{"product_id":"its-hard-to-be-an-animal-9781538783351","title":"It's Hard to Be an Animal","description":"\u003cb\u003eFor readers of \u003ci\u003eShark Heart \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eHollow Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e, a funny, magical, and tender novel following a lonely, conflict-averse man whose sudden ability to understand animals sends him on a wild romp around NYC, and ultimately helps him discover his own voice. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Strolling through Central Park on a blind date with the hilarious, irrepressible Molly Bent, Henry Parsons is feeling hopeful for the first time in years ... when a migratory warbler, the sweetest of little birds, tells him to f*** off. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A gentle soul, troubled enough by the unkindness of fellow humans, Henry tries to brush the moment aside as a hallucination. But soon he's hearing voices everywhere: dogs mocking their owners, sparrows fat-shaming each other, police horses profiling attendees at a street fair -- even a pontificating, misogynistic snake. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The man who never speaks up for himself is now besieged by animals who do. When (inevitably) he overhears three rats discussing a corpse in the New York subway, he lets it slip to Molly. She's keen to investigate, and Henry's desperate for a second date, so he follows her nervously into an abandoned tunnel under the West Fourth Street Station. There, sure enough, they find a body ... and the murderers find them. Cue the most terrifying week of this cautious man's life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Inspiration and courage arrive from a pair of feuding betta fish and his neighbor's yapping Pomeranian -- whose unexpected wisdom helps Henry find the courage to assert himself at last.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Grand Central Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/19\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781538783351\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.25h x 5.50w x 0.92d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLarge Print\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Robert Isaacs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52452157358261,"sku":"9781538783351","price":17.84,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_b0fc0c6f-e1be-4594-a419-09efca267fd1.jpg?v=1776825961","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/its-hard-to-be-an-animal-9781538783351","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}