Chimpanzee Memoirs: Stories of Studying and Saving Our Closest Living Relatives

by Stephen R. Ross (Editor), Lydia M. Hopper (Editor), Dawn Schuerman (Illustrator)

Chimpanzees fascinate people for many reasons. We are struck by the apes’ resemblance to humanity, as seen in their use of tools and their complex social lives, and we are moved by the threats that human activity poses to them. Our awareness of our closest living relatives testifies to the efforts of the remarkable people who study these creatures and work to protect them. What motivates someone to dedicate their lives to chimpanzees? How does that reflect on our own species?

This book brings together a range of chimpanzee experts who tell powerful personal stories about their lives and careers. It features some of the world’s preeminent primatologists―including Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal―as well as representatives of a new generation from varied backgrounds. In addition to field scientists, the book features anthropologists, biologists, psychologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and the director of a chimpanzee sanctuary. Some grew up in the English countryside, others in villages in Congo; some first encountered chimpanzees in a zoo, others in the forests surrounding their homes. All are united by a common purpose: to study and understand chimpanzees in order to protect them in the wild and care for them in zoos and sanctuaries. Contributors share what inspired them, what shaped their career choices, and what motivates them to strive for solutions to the many challenges that chimpanzees face today.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Animals

216 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Director of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Reviews

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has essays from primatologists and others involved with Chimpanzees. In many ways, this is intended as a tribute to people who chose a field where very few venture, largely for their love of animals. This book has a loveable bunch of essays which are heart-warming.

While I knew of Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal who find space in this book, there are many other people whose accounts are informative and inspiring. There are experiences from many decades in the past when animals were treated as objects and it was considered absurd to mention animal intelligence or emotions. Over time, while the research has come a long way (with a lot still to be done), the challenges of habitat loss and poaching/meat trade continues to be severely challenging for the long-term survival of chimpanzees & also other animals.

As this is a compilation of essays, there are some common themes which tend to repeat, especially around the challenges mentioned above. The personal accounts make for wonderful reading. As they all point out, anyone who has spent time with animals, especially primates, know that they are far closer to us, than we like to accept. Thankfully, many countries have stopped invasive chimp testing and are re-habilitating them (such as Chimp Haven in the US). All the experiences, on how each of the author’s worked to overcome the distrust and got to observe & interact with chimps make for interesting reading. It is believed that human male aggression (after all, we have had a tendency to violence & even war since long) derives from chimps. Similar to humans, they also have the ability to negotiate, moderate and reconcile among themselves. In contrast apparently, Bonobos are a peace loving, non-violent species with not a single recorded instance of any killing within the species.

A fairly small, well-intentioned & warm-hearted compilation. The essays are quite short though and could have been more detailed. There are a few lovely sketches as part of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Columbia Unversity Press for a free electronic review copy.

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heart-warming read for anyone interested in chimpanzees, conservation and/or primate research.

I've read a few books by primatologists and ethologists in the past, and just read one of Jane Goodall's a few weeks ago. The content in 'Chimpanzee Memoirs' still felt fresh and new, though - pretty much every contributor had a great anecdote or two to share. I also loved that each person dwelled on a specific chimpanzee who they hadn't been able to forget - and the portraits of those chimpanzees that interspersed the text were a lovely touch.

It did seem that each contributor was adhering closely to a structural template given to them by the book's editors, which gave it a slightly formulaic feel. I also wish there'd been more opportunity to spend time with each contributor - but I appreciate that this might have meant featuring less people overall. 'Chimpanzee Memoirs' provides a whistle stop tour of chimpanzee research, along with plenty of advice thrown in for people wanting to become involved in primate research or conservation. It's certainly a worthy addition to my bookshelf!

(With thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

trigger warning
mention of: cruelty towards animals, animal death, bullying, rape

This collection of essays deal with the stories of different primatologists, how they came to study in this field, what they've learned, whom they met, what they think might be relevant for the future.

