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16th out of 101 books
—
31 voters
Captivity
Primatologist Dana Armstrong confronts personal and animal rights issues raised by an act of sabotage at her South Carolina chimpanzee sanctuary.
Hardcover, 295 pages
Published
February 1st 2008
by John F. Blair Publisher
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I enjoyed this novel. In an age where many novels are the size of housebricks, it is a joy to pick up a novel at just under 300 pages that manages to convey a number of messages so well.
In Dr Dana Armstrong’s world, as the director of a sanctuary for chimpanzees in South Carolina, she is doing the best she can for those chimpanzees damaged or exploited by their interaction with humans. Unfortunately, the sanctuary is vandalised, chimpanzees are set free and the resulting publicity threatens to d...more
In Dr Dana Armstrong’s world, as the director of a sanctuary for chimpanzees in South Carolina, she is doing the best she can for those chimpanzees damaged or exploited by their interaction with humans. Unfortunately, the sanctuary is vandalised, chimpanzees are set free and the resulting publicity threatens to d...more
The Truth Has Many Layers
I eagerly paged through 291 pages of brilliant writing and storytelling to uncover the many layers to this fine story. Captivity, by Debbie Lee Wesselmann is one of the best novels I’ve read in far too long. You want a well told and well-researched story with unique and fully drawn characters on a road filled with wonder, intrigue and surprising twists? Voila! This is a book for you.
Captivity is the story of Dana Armstrong, a middle-aged, divorced primatologist famous in...more
I eagerly paged through 291 pages of brilliant writing and storytelling to uncover the many layers to this fine story. Captivity, by Debbie Lee Wesselmann is one of the best novels I’ve read in far too long. You want a well told and well-researched story with unique and fully drawn characters on a road filled with wonder, intrigue and surprising twists? Voila! This is a book for you.
Captivity is the story of Dana Armstrong, a middle-aged, divorced primatologist famous in...more
I loved the Koko books and used to read them to my students. This book is fiction, but to me very interesting. Here's Library Journal's synopsis.
Primatologist Dana Armstrong is passionate about making a difference in the lives of the animals living at a South Carolina chimpanzee sanctuary. But a break-in resulting in the escape of numerous chimpanzees forces Dana to not only determine who was responsible for the vandalism but also deal with her traumatic memories of the past for Dana is a survi...more
Primatologist Dana Armstrong is passionate about making a difference in the lives of the animals living at a South Carolina chimpanzee sanctuary. But a break-in resulting in the escape of numerous chimpanzees forces Dana to not only determine who was responsible for the vandalism but also deal with her traumatic memories of the past for Dana is a survi...more
To Enhance the Human Condition, February 1, 2008
"For the most part, nonhuman primates are research subjects because they are so similar to humans, and the principal reason for this similarity is simple: humans *are* primates. Current ideas are that the first primates appeared more than 60 million years ago. In contrast, the common ancestor of humans and African apes lived only about 5-8 million years ago; so, for more than 50 million years, humans and the African apes have shared primate ancest...more
"For the most part, nonhuman primates are research subjects because they are so similar to humans, and the principal reason for this similarity is simple: humans *are* primates. Current ideas are that the first primates appeared more than 60 million years ago. In contrast, the common ancestor of humans and African apes lived only about 5-8 million years ago; so, for more than 50 million years, humans and the African apes have shared primate ancest...more
"There are no boring stories. There are only boring writers."
These were the words of my first newspaper editor, words conveyed to me after I had turned in an excrutiatingly dull story about a mechanical engineering conference. A good writer can take any subject, no matter how mundane, and make it an exceptional read. Take primatology, for example; while certainly a topic of interest to some, it's not a theme one would expect for a novel. My interest in primate studies/behavior was nominal, whic...more
These were the words of my first newspaper editor, words conveyed to me after I had turned in an excrutiatingly dull story about a mechanical engineering conference. A good writer can take any subject, no matter how mundane, and make it an exceptional read. Take primatology, for example; while certainly a topic of interest to some, it's not a theme one would expect for a novel. My interest in primate studies/behavior was nominal, whic...more
This book was such a disappointment after an intriguing summary on the inside flap and the adorable chimp picture on the front cover. The story of a woman conflicted between the experiences of her childhood relationship with a chimp and her scientific curiosity about their behavior under the guise of sheltering them. The main character also developed into a complex strong woman, not a stereotype of the intellectual /scientist except for the part about relationships. However instead of "National...more
Jul 09, 2008
Carole
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
animal lovers, activists, anyone who likes a good story
I couldn't put the book down. I finished it in a day and a half. The stories of the chimps are very good. You have such empathy for them and the lives they were forced to lead because of us humans. But the human stories are also well rounded. The message is "Life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Take the time to read this book and open yourself up to the world of animal research and how to help the chimps.
