Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo

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Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo

by Kate Jackson

3.85 · rating details · 66 ratings · 30 reviews

In 2005 Kate Jackson ventured into the remote swamp forests of the northern Congo to collect reptiles and amphibians. Her camping equipment was rudimentary, her knowledge of Congolese customs even more so. She knew how to string a net and set a pitfall trap, but she never imagined the physical and cultural difficulties that awaited her.

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Hardcover, 328 pages

Published April 1st 2008 by Harvard University Press

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Jun 03, 2010

Tippy Jackson rated it

Shelves: animalia, culture

So overall, I think this is an interesting and animated story. It's often brutally honest. But frankly, she's pretty arrogant and often a bitch and wonders why people don't jump to help her or why they want to quit working for her. She talks about the Congolese people as if their sole purpose on this planet is to help her with her research. She's also obviously always fighting with her justifications for her work as well and feels she constantly needs to remind people of why she is doing thi...more

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Mar 11, 2010

Mike Walker rated it

I have always liked snakes, but have also been very aware that many others do not share my interest in reptiles. Yet even for those who have no fondness for snakes and their kin, snakes stir up strong feelings be these of fear or awe or something else altogether. Snakes are in so many ways held in our minds via mythos and emotion that the real snakes, the actual animals, sometimes become an after-thought to their popular cultural meaning. What a joy it is then to experience a book as interesting...moreI have always liked snakes, but have also been very aware that many others do not share my interest in reptiles. Yet even for those who have no fondness for snakes and their kin, snakes stir up strong feelings be these of fear or awe or something else altogether. Snakes are in so many ways held in our minds via mythos and emotion that the real snakes, the actual animals, sometimes become an after-thought to their popular cultural meaning. What a joy it is then to experience a book as interesting as Kate Jackson's recent biography/travel narrative of her time spent in the Republic of the Congo collecting snakes and other reptiles for scientific study. Dr. Jackson, a Harvard-educated biologist, went into the deep forests of the Congo not once but twice, in 2005 and in 2006, to collect reptiles and shares her story in this moving, complex, book.

The situation Jackson enters is made for a book or even a movie: a young American scientist going into the backwaters of an African nation troubled by civil war and learning to use not only all her lab-based and classroom training but even more her people skills and ability to make do with what is at hand. The fact she is collecting not botanical or other animal matter but snakes (many of which are dangerous) only makes the story more interesting, but beyond that, Jackson comes through as a gifted writer and story-teller in her own right. Her descriptions of the Congo's Brazzaville and the deep political red-tape she has to navigate to get the permits to collect her snakes is a fine example of the first-hand experience of researchers attempting to accomplish their work in a developing nation that itself is experiencing political and social strife. Despite the roadblocks she encounters, Jackson continues forth with a good attitude and a resolute spirit and meets many kind, like-minded, people willing to help her. And this, mind you, is even before she enters the jungle itself!

One of the most amazing aspects of Jackson's tale is that it flows like a novel and it communicates the true experience of her fieldwork without getting lost in technical details that might bore or confuse non-expert readers. Although I've both worked in a biological research lab before and have a much stronger interest in snakes than probably most who will read this review, I found Jackson's book to truly be a volume that I could picture most of my family and friends picking up and becoming engaged in as quickly as I could a person who is actually fond of snakes. After all, when it all comes down, the book is as much about human relations as it is about reptiles. Jackon's writing is on par with that of Wade Davis, another Harvard-trained biologist who has since made his career writing natural history books heavy on exploration in far-off rainforsests and other exotic locales. Jackson, like Davis before her, brings a simple, humble, sense of purpose to her work and in her writing is able to communicate the joy and frustration of fieldwork in a place where even simple aspects of daily life are often very tough. Her prose is vivid and her emotions come across on each page.

