Inspired by the wonder of his own experiences as a parent, former psychoanalyst and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Masson offers a remarkable look at one of the most fulfilling roles in the animal world: fatherhood. In The Evolution of Fatherhood, he examines the extraordinary behavior of outstanding fathers, heroes among animals, including: the male emperor penguin, who incubates the egg of his young through Antarctic blizzards; prairie dog dads, who teach their pups to play; the South American tamarin monkey, who “coaches” his mate through labor and delivery; and the wolf—and why wolves make good fathers, whereas their close relatives, dogs, don’t. With captivating writing and impeccable research, Masson celebrates the unique and often surprising role that males play in the lives of their young.

Masson also looks at nature’s worst fathers: lions, langurs, bears—and humans. He shows that when a father cares for his young, as does the beaver, we immediately look for a biological, and not an emotional, explanation. But Masson demonstrates that for these animals fatherhood is a profound, all-encompassing experience. Compelling and inspirational, The Evolution Of Fatherhood is a book that will forever change our perceptions of parenthood and family love.

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“Truly fascinating . . . Masson brings the behavior of animal subjects vividly and enchantingly to life.”
—JANE GOODALL

“MAGNIFICIENT . . . GROUNDBREAKING . . . FASCINATING INSIGHTS INTO THE ANIMAL WORLD.”
—ELIZABETH MARSHALL THOMAS
Author of The Hidden Lives of Dogs

“A dazzling smorgasbord of stories about fatherhood in the animal kingdom. Masson’s genius is his ability to ferret out the common denominators. . . . A very timely contribution.”
—The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“An ode to fatherhood. Masson’s celebration of exotic parenting styles . . . become a vibrant plea for the care we should all take—care of our children, or each other, and of other species.”
—RICHARD WRANGHAM
Chair, biological anthropology,
Department of Anthropology, Harvard University

“A valuable and fascinating contribution to the debate on man’s relation to nature. Even for those who disagree, the wit of Jeffrey Masson’s argument and the thousand little facts and anecdotes he serves with it make this book a pleasure.”
—MARK KURLANSKY
Author of 1968 and Cod

“Must reading as we enter the twenty-first century. . . . I recommend this book to all people who want to make a better world for future generations.”
—MARC BEKOFF
Professor of biology
University of Colorado at Boulder
Coauthor of Nature’s Life Lessons

“Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is our boldest speculator.”
—Los Angeles Times

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Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, former Sanskrit scholar and Projects Director of the Sigmund Freud Archives, has written more than a dozen books, including the bestsellers The Pig Who Sang to the Moon, The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats, Dogs Never Lie About Love, and When Elephants Weep. A longtime resident of Berkeley, California, he now lives in New Zealand with his wife, two sons, and five cats.

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