text: I read this book even before it was assigned to my undergrad psychology class -- and then I read it again, and enjoyed it both times. De Wall does protest too much -- he's clearly answering his critics throughout -- but I found his curmudgeonly outbursts amusing. More importantly, De Wall's arguments for the existence of culture in animals are persuasive (not that I needed much persuading), and his use of anecdotes keep the book entertaining. I'm looking at my pet pooches in a whole new way these days
  