Lindsay Oliver's undercover work at an animal testing facility highlights unpublicized realities.

Oliver's book reveal monkeys' individuality along with the struggles and humanity of workers inside the lab.

Emerging human-focused technologies signal a shift in research away from animal testing.

The vast majority of people have little to no idea what happens in a research lab. This is what award-winning writer and investigator Lindsay Oliver went undercover—not to stir up discontent, but to find out how the animals are treated and how people adapt to what they're doing.

In her riveting new book, Marshmallows Are Their Favorite: Undercover at a Primate Lab, Oliver reports what went on at a primate lab and offers a unique and largely unknown story about its nonhuman residents and the humans who work there.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Marshmallows Are Their Favorite, and how did you come up with the eye-catching title?

Lindsay Oliver: Honestly, I wrote this book because I owe it to the monkeys. When I first walked into that facility and saw cages lining the cinderblock walls, with monkeys watching me through the bars, I knew almost immediately that I needed to write about it. Most people will never be allowed inside a primate lab, and I felt a heavy responsibility to tell these stories.

We all have favorites, and a favorite is personal. That is part of why I landed on Marshmallows Are Their Favorite. It tells you there is an individual there with preferences, opinions, and things they look forward to. I wanted readers to see the monkeys as individuals before they even opened the book.

MB: How does your book relate to your background and general areas of interest?

LO: Like many kids, I wanted to be a veterinarian growing up.........

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