Publishers Weekly
Devoted to learning more about bonobos, a smaller, more peaceable species of primate than chimpanzees, and lesser known, Australian journalist Woods and her fiancé, scientist Brian Hare, conducted research in the bonobos' only known habitat—civil war-torn Congo. Woods's plainspoken, unadorned account traces the couple's work at Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary, located outside Kinshasa in the 75-acre forested grounds of what was once Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's weekend retreat. The sanctuary, founded in 1994 and run by French activist Claudine André, served as an orphanage for baby bonobos, left for dead after their parents had been hunted for bush meat; the sanctuary healed and nurtured them (assigning each a human caretaker called a mama), with the aim of reintroducing the animals to the wild. Hare had only previously conducted research on the more warlike, male-dominated chimpanzee, and needed Woods because she spoke French and won the animals' trust; through their daily work, the couple witnessed with astonishment how the matriarchal bonobo society cooperated nicely using frequent sex, and could even inspire human behavior. When Woods describes her daily interaction with the bonobos, her account takes on a warm charm. Woods's personable, accessible work about bonobos elucidates the marvelous intelligence and tolerance of this gentle cousin to humans. (Apr.)
Kirkus Reviews
A bright, informative memoir of a young woman's first encounters with love, marriage and the world's most endangered ape. Journalist and research assistant Woods took a romantic plunge in her late 20s, joining her fiance Brian on his quest to discover what makes us human by studying bonobos, a species of chimpanzee found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The couple worked and lived at the resort-like Lola ya Bonobo, a former presidential retreat that is now the world's only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos, located in Kinshasa, the Congo capital. There, she grew close to sanctuary founder Claudine Andre and the four women called the "Mamas" who care for the chimps, and gradually fell in love with the more than 60 trusting bonobos. The animals, which look just like chimpanzees and share 98.7 percent of human DNA, have been largely ignored by scientists and the media, except in the 1980s, when the primates were dubbed "the ‘make love not war' hippie ape" after a researcher reported on their frequent sexual behavior. The bonobos-estimated at 10,000 to 40,000 in number-are frequently hunted for their meat. Woods writes candidly about playing with the animals while covered in feces and mango slime; squabbling with her new husband; and interviewing locals about the Congo's recent history of warfare to better understand her estranged father, a Vietnam War veteran. When violence broke out in 2006, the author helped her husband study the bonobos, who live quite peacefully compared to the more pugnacious chimpanzees. Their research, covered in Time and elsewhere, suggests that bonobos cooperate better than chimpanzees because they are more tolerant of one another, and because they play andhave sex a lot. Brian also discovered evidence of altruism, a human trait, in bonobos, leading Woods to observe that the primates share much that makes us human and may "hold the key to a world without war."The bonobos have found their advocate. Agent: Max Brockman/Brockman, Inc.
From the Publisher
"Don't think that this is just a book about apes. It's a love story, an adventure story, and a political education about a country that has seen more tragedy and inhumanity than you can imagine." ---Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost
SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile
The word ‘Bonobo’ doesn’t exist in the Microsoft spell-checker,” complains author Vanessa Woods. She writes about studying these obscure chimpanzee relatives in Congo, along with the history, geography, and politics of the unstable region. Narrator Justine Eyre transforms herself into the writer. American listeners may experience some bewilderment with the Down-Under accent but will soon adjust. Eyre also imitates the native Congolese keepers, who speak African French. Woods’s humorous stories, mixed with details of her scientific work, make for an audiobook that never becomes dull. Her descriptions of the internecine killings seen in both the great apes and the genocidal local tribes demonstrate an eerie likeness between the two genera. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
