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25th out of 56 books
—
27 voters
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by
Vanessa Woods (Goodreads Author)
A young woman follows her fiancé to war-torn Congo to study extremely endangered bonobo apes-who teach her a new truth about love and belonging.
In 2005, Vanessa Woods accepted a marriage proposal from a man she barely knew and agreed to join him on a research trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country reeling from a brutal decade-long war that had claimed the li...more
In 2005, Vanessa Woods accepted a marriage proposal from a man she barely knew and agreed to join him on a research trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country reeling from a brutal decade-long war that had claimed the li...more
Hardcover, 278 pages
Published
May 27th 2010
by Gotham
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When I picked this book up out of a pile of Advance Reading Copies, I had only a vague idea of what a Bonobo was, and an even vaguer grasp of what was happening in Congo. I'd heard plenty of news reports about atrocities, but, I'm sorry to admit, the who and the why confused me. Vanessa Woods not only introduces us to the social lives of the Bonobos in a way that will melt the heart of the crankiest reader, but also provides an effortless synopsis of modern Congolese history for those of us who...more
I won this book through the First Reads Giveaway.
A few years ago when I was taking my first anthropology class I read a book about bonobos from the library and I was fascinated.
There are a number of things I enjoyed about this book. Besides learning about the bonobos, I learned a great deal about Africa and Congo. I have to admit that my familiarity with Africa's current events doesn't extend much more that a brief lecture I got in high school, so I really appreciated the mini history lesson th...more
A few years ago when I was taking my first anthropology class I read a book about bonobos from the library and I was fascinated.
There are a number of things I enjoyed about this book. Besides learning about the bonobos, I learned a great deal about Africa and Congo. I have to admit that my familiarity with Africa's current events doesn't extend much more that a brief lecture I got in high school, so I really appreciated the mini history lesson th...more
I first learned about bonobos in Sara Gruen's Ape House, which was a great book because of how she portrayed the bonobos-- selfless, almost human creatures. I heard about this book when I saw that the author was coming to the college to speak.
Bonobo Handshake is a wonderful story about love, war and hope. Vanessa Woods writing was easy, funny and informative. The information she provided about Congo will haunt me forever. I can't pick up my cell phone without thinking of the lives that were los...more
Bonobo Handshake is a wonderful story about love, war and hope. Vanessa Woods writing was easy, funny and informative. The information she provided about Congo will haunt me forever. I can't pick up my cell phone without thinking of the lives that were los...more
To my way of thinking, this is a message book. Not particularly well written but alerting the world to the plight of the bonobos. The observations are interesting about the bonobos social behavior and the difference between humans, chimps and the bonobos and I actually felt, after hearing Woods' arguments, that the bonobos were superior to chimps and unfortunately, humans are closer to chimps in their behavior.
As great literature, this is not it. I'm not even sure I would classify it as good li...more
As great literature, this is not it. I'm not even sure I would classify it as good li...more
Vanessa Woods is quite a good writer - there's no awkwardness of phrasing here, no need to turn back pages to try to figure out what she's talking about. As a long-time fan of the primatologist women like Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey, and having learned a lot about chimp behaviour from reading William Boyd's Brazzaville Beach, I was interested in learning more about bonobos.
Sadly, you won't learn an awful lot about bonobos by reading this book (you'll learn a bit - just not as much as you might...more
Sadly, you won't learn an awful lot about bonobos by reading this book (you'll learn a bit - just not as much as you might...more
"It's hard to live with someone you haven't forgiven. It's like a cavity in my tooth that I can't see but I keep pushing at with my tongue. I'm afraid it will crack but I can't leave it alone."
"...Because resentment and anger are what you old on to when you have all the time in the world."
"The only way love endures is because of one simple gift. Forgiveness."
"We all carry our own tales of violence. The distant war going on over there is not so different from the war we fight here. I don't know w...more
"...Because resentment and anger are what you old on to when you have all the time in the world."
"The only way love endures is because of one simple gift. Forgiveness."
"We all carry our own tales of violence. The distant war going on over there is not so different from the war we fight here. I don't know w...more
This is a very moving book. It is part memoir and part history lesson. But mostly it is an account of the bonobos, the world's most endangered ape. Humans and bonobos share 98.7% of their DNA. Common chimpanzees, while very intelligent, can be quite aggressive and have been observed to wage war against other groups of chimps. Bonobos on the other hand live in a peaceful society in which females are in charge, war is nonexistent, and sex is as common and friendly as a handshake.
The author recoun...more
The author recoun...more
I requested Vanessa Woods’ novel, Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo after I saw it mentioned in Sara Gruen’s book, Ape House. While Gruen’s novel was a fictionalized accounting of bonobos, a primate similar to but uniquely different than the chimpanzee, Woods’ book is all gritty truth.
Australian born Woods follows her anthropologist fiancé, Brian Hare, to Lola ya Bonobo to study the differences and similarities between chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. In the midst o...more
Australian born Woods follows her anthropologist fiancé, Brian Hare, to Lola ya Bonobo to study the differences and similarities between chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. In the midst o...more
There are very few books that I've picked up and read cover to cover without putting them down in favor of something else because my mind wandered off. This is one of those of books. I did put it down occasionally - to eat and sleep - and because I needed a break from the account of the horrific war still being waged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I have a low tolerance for genocide, violence, brutality, murder and rape, so I won't discuss it here.
However what Vanessa Woods emphasized...more
However what Vanessa Woods emphasized...more
When I first started reading this, I assumed it would be about a lady that was lucky enough to have a career working with Bonobos, something I always thought would be fascinating! This book also tells us more about the genocide and wars that are still going on in Congo, where the Bonobos live. Vanessa Woods is an excellent down-to-earth writer! I have laughed and cried while reading this book. I am also more aware of what the wars in Congo are about. She tells about the slaves having to work in...more
For me a great memoir does more than tells a personal story. It also engages both my emotions and my intellect and leaves me wanting to know more about the author and what she writes about. Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods, delivers on all counts.
The book opens with Woods in crisis as she is about to board a plane with her fiancé from Paris to Kinshasa, Congo, where she will stay at a sanctuary for orphan bonobos. While most of us have heard of chimpanzees and know about their plight, far fewer...more
The book opens with Woods in crisis as she is about to board a plane with her fiancé from Paris to Kinshasa, Congo, where she will stay at a sanctuary for orphan bonobos. While most of us have heard of chimpanzees and know about their plight, far fewer...more
I bailed on this book just started reading. There were just too many moments that made me cringe and roll my eyes to keep going. The author musing on how strange it is that humans are the only apes to develop to the extent that we have? No, that's not fate sweetheart, that's because humans pummeled every other humanoid primate to death, and we're getting pretty close to doing the same to all the remaining great apes too.
But more than that, repeatedly commenting on how the Congo is "a fucked up...more
But more than that, repeatedly commenting on how the Congo is "a fucked up...more
The author spends several years in the Congo, living with and studying bonobos. Bonobos are a type of chimpanzee, and, according to Woods, are our closest relative. Unlike most chimps, they do little fighting, are very affectionate, and very sexual with same sex, opposite sex, small juveniles, and humans.
This book talks about the fascinating story of living with bonobos, and the political upheavals in the Congo, the only place where bonobos are found.
This book talks about the fascinating story of living with bonobos, and the political upheavals in the Congo, the only place where bonobos are found.
Just a cautionary note before the review: If your sensibilities will not tolerate graphic depictions of bonobo sex or vivid retelling of violence, you may not enjoy this book as much as I did.
And now to the review:
Vanessa Woods gives a heartfelt account of her journey studying bonobos in the Congo. She includes several chapters on the political history of the Congo and explains the political conflicts that affect her research and friends at Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary, but she does it in such an o...more
And now to the review:
Vanessa Woods gives a heartfelt account of her journey studying bonobos in the Congo. She includes several chapters on the political history of the Congo and explains the political conflicts that affect her research and friends at Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary, but she does it in such an o...more
At first, I thought this book was an Eat, Pray, Love with apes and genocide, but as I got more into it, I found it was much more interesting than that in its depiction of the bonobo orphanage, the study of bonobo behaviour, and the description of the tragic events in the DRC, including the impact of those events on individuals Woods came to know there.
