Synopses & Reviews
A natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements.
Even when the floors are sparkling clean and the house seems silent, our domestic domain is wild beyond imagination. In Never Home Alone,
biologist Rob Dunn introduces us to the nearly 200,000 species living
with us in our own homes, from the Egyptian meal moths in our cupboards
and camel crickets in our basements to the lactobacillus lounging
on our kitchen counters. You are not alone. Yet, as we obsess over
sterilizing our homes and separating our spaces from nature, we are
unwittingly cultivating an entirely new playground for evolution. These
changes are reshaping the organisms that live with us — prompting some
to become more dangerous, while undermining those species that benefit
our bodies or help us keep more threatening organisms at bay. No one who
reads this engrossing, revelatory book will look at their homes in the
same way again.
Review
"Of course we must
chlorinate our water, wash our hands, get vaccinated, and so on, Dunn
argues persuasively and entertainingly. But we also need to relax and
cultivate biodiversity for the good of all life on Earth." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Scintillating....In a time
of clear-eyed assessment of the environment, Dunn is a voice of reason
who should be heartily welcomed." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"An entertaining tour of the
biodiversity found in one of the fastest-growing biomes: indoors....This book will be enjoyed by biologists but also general readers with an
appreciation for nature." Library Journal
Review
"A lively compendium of hard
science, anecdote, history, and personal memoir....Something of a
scientific raconteur, Dunn tells his story of the macro and micro biome
of our homes in a colloquial...style that makes the heavy science go down
easy." Shelf Awareness
About the Author
Rob Dunn is a
professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State
University and in the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the
University of Copenhagen. He is the author of
The Man Who Touched His Own Heart, The Wild Life of Our Bodies, and
Every Living Thing, and his magazine work is published widely, including in
National Geographic, Natural History, New Scientist, Scientific American, and
Smithsonian. He has a PhD from the University of Connecticut and was a Fulbright Fellow. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.