
- 11-19-24
The narration is unbearable.
The subject matter is fascinating but I can't tolerate the narrator's unnatural, nonsensical cadance and the bizarre emphasis on words that shouldn't be empathized. I can't listen beyond the first chapter. I hope to get my money back from Audible so I can purchase a paper copy. I am so sorry for this talented author that her work is presented this way and I hope attempted listeners will try again with a paper copy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 11-14-24
Unbelievably irritating narration
The book is fascinating, but the narration is nearly intolerable. It’s like she was pretending to read this at an open mic night for laughs. This is why authors should narrate their own books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Daisy Duke's Painted Maus
- 11-29-24
Terrible narrator
This narrator is absolutely awful. Her attempts to emote made me cringe. Cannot listen to it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Alyssum M. Pohl
- 11-12-24
Thorough philosophical exploration
Thorough philosophical exploration of the question whether animals outside of humans understand death. I think I prefer “when elephants weep” more for the breadth of topics. But this was solid.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. Arford
- 11-03-24
Absolutely intolerable narration
The narrator’s attempt to read in some ridiculous dramatic fashion makes the book unlistenable. I’m so annoyed. The content seems like it’s so interesting and I want to listen to it so much, but the way this woman reads is SO distracting that I can’t even listen to the content, all I can focus on is her ridiculous theatrical “performance!” Can someone please tell these people to just READ the book- it’s not a broadway play for heavens sake! I hope I can get a refund for this because I couldn’t get past the second chapter.
I feel badly for the author whose fascinating work is ruined by this narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful