So You Want To Be An Anthropologist by Linda Soules is part of the So You Want To Be series, an introduction to the study of human life for young readers. Anthropology is split into four branches (cultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic), and the book shows what each one looks like in practice. You’ll follow a research project from the first question through fieldwork, lab analysis, and writing up the results, and you’ll see why those findings go back to the communities involved. Along the way, you’ll visit farming villages in the Andes, the Ethiopian desert and Arctic fishing towns, and even a modern landfill, where researchers sorted through trash to find out what people really eat and drink. You’ll learn how recordings made in 1890 were brought back to life, how a father and son uncovered ancient human relatives in South Africa, and what the career involves, from years of study to what the job pays.

So You Want To Be An Anthropologist by Linda Soules is clearly organized, with short chapters, fun fact boxes, and plenty of real examples, so it’s easy to dip in and out of it. Linda talks to the reader directly and explains big ideas simply, like comparing culture shock to your first week at a new school. She doesn’t hide the tougher side of the subject either, and it’s good to see a children’s book own up to anthropology’s past mistakes, including taking human remains and sacred objects without permission. There’s humor too. The Nacirema story (read it backward) and the field report on grown-ups are a lot of fun, and they make kids look at everyday habits in a different way. Near the end, a section called Could This Be Your Job? helps readers decide if it suits them, and there’s a glossary and a list of further reading. If your child is always asking why people do the things they do, this book shows them that curiosity could be the start of a career, and that every custom makes sense once you see it from the inside.

Have you ever found a hidden treasure, like an arrowhead? Have you wondered who left it there so many years ago? Are you full of questions about why people do what they do and what makes each person and each community so uniquely different? Perhaps you would make a good anthropologist. In Linda Soules’ So You Want To Be An Anthropologist, you can explore the many possibilities of what this career choice offers. You can visit far away places, or just work close to home. You can visit with people and ask many questions about their lives and their customs – all the ‘why’ questions you want to ask. While you study a group of people, you’ll live near them, listen to them, and not only learn about them, but also learn to speak their language. You’ll learn all about the four branches of anthropology: the cultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeological branches. It’s a fascinating career choice and one that will inspire you to continue learning as you study people.

Linda Soules’ book, So You Want To Be An Anthropologist, is part of the fascinating “So You Want To Be” series. This book explores the lives and careers of anthropologists. The book clearly lays out what an anthropologist is and what they do. It provides examples of famous anthropologists, interesting anthropological finds, and even a touch of humor as they follow some of the customs of people, like that curious brown drink they must consume every morning before uttering a word to anyone. The end of the book provides a lengthy glossary of anthropological terms, a list of related careers and what one would need to become an anthropologist (like literary skills and the ability to ask questions and listen), and a list of books and resources for further study. The illustrations help promote this as a fascinating career choice. This is a great addition to the career-based series of books.