Tristan Donovan is the author of Feral Cities and Replay: The History of Video Games. His work has appeared in publications such as the Times, Stuff, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, and the Big Issue.
We tend to think of cities as a realm apart, somehow separate from nature, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Feral Cities Tristan Donovan digs below the urban gloss to uncover the wildlife that we share our streets and homes with. Along the way readers will meet the wall-eating snails that are invading Miami, the wild boars that roam Berlin, and the monkey gangs of Cape Town. From carpet-hungry bugs to coyotes hanging out in sandwich shops, Feral Cities takes readers on a journey through streets that are far more alive than we often realize, shows how the animals are adjusting to urban living, and investigates how human attitudes and culture influence wildlife issues in urban areas.
This social, cultural, and culinary history charts soda's remarkable, world-changing journey from awe-inspiring natural mystery to ubiquity. Off-the-wall and offbeat stories abound, including how quack medicine peddlers spawned some of the world's biggest brands, how fizzy pop cashed in on Prohibition, how soda helped presidents reach the White House, and even how Pepsi influenced Apple's marketing of the iPod. This history of carbonated drinks follows a seemingly simple everyday refreshment as it zinged and pinged over society's taste buds and, in doing so, changed the world.