Some of the most moving parts of the book are about the bonobo-bonobo and bonobo-people interactions, though it can veer at times into the sentime...more
Some of the most moving parts of the book are about the bonobo-bonobo and bonobo-people interactions, though it can veer at times into the sentime...more
I LOVE it when a book sparks my interest in a particular subject! Reading "Ape House" by Sara Gruen did that for me. "Bonobo Handshake" came through as a new book immediately after I finished Sara Gruen's book and I grabbed it and couldn't put it down!
Bonobos are cousins of Chimpanzees, but much more social and easier to get along with because they are all about "make love, not war"(kind of like the hippies of the primates.) They have a very special "handshake" which I will not go into here. Bo...more
Bonobos are cousins of Chimpanzees, but much more social and easier to get along with because they are all about "make love, not war"(kind of like the hippies of the primates.) They have a very special "handshake" which I will not go into here. Bo...more
I received this as a Goodreads Advance Copy Giveaway and have not wanted to put it down so it'll be a quick read. I've always enjoyed reading about our closest relatives since taking a Physical Anthropology class in CA many, many years ago. OK. so back to reading the book.....oh, and thanks Goodreads for my copy!
Loved it. Altho parts of it were heartbreaking, there was also a lot of joy and humor.
Loved it. Altho parts of it were heartbreaking, there was also a lot of joy and humor.
1 like · like · see review
Mar 26, 2011
Doreen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Iris---definitely
Recommended to Doreen by:
saw it at the library
This beautiful story of bonobos is tender and gripping. Bonobos are closely similar to us humans. Their emotions and ability to cooperate with each other, make it easy to see them as people, instead of animals.
Vanessa Woods' story describes the unrest in Congo as well as the grave situation regarding the bonobos' survival. Woods writes about the native people and her relationship with them and the bonobos. She competes for her husband's attention against a lovely bonobo named Malou, who has a cr...more
Vanessa Woods' story describes the unrest in Congo as well as the grave situation regarding the bonobos' survival. Woods writes about the native people and her relationship with them and the bonobos. She competes for her husband's attention against a lovely bonobo named Malou, who has a cr...more
Won this book in a firstreads contest, and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. After reading "Alex and Me" by Irene Pepperberg, I was expecting this book to be more along those lines where the research was presented (in a very palatable format), along with some funny anecdotes along the way. This book was not quite that light-hearted.
Woods focuses a LOT on the political situation in the Congo, which while it is somewhat interesting, and relates to the story at *some* points, it seems like a bi...more
Woods focuses a LOT on the political situation in the Congo, which while it is somewhat interesting, and relates to the story at *some* points, it seems like a bi...more
This is not a scientific study on the oh-so-interesting-but-sadly-forgotten human cousin, the bonobo. This novel goes much further than that. It does something greater than science and identifies with the bonobos, not like test subjects or animals, but as people, companions, and family.
The author Vanessa Woods is the ultimate relatable character. She has no idea where she is going in life; all she knows is that she wants to make a difference. She has no idea how to even begin attaining this goal...more
The author Vanessa Woods is the ultimate relatable character. She has no idea where she is going in life; all she knows is that she wants to make a difference. She has no idea how to even begin attaining this goal...more
What a good read this turned out to be. It is written by the woman who becomes the partner and wife of a primate research scientist and accompanies him to sanctuaries in both Congos. These primates are only found in the Congo area and are threatened with extension. We can learn a lot from them as they live together peacefully (unlike the violent chimpanzee) and are probably more intelligent than the chimps! This Aussie woman is totally emotional and the story of her romance told with typical Aus...more
In a review of another book, I wrote that I'm a sucker for chimpanzee stories. Now I'm a bigger sucker for bonobo stories after reading this book, a fascinating story about something I knew very little about. The author is clearly passionate about her subjects -- which include more than just bonobos. She speaks with great compassion of the Congolese people, who suffered greatly in the most devastating war since World War II. (How many Americans have even heard of this war?) And she successfully...more
Primatologist Vanessa Woods pulls off three difficult tasks in this memoir, chronicling her sometimes-difficult marriage, outlining the blood-soaked history of the Congo and introducing us to the society of the bonobos, our little-known cousins among the apes.
Bonobos are often mistaken for chimpanzees, but their psychology is radically different. They are martriarchal, relatively accepting of strangers, and (mostly) non-violent -- the "make love not war" hippies of the ape world. Woods and her h...more
Bonobos are often mistaken for chimpanzees, but their psychology is radically different. They are martriarchal, relatively accepting of strangers, and (mostly) non-violent -- the "make love not war" hippies of the ape world. Woods and her h...more
I just finished reading this book this morning. It was tough getting through the most of the book because of unrelenting atrocities (murder, rape, hurting children). Just to let you know I have trouble watching the news on TV too.