An additional benefit of a book of this nature coming from a professional scientist is that Jackson is able to offer an expert view of the ecology at work around her and is able to express in print how she, as a scientist in the field, approaches her efforts at collecting reptiles. The reaction of natives to her is also very telling: as Jackson enters a rural jungle area as a "snake expert" people come to her with questions about treating snake bites which brings her to frustration as she knows that the best advice for someone bitten by a dangerous snake is to seek professional medical care but such care is not possible for the very people who ask her for advice. As we in America take for granted that we have health care near us at nearly all times and that in even the worst of cases a helicopter will ferry the sick or injured away to a top regional hospital, it is a very sobering thought to consider that the very best hospitals in the Congo are probably below the standards of a typical secondary-care hospital in America. Also, Jackson provides us with a very long-standing view of a western-tradition scientist which has become very rare in modern science: the astute generalist. While her focus is on reptiles, Jackson's mission of collection and identification is one as old as Darwin, Bartram, and others involved in robust taxonomy. In a time when so much biological science is conducted in lab settings and is narrow in its purpose and focus, Jackson's research allows the non-expert a rather unique window into "basic" life sciences research.

Some of the problems Jackson encounters are ones that make perfect sense yet still confound her ample planning: in instance, while Jackson speaks near-fluent French (the national language of the Congo) she knows very little of Lingala, the Bantu language spoken by rural natives including her guides and others she must interface with in the course of her fieldwork. An American in a strange land, a woman in a society where men do the serious work and are professionals, Kate Jackson nonetheless presses on with a good approach and sincere concern and respect for the people around her: a warm, touching, view of the Congo comes out of her writing and makes the reader realize how complex this small nation is in fact.

Overall, Mean and Lowly Things is one of the best, most engrossing, books I have read all year. Jackson has done a sterling job of communicating the situation she experienced in the Congo and she has furthermore proven herself an adept writer, so I hope that despite her primary career as a biology professor, we will see future books about exotic places and amazing animals stem from her pen. As someone who writes about ecology and natural history myself, I found her voice to be one that needs to be listened to and her ability to bring to life a developing nation and its rare reptiles and complex ecological framework (plus its human sociography) a real treat.(less)

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May 14, 2011

Bethany Harvey rated it

Shelves: memoir, popular-science, biology, nonfiction

I read this book in one evening, having picked it up just to look at the first few pages and see if I wanted to read it next. Apparently the answer was yes. The writing is very plain and straightforward, making this an extremely fast read.

There are, yes, a few headdesk-worthy incidents here. Jackson is clueless about the local culture (particularly on the first expedition) and has little patience with people who aren't as knowledgeable or enthusiastic as she is. A surprising amount o...more

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Oct 21, 2008

Neely rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Everyone loves this book; reviews are through the roof. Me? Hated it. I was looking forward to a good read about adventurous field biology, and it delivered that, but at the expense of decency and respect for the Congolese on whose help her fieldwork depends.

Jackson describes some of the Congolese people she gets to know as stupid and "intellectually lazy" (237), even one (Lise) who is a co-author of one of her scientific articles! She criticizes her other assistant, A...moreEveryone loves this book; reviews are through the roof. Me? Hated it. I was looking forward to a good read about adventurous field biology, and it delivered that, but at the expense of decency and respect for the Congolese on whose help her fieldwork depends.

Jackson describes some of the Congolese people she gets to know as stupid and "intellectually lazy" (237), even one (Lise) who is a co-author of one of her scientific articles! She criticizes her other assistant, Ange, for not being able to identify "the most obvious specimens. (237). I'd love to get her in a class on the history of science and to teach her that different cultures have different ways of seeing; what is "obvious" to her may not be to him.

More appallingly, she constantly derides traditional Congolese snakebite medicines as "useless 'traditional medicines'" (182). I'm not arguing that they cure victims of venomous snakebite, and yes, I'm sure there is a lot of misinformation about curing snakebite (some of which she describes). But Jackson's attitude belies her insensitivity to non-Western folkways and her own ignorance of the fact that surely some non-Western remedies work. Again, I'd like to get her in a history of medicine course to teach her that people in other cultures (and of other times) are and were not stupid. Instead of trying to gain insight into non-Western cures, she becomes "annoyed at having [her] expertise questioned" (199) and, in one particularly awful account, explains elementary physiology in a derogatory tone to someone who turns out to be a surgeon!

Early on I kept thinking that surely her bias was exaggerated in the beginning of the book in order to provide contrast to new insights revealed later in the narrative. But even when she gets bitten (maybe) by a cobra, she never even entertains getting local help, and in the resolution of the incident she remains stoically heroic.

Although I respect Jackson as a herpetologist, her account exposes some of the worst of the imperialist attitude of Western science.

