San Diego Central Library: Author of the Month

Wild Rituals: 10 Lessons Animals Can Teach Us About Connection, Community, and Ourselves

Internationally acclaimed and world-renowned elephant scientist Caitlin O’Connell, Ph.D., recently back from a global expedition, will be sharing her observations and insights as we dive into the rituals elephants, apes, zebras, rhinos, lions, whales, flamingos, and many more.

About the book:

Through her expeditions across the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the African savanna, she immerses us in the cultures of elephants, apes, zebras, rhinos, lions, whales, and flamingos, along with human traditions across the world. What can we learn from the ritual of a 110-year-old tortoise gifting a Galapagos tomato to his mate? How do wolf packs mourn their dead? With fascinating stories and surprising insights about resilience, collective power, and self-awareness, O’Connell delivers a greater understanding of just how similar we are to these wild creatures and an appreciation of the social behaviors that lead to stronger relationships and communities.

About the author:

Dr. Caitlin E. O'Connell-Rodman has been called a modern renaissance creative. She is currently on the faculty at the Eaton Peabody Lab at Harvard Medical School studying elephant low-frequency hearing while also overseeing a non-profit foundation, (Utopia Scientific) promoting the importance of science and conservation. She is an award-winning author and photographer and has been studying elephants in the wild for the last thirty years, having written dozens of scientific papers and numerous feature magazine articles and two memoirs about her experiences. She taught creative science writing for Stanford and The New York Times and co-developed the award-winning Smithsonian documentary, Elephant King.

Zoom link will be provided upon registration and posted here within 36 hours of the event.