What kind of thing are we? Paul Snowdon's answer is that we are animals, of a sort. This view--'animalism'--may seem obvious but on the whole philosophers have rejected it. Snowdon argues that animalism is a defensible way of thinking about ourselves. Its rejection rests on the tendency when doing philosophy to mistake fantasy for reality. It is good that Snowdon's arguments and ideas have finally been presented together in a prominent venue. The book offers a valuable treatment of some standard anti-animalist arguments, and it has much to teach anyone thinking about animalism or personal identity.