Review by Booklist Review
Goodall's autobiography reveals a side of this famous primatologist that most readers will not be familiar with--the spiritual underpinnings of her scientific discoveries and viewpoints. Starting with her childhood in England during World War II's blitzkrieg, Goodall's life has not been one that most of us would consider "normal." Her love of animals and learning was apparent right from the start and became mixed with her family's belief in a divine being and how this everyday belief can help one to survive. Through a chance meeting with anthropologist Louis Leakey, Goodall was given the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to study wild chimpanzees. Her recounting of how her scientific theories developed along with her religious convictions, especially during crisis situations such as the abduction of some of her students by rebels from Zaire or the long, agonizing death from cancer of her second husband, provides interesting insights into the personal convictions of a world-famous researcher. This unusual book tells of not only the adventures of Goodall's life but also the faith she constantly relies on and learns from, and as such, it is a unique look at the development of a scientist. --Nancy Bent
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The world's most famous, and perhaps most beloved, female scientist has previously related much of her life's outer journeyÄmost notably in In the Shadow of Man and Through a Window, which described her groundbreaking work with the chimpanzees of Gombe, in Africa. In this marvelous book, however, Goodall revealsÄwith clarity, great passion and purposeÄher inner journey. How invigorating it is to read the memoir of a scientist who proclaims frankly, and in language often infused with power and grace (a nod to Goodall's coauthor Berman, author of The Journey Home, etc.), an abiding faith in the sacredness of all life. Goodall, who's 65, covers her entire life here, from her earliest years in England, raised by a strong and loving family, through her apprenticeship under Louis Leakey and her years at Gombe, to her more recent work as an activist for environmental causes and animal rights. There are passages that verge on the mystical ("I and the chimpanzees, the earth and trees and air, seemed to merge, to become one with the spirit power of life itself"), a scattering of not terrific poems and great swaths of rapturous nature writing. The book's tone is highly emotional, sometimes sentimental, but Goodall is no naif. A chapter entitled "The Roots of Evil" describes her shocking discovery of chimps' capacity for cannibalistic attacks on members of their own community; "Death" details her despair at the suffering and demise of her husband, Derek, from cancer. Despite the darkness, however, throughout her life's adventuresÄand there are enough, in jungle and city, to make this book viscerally as well as morally thrillingÄGoodall has nurtured a fundamental understanding that goodness can prevail, with each person's help. This is a moving and inspiring book that will be treasured by all concerned about the fate of the planet and its inhabitants. 16 pp. of b&w photos. Simultaneous Warner AudioBook; author tour. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The renowned primatologist offers her spiritual biography. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
