Brutal Kinship

Rating:
Summary: Brutal indeed
Review: This book's power lies in its pictures, not in the few words Nichols and Goodall provide. While the authors' commentary is accurate and moving, nothing can compare to the shock of realizing that the irregularly shaped blotch above an anesthetized chimp's head is his detached scalp. The reader is confronted with image after image of chimps, both in the wild and in captivity. To the authors' credit, they reveal instances of violence among chimps, from hunting to warfare, suggesting a genetic legacy of aggression among both men and chimps.

Despite the shocking and disturbing material, this book also affirms the beauty of chimps. The final picture of the series is of two orphaned juveniles living in an African sanctuary. They are standing upright, embracing, with expressions reminding me of two schoolyard buddies as they decide to face the bullies together.

This is indeed a difficult book to page through. After I had bought this book, I left it on my desk for several weeks before I had the courage to crack it, but, when I finally did, I was glad I had. The brutality on display here contrasts sharply with the gentle love the authors have for chimps and their cause. Sometimes we need to see the truth before we can accept it, and this book will go a long way to strengthening public support for protecting primates.

Rating:
Summary: Brutal indeed
Review: This book's power lies in its pictures, not in the few words Nichols and Goodall provide. While the authors' commentary is accurate and moving, nothing can compare to the shock of realizing that the irregularly shaped blotch above an anesthetized chimp's head is his detached scalp. The reader is confronted with image after image of chimps, both in the wild and in captivity. To the authors' credit, they reveal instances of violence among chimps, from hunting to warfare, suggesting a genetic legacy of aggression among both men and chimps.

Despite the shocking and disturbing material, this book also affirms the beauty of chimps. The final picture of the series is of two orphaned juveniles living in an African sanctuary. They are standing upright, embracing, with expressions reminding me of two schoolyard buddies as they decide to face the bullies together.

This is indeed a difficult book to page through. After I had bought this book, I left it on my desk for several weeks before I had the courage to crack it, but, when I finally did, I was glad I had. The brutality on display here contrasts sharply with the gentle love the authors have for chimps and their cause. Sometimes we need to see the truth before we can accept it, and this book will go a long way to strengthening public support for protecting primates.