In the Shadow of Man

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, sensitive, not very well structured
Review: An undoubtedly interesting, worth reading book. Not very well structured though. Too much emphasis and interposition of personal experiences and emotions. I would prefer more information on the habitat and the local people. The book failed to project the anthropological aspect the title promises. Photograph quality should definitely be improved in next edition.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating account of ground-breaking work
Review: Few people remember that Jane Goodall was the first person to document without a doubt that chimpanzees use tools and display many complex behaviors that betray significant cognitive abilities. This book details her amazing work and may inspire girls to enter scientific careers.

Rating:
Summary: In the Shadow of Man
Review: I had to read this book as a book report in science (yes, SCIENCE!). We just finished learning about evolution and the teacher thought that this was a good book to read. I borrowed the book in the library and the cover, a picture of Jane following two chimps, looked unappealing and boring. The first two chapters were bad, but that's just my opinion. The rest of the book gets better, and you learn the names of the different chimpanzees and even get to know them better. This book has opened my eyes to the world of chimpanzees and has showed me that you really can't judge a book by it's cover.

Rating:
Summary: Great Reading
Review: I read this book a long time ago and have looked into it many times since. It's an entertaining read that teaches us not just about chimpanzees but also about human nature and behavior. If you pay attention to this book, you'll be a better person for it!

Rating:
Summary: SHE IS AN AMAZING WOMAN
Review: I read this book for a class I took - a class in Anthropology. It created in me a new form of respect for our not so distant cousins - the chimpanzees. Jane Goodall is an amazing woman who in my eyes defied tradition - having gone into this study without a real education in it, she put her heart and her soul into the study of Chimpanzees in the Gombe. It in fact became her life. Her love for nature is evident throughout this book - she even nicknamed her son 'Grub' - I believe he has another name, but with all due respect I like the name 'Grub' a lot. This book shows how after watching the chimpanzees, Goodall learned how to be a mother. The similarities between these cousins of ours and us is truely amazing. For me this shed new light on the theory of evolution, and even some that didn't believe in evolution began to question it after they read Goodal's book. I quite enjoyed reading 'In the Shadow of Man' and intend on reading more of her works.

Rating:
Summary: Emotive but Good
Review: I think that the first few chapters are crucial to her story. If it had started in the Gombe Reserve and just been a straight account of her observations, frankly, I would have stopped 40 pages into it. I don't think she lingers too long on this.

Shortly after, she begins to introduce the reader to the chimps as individuals. Even though the book is filled with her telling us about the chimps, she does also show us things she's learned by vividly describing an instance or action. I liked that she doesn't hide the fact that she has opinions (from the reader.) Even though I do not share many of her opinions, I found her to be an honest writer.

Rating:
Summary: Emotive but Good
Review: I think that the first few chapters are crucial to her story. If it had started in the Gombe Reserve and just been a straight account of her observations, frankly, I would have stopped 40 pages into it. I don't think she lingers too long on this.

Shortly after, she begins to introduce the reader to the chimps as individuals. Even though the book is filled with her telling us about the chimps, she does also show us things she's learned by vividly describing an instance or action. I liked that she doesn't hide the fact that she has opinions (from the reader.) Even though I do not share many of her opinions, I found her to be an honest writer.

Rating:
Summary: In the Shadow of Man is wonderful
Review: If you have some time this summer, let Jane Goodall motivate you with her enlightening stories of chimpanzees. The book will make readers aware of the fascinating similarities between man and chimp. Dr. Goodall portrays her stay in Africa vividly, and is truly inspirational. "In the Shadow of Man" is a wonderful book!

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary account - even decades later
Review: IN THE SHADOW OF MAN, first published in 1971, remains one of the most extraordinary observations of chimpanzee behavior in the wild. Goodall begins with the story of how she arrived in Africa and her first days there, but wisely switches the attention from herself to the endangered chimpanzees she studies. She not only recognizes individuals but learns their distinctive personalities, describing in compelling detail the smallest of moments that illuminate who these great animals are. Unlike most scientists of the time, Goodall documents emotions and complex political behavior, the social hierarchy and parenting abilities, the aggression and the bonds formed between chimps that can only be described as friendships. In eloquent prose, Goodall tells the stories of these chimps - most notably that of Flo and her family - and will forever change the way you view chimpanzees.

The book contains several black and white photographs of the chimps, a real treat after getting to "know" these chimps in writing.

If you have any interest at all in primates or in animals generally, this is a must-have book.

Rating:
Summary: This is behavioral science done correctly
Review: Jane Goodall is a unique undividual whose work should be studied by those who think that the animal rights people don't have a clue. Her efforts at gaining the trust of chimpanzee's in their natural habitat have spauned a host of up-and-comers who will continue to carry her work to the next level.

Goodall distinguished herself by sitting in the bush on a daily basis until the local chimpanzee tribal members came close enough to make physical contact with her. That an English woman scientist would journey to Tanzania to engage in this type of research is unusual and certainly puts her at "the top of her class".

She follows the lives and behavior patterns of her subjects until her research sounds like a Michener novel with its generational emphasis and timelines of family heritage. Within this effort she follows each subsequent offspring through each of their successive cycles from birth and death.

What is fascinating is how she describes personality differences, the kind that come from hard-coded genetic diffences, the same as we find in human individuals. The mating behavior sounds like something out of "Cosmopolitan". The squabbles and fighting behavior could be that of any large Homo Sapien family. While Chimp's aren't on the same intellectual level as humans they certainly come closer than any other species. Jane Goodall deserves every accolade she gets for bringing us a lens through which to observe another geneological line of a species that has developed from our common ancestors.

Her work suggests that we should rethink our medical research toward more humane treatment of these animals whose behavior is too similar to ours to ignore. This is an excellent book.