Great book by a great writer!
Jul 03, 2008
Bonnie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Bonnie by:
library
Review from Library Journal (starred)
"Primatologist Dana Armstrong is passionate about making a difference in the lives of the animals living at a South Carolina chimpanzee sanctuary. But a break-in resulting in the escape of numerous chimpanzees forces Dana to not only determine who was responsible for the vandalism but also deal with her traumatic memories of the past—for Dana is a survivor of a psychological experiment, raised as a child with a chimp named Annie. She now faces opposition from...more
"Primatologist Dana Armstrong is passionate about making a difference in the lives of the animals living at a South Carolina chimpanzee sanctuary. But a break-in resulting in the escape of numerous chimpanzees forces Dana to not only determine who was responsible for the vandalism but also deal with her traumatic memories of the past—for Dana is a survivor of a psychological experiment, raised as a child with a chimp named Annie. She now faces opposition from...more
I enjoyed this adult novel about chimps more than I thought I would. It did surprise me. But all those starred reviews mean something! It isn't so much a novel of chimps, so I wish the cover didn't look so chimp-y. It's really a novel about Dana, who was raised with a chimp as a sister as a psychology experiment. When the chimp was removed from the household, it tore Dana's family apart. Now Dana is almost 40 and working as the head of a chimp sanctuary. But someone let the chimps lose and one r...more
I enjoyed this book. There were a few loose ends that didn't seem to be tied up, and I spent the majority of the book wishing I could punch the main character's brother, but all in all I liked it and am glad I read it. I've heard/read many different opinions and facts on animal testing, and this is another though-provoking argument for the anti-testing side. How many people do think of what happens to these animals when the tests are over?
This novel is about, Dana, a women who runs a chimp sanctuary.
She is haunted by her childhood -- in the 1950s her dad was a psychologist who brought in Annie (a chimp) to live with his family and film all the interactions. (Those grainy black and white films are still watched in anthro and psych classes.) At some point the funding ran out and Annie is sent away, traumatizing the family for various reasons.
Now, Dana dedicates her life to helping chimps who have been exploited or released from l...more
She is haunted by her childhood -- in the 1950s her dad was a psychologist who brought in Annie (a chimp) to live with his family and film all the interactions. (Those grainy black and white films are still watched in anthro and psych classes.) At some point the funding ran out and Annie is sent away, traumatizing the family for various reasons.
Now, Dana dedicates her life to helping chimps who have been exploited or released from l...more
I have always loved primates and especially been drawn to chimps. This book was another fast read and one I highly recommend. Dana is a wonderfuly strong character. Through her struggles with her relationships and the chimps you just want nothing but the best for her.Great read!
Much better than other books on same topic! Well researched, good writer.
A primatologist must come to terms about her work, her past and her present as she struggles to run a sanctuary for chimpanzees.
Besides telling the life story of the main character, the author explores the themes of what it is to be human, the wisdom of taking animals out of their natural environment, the nature of awareness and animal studies. Interesting and thoughtful.
Besides telling the life story of the main character, the author explores the themes of what it is to be human, the wisdom of taking animals out of their natural environment, the nature of awareness and animal studies. Interesting and thoughtful.
Jul 08, 2008
Lisa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who enjoy mysteries; animal lovers
The most compelling part of this story is the chimpanzee behavior and the comparisons to human behavior. I also like the stories of the chimp, Annie, who lived with the main character and her brother when they were children. The other story elements - the break-in and release of the chimps, the sort-of romance - were pretty bland.
At first I was put off by the third person narration but after a little while I was swept by the story - the work with the chimps as well as the interpersonal relationships were really interesting and believable and the characters were well enough developed that this was a satisfying read.
A primatologist must deal with her idiot brother, a man who's trying to take her job and run a chimpanzee sanctuary in South Carolina. Good book. 3.5 stars.
Eh. It had potential to do so much more, but didn't really get off the ground. I recommend the philosophies behind the book, but not the book itself.
This is a little different from what I usually read but I really liked the story. Believeable fiction!
Not the most beautifully written book, but very interesting. I'm hoping Ally reads it next.
May 16, 2013
Jennifer
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May 08, 2013
Jodi Lockhart
marked it as to-read
Apr 09, 2013
Iroulito91
marked it as to-read
Mar 21, 2013
Dorotea Rossi
marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2013
Katie
marked it as to-read
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From http://www.trutor.net/About_the_Autho...:
"Debbie Lee Wesselmann is the author of two novels, Trutor & the Balloonist and Captivity, as well as a collection of short fiction, The Earth and the Sky. Her short stories have appeared in journals such as Other Voices, The Literary Review, Orchid: A Literary Review, Florida Review, and many others.
Ms. Wesselmann received her A.B. from Dartmouth...more
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