Dan Werb: Our Wild Familiars
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is excited to welcome author Dan Werb to celebrate the release of his latest book, Our Wild Familiars.
About the book:
In Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World, Dan Werb sheds fascinating light on synanthropes, wild creatures that have found a way to survive and thrive in human-modified environments. From rats, bats, pigeons, and raccoons to the Superb parrot, the grey-headed flying fox, and the giant Pacific octopus, these diverse animals are much more than pests and threats. As Werb notes: “Synanthropes show us the world as it is and a path forward to connecting with nature beyond simply mourning what we’ve lost. And if we look closely enough, they can show us that wonder is alive all around us.”
Dan Werb
Dan Werb, PhD, is an award-winning writer and social epidemiologist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, Salon, and other outlets. He holds faculty appointments at the University of California San Diego and the University of Toronto. His previous books include The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure (2022).

