From Volunteering at a Zoo to Writing

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In this chapter, the speaker reflects on their time working at a zoo and their lack of skills in damage control. They share a specific incident where they responded to a press rumor about a cheetah being sucked dry by ticks by engaging in a conversation about the logistics of it rather than denying it. The chapter also discusses the speaker's journey as a writer, starting with pitching a piece about the animal carvings in the Financial District of San Francisco and eventually writing their first book.

Mary Roach is the author of seven nonfiction books, including Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.

"In these realms of the taboo, there's a tremendous amount of material that is really interesting, but that people have stayed away from. ... I'm kind of a bottom feeder. It's down there on the bottom where people don't want to go. But if that's what it takes to find interesting, new material, I'm fine with it. I don't care. I'm not easily grossed out. I don't feel that there's any reason why we shouldn't look at this. And over time, I started to feel that ... the taboo was preventing people from having conversations that it would be healthy to have."

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