Book description
For too long, science has ignored and obscured the multiplicity of animal sexual behaviour. With vivid, often funny and always beautiful watercolour illustrations in a work of graphic nonfiction, artist Perrin Roosevelt Ireland examines how animals express and have sex. With the help of her cats Ursula and Pudge, she…
Why read it?
1 author picked Poking the Squid as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Let’s be honest, aren’t we all insanely curious to know how other species do it? Oh, be careful what you wish for.
This ribald, sex-positive survey of the erotic, even kinky proclivities of our fellow animals had me in stitches—when it wasn’t blowing my mind.
Queer sex? Check. Female orgasms? Check. Literal gender fluidity? Check. Divorce, infidelity, oral sex… turns out, anything humans do, other animals thought of first and sometimes take further. As a bonus: Colorful, playful, graphic-novel-style illustrations mean you don’t need to imagine seahorse sex.
From Jeff's list on Jeff Campbell's favorite nonfiction animal books that make you go holy sh*t!.
If you love Poking the Squid...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Poking the Squid?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 38 books like Poking the Squid.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
164
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Poking the Squid, you might also like...
The Tao of Poison
A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.
The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…
Big Ideas... For Small Businesses
Big Ideas… for Small Businesses is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guide to growing a small business without sacrificing your lifestyle. Written by a former civil servant turned entrepreneur, the book challenges hustle culture and instead champions the idea of an "ambitious lifestyle business" - one that provides freedom and financial stability,…
