Rats : Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants

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Summary: Mostly About New York City, Politics and People Than Rats
Review: This book is well-written in an engaging style. The prose is clear and easy to read. Unfortunately, it is not what I was expecting. There are too many political, historical and biographical snippets - many of which are not obviously rat-related - than I was expecting. The amount of information on rats in history, their evolution, biology, behavior, contribution to plagues, etc., would occupy perhaps about 30 pages, or so. I would therefore agree with prior reviews who have made similar comments on this otherwise interesting book.

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Summary: rats and New York history
Review: This is an odd book, especially if you are expecting to read something with a great deal of rat information. This book does have some purely rat passages, but a good portion of the book is New York history through the lens of its rats. There were several long history sections where, although I was not bored, I forgot that the book was even supposed to be about rats. I was also hoping for slightly better citation of the facts used - the notes section at the end of the book does mention many of the sources used for the writing of this book, but the author doesn't cite anything in any of the standardized ways. It could be really tough to try to trace down some of his quotes or facts. The author did provide an interesting look into the world of New York's exterminators, and I found his chapter on the plague in San Francisco to be fascinating (I think I'll be looking up more information on this). My interest in rats stems from the fact that I own one myself, but this is not a good book to read if you are only interested in pet rats - the only rats discussed in this book are the wild urban variety, and some of the descriptions of rats being exterminated may distress owners of pet rats. Mostly, I thought this was a very readable and interesting book that could have benefited from fewer digressions into New York history.

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Summary: rats! they fought the dogs and killed the cats
Review: This is not just a book about rats, but a book about exterminators, about diseases spread by rats and fleas, and about the history of New York City and some of its colorful characters, and even about the American Revolution. It's a fascinating account of the author's project, inspired by an Audubon painting, to study rats in an alley near the World Trade Center, and how that project led him to learn about that alley, the hill it stands on, the surrounding buildings and the people who lived and worked there, and how the lives of rats and humans have intersected, there and elsewhere and elsewhen. In some ways this book reminded me of Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers--it's a light and entertaining look at unpleasant subjects, made engaging through the author's skill at connecting the subject to others.

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Summary: Well written, engaging, and historically pertinent
Review: This is the biggest surprise of the year; the idea that I would even be interested in a book about rats...
But interesting it is. Sullivan creates multitudes of analogies between us humans and the rats, and for the most part, it works really well. The idea that rats can be cooperative with each other, but when times get tough, they can really turn on each other, even cannibalism. Hmm, what other species acts that way?
His description about the historical layers of both rat and human populations in New York City is absolutely fascinating. The section on September 11 is equally engaging. Sullivan's writing is personal, riveting, and relevant.
Highly recommended.

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Summary: Rats : Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's
Review: Though the title may give readers pause, this unusual book is highly enjoyable. Sullivan, a New Yorker and author of another fascinating urban natural history, The Meadowlands, became interested in rats when he saw an Audubon painting featuring a rodent and learned that the artist was a New Yorker in his final years. After spending a year (spring 2001 to spring 2002) observing some rats in one Manhattan alley, mostly at night, he reports his observations here. These are augmented by conversations with exterminators, health officers, and scientists, as well as material on the origin of rats and how they spread to Europe and the United States. Sullivan also throws in juicy tidbits on garbage, extermination, the plague, and what rats eat. Students of New York social history will also enjoy Sullivan's inclusions of pertinent sections on rent strikes, the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the battle to outlaw rat fights, and more. Well written and fun to read, this book has only one drawback: a lack of more detailed information on rat biology. Recommended for all natural history and large urban collections