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Sep 23, 2008

Jenny rated it

Pack the machete, chloroform and snake hook—we’re headed to the Congo for a collecting adventure! Kate Jackson, Assistant Professor of Biology at Whitman College, has written an exciting memoir about her fieldwork collecting reptiles and amphibians for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. In 2005 and 2006, she made three trips to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she increased her knowledge about the diversity of herpetological life in the swamp forests of central Africa and de...morePack the machete, chloroform and snake hook—we’re headed to the Congo for a collecting adventure! Kate Jackson, Assistant Professor of Biology at Whitman College, has written an exciting memoir about her fieldwork collecting reptiles and amphibians for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. In 2005 and 2006, she made three trips to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she increased her knowledge about the diversity of herpetological life in the swamp forests of central Africa and deepened her understanding of the country’s people and culture.

Jackson was motivated to explore the habitat of the Congo because “it was a virtual blank spot on the herpetological map of the world” (13). Upon her arrival, many of the native people she encountered believed her to be a witch as they witnessed her bold approach and deft handling the much feared and often misunderstood snakes. These misunderstandings caused Jackson a bit of grief personally and politically; at times, it hindered her ability to establish good working relations with her hosts.

Despite desire for autonomy and order, Jackson quickly learned that she must depend on many other people to make the collecting surveys successful. Jackson’s experiences convey the importance of people skills and patience for research scientists, form making travel arrangements and securing collecting permits to negotiating with tribal chiefs for use of their land; communicating with native guides and mentoring Congolese graduate student assistants. Jackson’s personal stories and lessons in cultural exchange are delightful. Between expeditions she learns to speak Lingala to improve communications and overall relations with her native hosts.

The science presented in the memoir is never dull or obtuse, but is explained vibrantly in the context of expedition fieldwork and museum research. On a macro level, readers will learn about ecosystems, the importance of documenting biodiversity and the concept of convergence. You will also experience the vicarious thrill of learning how to set pit traps and water nets, how to fix specimens and take tissue samples for DNA analysis, and how to make a scale count on a snake head, which is key to identifying species correctly.

Jackson’s pacing is good, attention to detail superb and her voice is clear-cut and honest. If you like adventure travelogues, you will love Kate Jackson’s Mean and Lowly Things.
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Jan 19, 2009

Kaye rated it

Kate Jackson's book describes her trips to the Congo to catalogue and preserve snakes and amphibians. I found it to be a surprisingly quick read, and it gave me some idea about the day to day life of a field researcher. As a flaw, however, Jackson seemed particularly culturally insensitive, and if it weren't for well placed friends that did understand the culture, it's fairly certain that her expeditions would have crumbled before ever entering the forest.

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Oct 11, 2011

Dave Ward rated it

Shelves: animals, non-fiction, biography

Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo by Kate Jackson (Harvard University Press 2008)(Biography) is an account of a newly-fledged biologist on a collecting trip to the Congo to capture and catalogue snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads. The author shares well the dangers, discomforts, and deprivations of living in the bush in the Third World with only a few assorted locals as guides and assistants. My rating: 6.5/10, finished 10/11/11.

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Aug 23, 2009

Autumn rated it

I don't like science, but I do like nature and adventure stories. What a fascinating story about her adventures in the Congo. Her writing is very accessible, a quick read about something I knew nothing about. The people in this remote area of the Congo are just like us.
My background is in social science. It was refreshing to read this by a scientist, who is so matter-of-fact about just about everything.

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Jun 25, 2009

Sarah rated it

Recommends it for: those who like adventure memoirs

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

If you have a hankering for a interesting memoir, this is the book for you. The topic is her experiences in the Congo collecting snakes, lizards, and toads. You will be gasping and reading sections of this book aloud to those around you.

I was pleasantly surprised that she is a good writer as well as having a great tale to tell.

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Mar 16, 2010

Bill Hoskins rated it

Loved this book!! I stayed up til 3am to finish it! As well as being an exciting story about a world totally foreign to me, it is written in a deceptively simple and unassuming style, though actually it is a surprisingly complex book. It stands out for the author's honesty and fairness. She never pretends to be anything better than she is.

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Jun 22, 2011

brian surprises aplenty rated it

Jackson discusses her research, but mostly her experiences doing that research, on snakes in the Congo. Among other things, part of her research grant involved mentoring two local university students in snake (herpian?) research.