Even though, I give the book a five star rating. I was very difficult for me to read it but that is not the fault of the author, this is just how the history of the Congo is. So, the only thing that I would say in the negative is that this book is not for all readers....more
Even though, I give the book a five star rating. I was very difficult for me to read it but that is not the fault of the author, this is just how the history of the Congo is. So, the only thing that I would say in the negative is that this book is not for all readers....more
When my book group selected this memoir for a discussion, I wasn't sure that it would appeal to me. One of the wonderful things about being part of a book group is that it gets me to read books I would not have selected on my own. This is one of them. However, I found it to be a good read on several levels. The history of the Congo, and the horrible situation there was informative. Learning about bonobos, an animal I hadn't heard of before, was fascinating. Genetically close to humans and chimpa...more
Vanessa Woods was an Australian university graduate doing volunteer work at Taronga Zoo in Sydney when she fell into counting wild animals in Africa for research purposes. She met a PhD student named Brian and within months they were engaged and she was on her way to one of the most dangerous and war torn countries in the world – the Democratic Republic of the Congo – with him while he studied the bonobos at Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary.
Vanessa was a chimpanzee girl, not a bonobo girl. She’d worked...more
Vanessa was a chimpanzee girl, not a bonobo girl. She’d worked...more
This is a very important book. For too many people, bonobos (my spellchecker doesn't even consider their name to be a word!) are the least known member of the great primate family, often considered to be no more than "pygmy chimps." They aren't- they're a separate species, but like chimps, share some 97.6 of their genes with humans. The trick is, as Wood's and her husband's research attempts to discover- is What Is the Difference- because there are many.
Bonobos are considered the most erotic of...more
Bonobos are considered the most erotic of...more
I had not heard of Bonobos, a cousin of the chimpanzee. Bonobos don't have the killer instinct that chimps have--instead they are lovers and engage in lots of sex. Vanessa lived in the Congo with her anthropologist husband, who is researching what makes the bonobos so cooperative. This story covers her joys, heartbreaks, and disillusionments. I was surprised to fall in love with the bonobos, too, as her character descriptions are excellent. As a result, I cried and laughed throughout.
Interspers...more
Interspers...more
1 like · like · see review
I picked this book up because I wanted to learn more about bonobos after reading Sara Gruen's Ape House. Bonobo Handshake is a memoir about the author's time in Congo working at a bonobo sanctuary. Like chimps and humans, bonobos and humans share almost 99 percent of their DNA - yet hardly anyone has even heard of a bonobo.
Bonobos are wonderful, gentle, intelligent creatures and it was fascinating to learn more about them in this book. The author didn't know much about them before coming the sa...more
Bonobos are wonderful, gentle, intelligent creatures and it was fascinating to learn more about them in this book. The author didn't know much about them before coming the sa...more
I love the bonobos and my choice of this book was because I think they are super cute and funny. I think if people would shake hands like the bonobos, the world would be a happier place. :) I wanted to know more about them. I forgot they come from the Congo.
The author's relationships with the peaceful bonobos are woven with stories about the violent region, as well as lessons she learns about her family history and her personal shortcomings. (I love that about her - she is completely an accident...more
The author's relationships with the peaceful bonobos are woven with stories about the violent region, as well as lessons she learns about her family history and her personal shortcomings. (I love that about her - she is completely an accident...more
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Vanessa is an award winning journalist and author of Bonobo Handshake (Gotham 2010). She has written three children’s books; It’s True! There Are Bugs In Your Bed (2005), It’s True! Space Turns You Into Spaghetti (2006), and It’s True! Pirates Ate Rats (2007). It’s True! Space Turns You Into Spaghetti won the Acclaimed Book award from the Royal Society, UK.
Vanessa is an internationally published j...more
More about Vanessa Woods...
Vanessa is an internationally published j...more
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“We do terrible things to the ones we love. We cheat and lie and betray them, for thirty pieces of silver or our own selfish hearts. The only way love endures is because of one simple gift. Forgiveness.”
—
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