I cannot begin to explain the problems with this book.
As a therianthrope who has been with the community for about 4 years, and a studying pagan for 2, I do not consider myself to be – by ANY means – an expert.
However, I can form a bulleted list of incorrect statements Greene has made within this book.
-Black animals (as well as animals with red eyes) are ‘evil’ and should not be used as familiars.
The issue here ought to be obvious. If I may note my own anecdotal information, my first animal ‘guide’(of sorts) was a black German shepherd/Labrador; she was not, by any definition, “evil”.

-One should look to the furry community for information about ‘shifters’.
While this could be a matter of opinion, it should be noted that ‘furries’ (people who draw or are interested in anthropomorphic art) do not at any point claim that their connection to animals is spiritual. Some therians are furries, and vice versa (like myself), however, drawing a connection is like saying that the gay community is a good place to get information about therians, since some therians are gay.

-Physical shifters are common. They are down-to-earth, mature people. Physical shifting is no stranger than many other beliefs.
People who claim to be able to ‘p-shift’ are few and far between (thankfully), and are generally loud, obnoxious, young people who have a problem not being ‘special’ enough. Remember, as another therian said once, ‘that’s short-bus special. You don’t want to be that kind of special’.

-Most therians go through a ‘fox stage’, in which their ‘shifting type’ is fox.
Fox therians would certainly object to this one, as would most other therians. The idea behind therianthropy is that it is a part of ourselves that remains constant- that is, no less constant than a ‘human self’. We change and mature, but our species do not change.

-Most therians belong to a ‘real life’ ‘pack’.
While I’m sure that some therians do belong to packs (and it’s something I’d love to be involved with myself), the reality is that therians are fairly few and far between. In addition, many are young, since that is the generation that’s on the internet most commonly. This makes it difficult-to-impossible to organize and maintain a family-type group.
As a side-note, not all therians are social people – or social animals, for that matter. Many have no interest in meeting and ‘grouping up’ with other therians.

-Foxes are immature and playful, and wolves are more mature and serious.
Not only is this a very anthropomorphic statement, it also shows Greene’s ignorance about her OWN theriotype. Wolves (like other animals, including humans) each have their own personality. However, being that wolves are very social animals, it’s not all that uncommon for them to have very playful, social personalities.
Foxes, on the other hand, are generally thought to be mostly ‘loners’, although they have been discovered to be more social than once thought, in recent years. Still, it stands that each fox has hir own personality.

-Werewolf legends are true and refer to therians who had not lost the ability to p-shift.
Since they are legends, it is possible for them to be based on fact, (seizures, diabetes, etc, observed and misunderstood) but – just like now – physical shifting is scientifically impossible.
Also, therianthropy as we know it today started in 1992, on alt.horror.werewolves. While it is likely that therians existed in some form before 1992, they were (most likely) never in any organized groups with any set definitions.

-There is a large offline group running parallel to the online ‘therianthropy’ called ‘shifters’.
Of course, there is no way of saying for certain that such a group does not exist. Nevertheless, this ‘group’ developed in such a profoundly similar way to therianthropy that it leads one to be a bit suspicious.

-You can become a therian.
It is generally agreed in the community that – with the exception of walk-ins – you cannot become a therian. You are or you’re not. This is not always clear in some areas, and has been the topic of discussion on occasion, however, for the most part, it is undisputed.

-Different types of therians have set types of personalities.
As I said before, everyone (human and non) has a distinct personality all their own, and cannot be boxed in based on the animal they identify with. Naturally, if someone considers themselves to have traits that are obviously contradictory to the nature of their theriotype, (such as ‘lone wolf’, as Greene has been called) then they should do some soul-searching and research and seriously consider the idea that they have ‘misidentified’.

-Hereditary is a good word for therians who are ‘born, not made’.
he⋅red⋅i⋅tar⋅y
–adjective
1. passing, or capable of passing, naturally from parent to offspring through the genes: Blue eyes are hereditary in our family.
2. of or pertaining to inheritance or heredity: a hereditary title.
3. existing by reason of feeling, opinions, or prejudices held by predecessors: a hereditary enemy.

There are a million little things in this book that I take offense to, and I have left most of them out. If you are new to the therian community, I highly recommend a jog around the internet community to learn some more, or if you’re interested in a book, take a look at Lupa’s ‘A Field Guide To Otherkin’. If you are a well-versed member of the therian community, feel free to take a look, but keep a truckload of salt nearby. ( )

Review located at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com/2007/1...