Review: Wildhood by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers

The authors compare the turbulent teenage and young adult years of various animal species, including human.  They call this age "wildhood" (although I must admit I did not click with this created word at all throughout the book -- it does make a great title).   The sections of the book are based on what they consider the core competencies learned during these years: staying safe, living with others, sexual communications and taking care of oneself.


The first two sections were excellent -- the comparison to the lives of various animals give insight into how normal some parts of the teenage/young adult experience actually are across species and gave me a lot of food for thought on how I could parent my own kids as well.  The second two sections were not as impressive while still enjoyable, overshadowed  by how good the first two sections were I suppose--  overall the book was a worthwhile read and I expect I'll be reading it again in the future.