The Tribe of Tiger

Nonfiction is generally a good candidate for abridgment. This program, about the similarities between domestic cats and big cats, is about one third the length of the complete version. The content is comprehensive enough to satisfy some listeners and to encourage others to seek out the complete version in print or audio. On the point of an author reading her own work, Thomas fares less well. Her voice is dry and, though light and clear, it doesn't hold our attention. It's always interesting to hear the author's voice, but in this case the program takes on the tone of a scholarly lecture. A trained reader would provide valuable access to Thomas's work. R.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Starred review from August 1, 1994
This latest animal book from the author of The Hidden Life of Dogs will have ailurophiles purring. If she were a captive tiger, Thomas tells us that she'd prefer to be in a circus rather than a zoo--the big top is more stimulating. She compares the quality of life for captive animals in zoos and circuses, introduces circus tigers and their trainers and visits a tiger training school in northern Illinois. Thomas begins by defining cats as meat-eaters, all, then examines cat culture as it evolved to the present time. We meet Ruby, a domesticated puma, and several generations of barn and house cats. Thomas relates an astonishing tale about Bushmen and a pride of lions in the Kalahari Desert. But the most enthralling of her subjects in this thoroughly captivating book proves to be the tiger. Illustrations. 225,000 first printing; first serial to Atlantic Monthly; author tour.