My Pride and Joy: An Autobiography

by George Adamson

The author tells of the more than sixty years he has devoted to the lions of Kenya, revealing the dramatic story of how his vision became a reality

Genres: Africa, Biography, Animals, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Nature

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 1986

About the author

George Adamson, known as Baba ya Simba, was a British wildlife conservationist and author based in Kenya. He gained international recognition for raising Elsa the lioness, later released into the wild, inspiring the best-selling book Born Free and its 1966 film adaptation. Born in India in 1906, Adamson moved to Kenya in 1924 and worked in various roles before joining the wildlife department as a game warden in 1938. He retired in 1961 and devoted his life to rehabilitating orphaned lions. Adamson was tragically murdered in 1989 while protecting others in Kora National Park.

Reviews

[Kristy Pitchford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love George Adamson and have read all his books and watched the documentaries. His story made a life changing decision for me....to become a wildlife Vet and conservationist. His work is admired and inspiring. I can't recommend this book enough...all of them by him. It's a shame how he dies, but he did so a happily-accomplished man that took pride in his work, which still lives on. I know for sure he impacted my heart and my life. I love the dedication he gave, all the way to the very end! Lions are my favorite animal, and he helped me come to realization of that, years ago, and to learn the ins and outs about them. <3

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one reviewer said, A great book by a great man. What a fascinating life he led, loved reading about all his remarkable exploits and conservation work. "A lion of a man whose life is the story of a vanishing Africa."

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great book by a great man

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book by George Adamson describing his lifes story. From being born in India, schooled In England and moving to Kenya with his brother and of course meeting Joy. His descriptions off his life at Kora is beautiful and I get the impression he was a really lovely and genuine man

[Pangolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Tells of his life as well as the stories of Born Free (as it happened as well as the making of the movie) and Christian the lion. Also some great safari tales.

[Sharonh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covering 80 years of George Adamson's life - his 2nd autobiography. Well worth the read!!

[Linn Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and touching tale about a man and his lions.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually preferred this significantly over the three books by Joy Adamson which I've read, Born Free, Living Free and Forever Free. George takes a more expansive view of the situation and explains a lot of the things that are left without explanation in Joy's books.

After all three of Joy's books I felt that I hadn't really connected with her as a writer or person at all. I found this frustrating as there was clearly a good story there and an amazing experience, but it all seemed so childishly written, very "We did this. Then we did this. Then Elsa did that. Then we looked for Elsa. We couldn't find her. We were worried. Then we found her. Then we couldn't find her." Etc.

So it was nice to find George's book. He comes across as a much more rounded and thoughtful person and one gets a much more interesting look at conservation work in its early stages in Kenya.

[Martyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I've read this at last. It helps add to the picture in Joy Adamson's own books, and explains things which perhaps don't come across so clearly there, such as why they needed to persist in feeding the free lions. George explains more about the behaviour of lions and the psychology of them. It all helps to reveal the bigger picture of what he and Joy were striving to do. And we learn a lot more about Joy's character too. It is a moving book in places, in particular with regard to the death of Joy.

[John Ulferts · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Adamson, his brother Terrence, and Tony Fitzjohn were all heroes of mine. They were passionate about saving Africas vanishing wildlife and risked their lives in doing so. This is an incredible book by an incredible man. George and Tony may have ultimately lost their battle to save Kora but they won a much larger struggle to bring global attention to conservation. Thanks to George and Hoy, Meru is once again a thriving national park. This is a must read for all who love Africa.

[Peejster · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my goals this year is to re-read a favorite each month. This was my first re-read of the year. I had forgotten how much I loved the book, loved their story and wanted to grab my passport and leave for Africa. Imagine living your life on your terms and doing exactly what you felt pulled to do.

[Darko Bertone · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most exciting and inspiring book I have ever read. I read it first time when I was 13. It has past 37 years from then, and I still find it overwhelmingly exciting. Excellent book.

[Barbara Moher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed through much of this ...too many stories of killings, but what did I expect? Lions are carnivores...,interesting life that he and his wife had,,,

[Lizzy Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading A Lion Called Christian I had to read this book and I’m glad I did. Great book, especially parts II and III.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already read the books written by his wife, I had not expected so much new and in depth information. He did seem to have his feelings a bit covered.

[Joe Rodeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Adamson might have taken a back seat to the famous, Woman-Who-Lives-With-Lions, Joy Adamson. It's mostly all about George.

The good: Well-illustrated, incl sections of color plates. Lots of interesting passages about different animals in Kenya: rhinos, hippos, leopards, cheetahs.

Tough realism. He doesn't slip into romanticism or sentimentality. Excellent on the rough sides of living in Africa.

The bad: The story is more or less over after the filming of "Born Free," but there's still half a book to go; goes lion-after-lion, none of which really adds to or improves upon the original Elsa story.


I didn't much like the might-makes-right trigger fingered author who decides to shoot too easily. Kills one lion in anger who was just doing what lions in the wild do. (My bias is against keeping wild animals as pets.)

Here's how he is: "If she really wanted a divorce I would not contest it but that I was prepared to pay neither her lawyer's costs nor alimony."

Her charge, he brushes off, is cruelty.

[Valerie]

This is a terrible pun, of course, since George Adamson was the widower of Joy Adamson. You'd think he, of all people, would recognize that he was TEACHING lions to live in the wild; after all, if Elsa had had any 'instincts' for hunting, the story wouldn't've happened at all, since Elsa wouldn't've walked upwind of a family of elephants.

I'm not sure if all editions of this book were published posthumously. The edition I read ended with an account of George Adamson's death, and it's worth reading.

I got a copy through the public library, but I don't remember whether I had to go through ILL.

[Suanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bwana Game is George Adamson's memoir of his early life with Elsa and Joy Adamson. Could have been better edited. His second book, My Pride and Joy, is quite repetitive of incidents in Bwana Game, but better written. He is quite gentlemanly regarding the collapse of his marriage to Joy Adams.