I love snakes, love travel, and have a (3 year) biology degree: This book scratched all my itches.

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Jul 15, 2009

Jessie rated it

Possibly me, in another life. I don't think I'm ever going to quite forgive myself for not getting that science degree... You know, they really shouldn't let you make decisions like that at the tender age of 18.

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Jul 09, 2008

Robin Evans rated it

I read this book because of Brynn, our aspiring herpetologist. She brought home several books from the library about snakes. Since this book was clearly written for adults, I told her I would preview it for her.

Being a biologist and science lover at heart, I thorougly enjoyed this book!! Kate Jackson gives a very honest portrayal of her time spent in the Congo, looking for reptiles & amphibians. She details the horrible living conditions, difficulties with the government, relationsh...more

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May 31, 2009

Jean-claude rated it

I absolutely loved this book. It gives a whole new meaning to discomfort in doing science. Can it get worse than having maggots growing under your skin?

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Mar 13, 2010

Tiffany rated it

I didn't finish this book. It did have a few interesting stories about collecting herps, but was mostly dull and boring.

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Apr 27, 2009

Erin rated it

Great, true life, exciting and funny journey through the Congo to find snakes and frogs! She's a Whitman professor, too.

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Apr 02, 2009

Skigirl rated it

A woman scientist engaged in studying snakes spends considerable time in the Congo and has some great tales to tell!!

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Jan 02, 2010

Lauren rated it

Unfortunately typical of some nonfiction books. The story/adventure is better than the writer. I like stories about people traveling to far away lands, meeting new people and cultures, the environment and this book has all of that but not a capable writer. Sigh.

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Jan 31, 2009

Rebecca rated it

While I have always loved snakes, this book makes me realize that I definitely did not ever want to be a herpetologist. But Jackson's adventures in the Congo are a pleasure to read. She grabs forest cobras and pops pimples containing magets, and does all kinds of other tough things that are more fun to read about than live through.

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Jun 18, 2008

Melody rated it

I enjoyed this account of two collecting trips to Congo very much. Right up to the botflies. *shudder* I'm freshly convinced that I never ever need to go there.

The writing was accessible, and I got a real feel for Jackson's prickly but vulnerable person as well as her intense love of herps. The gold standard of zoology collection memoirs for me is Gerald Durrell and though Jackson is neither as polished nor as hilarious, she holds up well in comparison.

Recommended for he...more

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Oct 13, 2010

Susan rated it

Female herpetologist goes to the Congo twice to collect and study snakes/frogs/lizards. Cannot IMAGINE doing something like this but was very interesting and well told.

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Dec 20, 2008

Andrea rated it

I was charmed by Kate Jackson's intimate look at her field experience as a biologist in the Congo. I loved that Jackson revealed the often clumsy truths of her adventures with "mean and lowly" things.

Any one, especially young women, who are interested in wildlife research should enjoy this book.

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Aug 15, 2011

Courtney Nesom rated it

Shelves: animals-galore

Really good. Makes you really understand how difficult it is to be out in the field and all of the little unexpected things that can happen....

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Sep 01, 2008

George rated it

Passion about anything is attractive, and the author has been passionate about snakes since before kindergarten. I don't believe I knew what a herpetologist was in high school, but Kate already knew she wanted to be one at that age. I like books in which a person goes out and explores some new territory, inevitably discovering as much inwardly as out. This is a good one of those.

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May 18, 2010

Sean Higgins rated it

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My kind of book -- great recounting of a woman herpetologist's trips to the heart of deep, swampy Congo (literally traveling through Brazzaville, but no mention of Babar...
Nothing like getting bitten by a cobra & living to tell the tale...

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May 02, 2008

Lance rated it

This book was great. I could feel the rain and mud. I could see the faces of the people and I could sense her frustration trying to work with the various offices.

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Jun 18, 2008

Marketingguy rated it

Kate tells how she learns in the field how to manage her local team collecting snakes. This is who Shambhavi should have been.

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Aug 11, 2008

Sean Higgins rated it

Holy swamp cobras, Batman! This is remarkable... but then again, it is getting a view onto my dreams come true...

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Jun 12, 2008

Joanna rated it

I don't usually like snakes, but this is spectacular.

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Sep 16, 2010

Rebecca rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

Very interesting read.

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