I loved the diversity, we have people from around the globe, some with a better grasp of the Englisch language than others. Everyone has their own pet project: Some concentrate on how primates use tools, others on how they solve conflicts in non-violent ways.
Some tell us about the problems that arive with illnesses transmitted by tourists, some about the dangers of the bushmeat trade. Or how they realised that in order to help chimpanzees, you need to help the human populace, too - how those intersect. How they came to found non profits that don't really target non-human animals.

Throughout we have illustrations, portraits of the chimpanzees we're currently told about.
Everyone is thoroughly passionate about what they're doing - same as with archaeology, you don't get rich doing research on primates, and the prestige is very limited. You do it because it's what you want to spend your given time on.

If any of these people happen to hold a lecture where I can go and listen, I'd go without having to think about it. You guys are doing amazing work, thank you for sharing it.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3+ rounded up because of the interesting chimpanzees!
The subtitle of Chimpanzee Memoirs is what grabbed my attention: Stories of Studying and Saving Our Closest Living Relatives. This collection of essays by sixteen leading scientists from various disciplines who have studied chimpanzees in the wild and in laboratories recounts a lot of different but always interesting kinds of observations from maternal love to how an alpha chimp protects his brood and even a tale of the writer interacting with a chimp using grunts, hugs, and other gestures that chimps themselves use. Each of the scientists identifies one particular chimp and goes into some detail about him or her; it was fun to see their choices and the differences among the chimps described.
The scientist have different objectives in their work. Some are oriented to learning more about the chimps for their own sake and others to studying the similarities to and differences from humans in order to understand our own species better. A number started out simply wanting to study the chimpanzees and ended up being fully committed to saving them.
Just as they have different objectives in their work, the writers seem to have different objectives in their essays. As the book description mentions, the scientists tell “powerful personal stories of their lives and careers”. Some spend a good bit of time on this aspect, sometimes sounding as if they are advising people who are considering a career studying primates. This was of less interest to me and, I suspect, to most readers. I especially do not need to know things like how many siblings they have or what colleges they decided not to attend.
The essayists as well as the editor are all scientists rather than writers. It is not surprising that the quality of the writing varied a lot, but the book could have benefitted from more extensive editing. Some of the sentence structure and word use jarred me enough to pull me out of the interesting material that it was conveying.
Each of the scientists has done significant work, and I enjoyed hearing about it . My main regret is that the focus of the book is not more on the work rather than the career.
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher.

[Sue Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has followed Jane Goodall and cares about every animal, especially primates, this book was a wonderful read. The contributors had such heartwarming, educational stories. They are such close relatives of ours, it's difficult to think of them as animals. I loved this book, and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia Unversity Press for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chimpanzee Memoirs: Stories of Studying and Saving Our Closest Living Relatives was edited by Stephen Ross and Lydia Hopper. It is currently scheduled for release on May 10 2022. Chimpanzees fascinate people for many reasons. Our awareness of our closest living relatives testifies to the efforts of the remarkable people who study these creatures and work to protect them. What motivates someone to dedicate their lives to chimpanzees? How does that reflect on our own species? This book brings together a range of chimpanzee experts who tell powerful personal stories about their lives and careers. It features some of the world’s preeminent primatologists—including Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal—as well as representatives of a new generation from varied backgrounds. The book features anthropologists, biologists, psychologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and the director of a chimpanzee sanctuary. Some grew up in the English countryside, others in villages in Congo; some first encountered chimpanzees in a zoo, others in the forests surrounding their homes. All are united by a common purpose: to study and understand chimpanzees in order to protect them in the wild and care for them in zoos and sanctuaries. Contributors share what inspired them, what shaped their career choices, and what motivates them to strive for solutions to the many challenges that chimpanzees face today.

