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

by Kate Jackson
Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo
book data
48 ratings, 4.00 average rating, 23 reviews (more data...)
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published
April 30th 2008 by Harvard University Press (first published 2007)

details
Hardcover, 320 pages

isbn
0674029747    (isbn13: 9780674029743)

description

In 2005 Kate Jackson ventured into the remote swamp forests of the northern Congo to collect reptiles and amphibians. Her camping equipment was rudi

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reptilereads: Mean and Lowly Things by Kate Jackson 2 10 Oct 31, 2009 06:57PM  
Hey! What do all you amateur herpetologists out there have to say? 1 12 Jun 06, 2008 02:20AM  

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 85)

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Mike Walker
Mar 11, 2010
Mike Walker rated it: 5 of 5 stars

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...more
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Tippy Jackson
Nov 26, 2009
Tippy Jackson rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: animalia, culture
Read in November, 2009
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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Neely
Oct 21, 2008
Neely rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in October, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Jenny
Sep 23, 2008
Jenny rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in September, 2008
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 an...more
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Kaye
Jan 19, 2009
Kaye rated it: 3 of 5 stars

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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Autumn
Aug 23, 2009
Autumn rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in August, 2009
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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Sarah
Jun 25, 2009
Sarah rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2009
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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Bill Hoskins
Mar 16, 2010
Bill Hoskins rated it: 5 of 5 stars

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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Jessie
Jul 15, 2009
Jessie rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Robin Evans
Jul 09, 2008
Robin Evans rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Jean-claude
May 31, 2009
Jean-claude rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in May, 2009
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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Tiffany
Mar 13, 2010
Tiffany rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2010
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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Erin
Apr 27, 2009
Erin rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in April, 2009
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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Skigirl
Apr 02, 2009
Skigirl rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in November, 2008
A woman scientist engaged in studying snakes spends considerable time in the Congo and has some great tales to tell!!
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Lauren Leighton
Dec 16, 2009
Lauren Leighton rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2010
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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Rebecca
Jan 05, 2009
Rebecca rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2009
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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Melody
Jun 17, 2008
Melody rated it: 3 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2008
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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Andrea
Nov 17, 2008
Andrea rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in December, 2008
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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George
Sep 01, 2008
George rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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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Lance
Apr 19, 2008
Lance rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in May, 2008
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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