Temple Grandin earned her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois and went on to become an associate professor at Colorado State University. She is the author of four previous books, including the national bestsellers THINKING IN PICTURES and ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION. Known for her passionate and effective animal advocacy and for explaining to humans how animals think, Grandin revolutionized animal movement systems and spearheaded reform of the quality of life and humaneness of death for the world's farm animals. Through her company, Grandin Livestock Systems, she works with the country's fast food purveyors to monitor the conditions of animal facilities worldwide. She lectures widely on both animal science and autism.

Catherine Johnson, PhD, is a writer specialising in neuropsychiatry and the brain. She co-wrote Animals in Translation and served as a trustee of the National Alliance for Autism Research for seven years. She lives with her husband and three sons - two of whom have autism - in New York.