I thought that Chimpanzee Memoirs is a well organized collection of essays that are accessible and interesting to read. I liked that the experts were from a wide range of backgrounds, fields, and reasons being motivated to work with chimpanzees. The essays are each short, making this a quick read, but full of personal stories and tales of specific champs that stuck a chord with the experts. I liked that while some of the experts included are well known and fully expected to be included, readers also get to learn about people in the field that we most likely have never heard of. I think this book is an engaging and encouraging read, that also covers the struggles of the researchers and the threats to chimpanzees (past and present), so does not sugar coat the subject matter. This would be a great book for school and public libraries to have in their collection. It could be great inspiration for readers that have interest in studying chimps, or other animals.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read books about animals, I want it to be about them and I’m not usually interested in the ugliest ape, but the humans featured here are so remarkable, that I found the essays fascinating. I knew Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal (who doesn’t), but it was great meeting new people involved in the study and conservation of chimpanzees. From veterinarians to research assistants, these stories show the distinct perspectives from which people approach these wonderful creatures. No one shies from the tedious and boring part of the job, but their enthusiasm is impossible to miss. They all choose a favorite amongst the chimps they’ve known (sometimes more than one), and there are gorgeous portraits of them. Here are stories from people you usually don’t hear from. Natives from the areas where the studies are conducted. I was surprised at how much one of the memoirs resonated with my own personal position on the matter, considering the author and I have such different backgrounds. There is great advice for budding primatologists, so this would be a great gift for younger readers. Enjoyable, full of wonderful experiences and data about our closest relatives.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Columbia University Press!

[Anjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pondered wanting to do the thing I usually do with reviews of books that are essentially collections of essays – which is to review each individually. That was nearly impossible here for several reasons. The primary one being that this is a non- fiction and each chapter is of someone in this field talking about their own fascination for it.

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction about the person we are going to hear from. The essays begin with basics about how the people came to do the work they do/did . That is followed by what they love about it and to centre that point, they talk of one particular chimpanzee that caught their heart and they remember in particular. Obviously for most of them it’s hard to choose, but several have a cherished memory or two which cemented their love for the species and the studies related to it.

There was nothing dry about this book. Each personal tale was almost unique, which was surprising given that they all were talking about the same thing.

I highly recommend this to fans of non-fiction featuring animals. It’s a book that one can dip in and out of based on time since they are all individual narrations.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of a series of essays from a diverse group of primatologists. It includes well-known primatologists such as Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal as well as lesser known and unfamiliar researchers and veterinarians. The essays address these topics:

1. Why I became a primatologist
2. Why I study chimpanzees
3. Memorable moments in my research including special chimpanzees
4. Threats to chimpanzees

Some of the essays read as if they are standard PR pieces. Others offer insights into the author’s life and studies.

The book rates 3.5 stars.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's clear from the stories in this book that chimpanzee research has only scratched the surface of their complexity and depth. I find it refreshing to read about scientists who are motivated by love, fun, and social connections with their subjects.
I would've preferred more narrative anecdotes that center on stories of chimps. Chimp researchers who are familiar with their behavior and culture have already had plenty of exposure to that I guess, and at any rate I might be better off reading Jane Goodall if that's what I'm looking for.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit my bias. Married to a chimp researcher, acquainted with several of the authors in this book, and having visited chimps more than once in the wild and in captivity, I'm a fan. What justifies my five star rating somewhat is that the chapters are well edited and written. I like the format of the writers personal history, their academic or professional connection with chimps, and what they learned from their studies, involment, and adventures. A really good read!

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of collected essays from some of the world's leading primatologists—including Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal, as well as native African scientists—on their experiences studying chimpanzees and bonobos. It's at once very human but also cognizant and respectful of the similarities and differences between us and our nearest surviving relatives. There's a sense of wonder and compassion, but also urgency as environmental pressures threaten the existence of wild apes. We've learned so much, but there's still so much more to learn.

This book is written for lay people, but it's also geared toward students who might be considering a career in primatology. If you're interested in zoology or conservation, this book is for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want everyone to read this! It offers some great perspectives, and stories from people across the primate and animal behavior fields.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any fans of the Ologies Podcast!

*Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my own review*

This was a really quick and entertaining read, it was a collection of essays that were easily accessible for the non primate informed (me).

Each expert seemed carefully selected to be engaging, passionate and quite in love with their job itself. I recommend the read for any animal lovers. It's very similar to the Ologies podcast, it takes an intimidating subject and breaks it down into relatable and bite sized pieces - I didn't realise I was learning till I started sprouting facts.

I particularly love that some of the essayist's would tell stories of particular primates and then provide images/anecdotes. I highly recommend!