I enjoyed this book, I am not really a non fiction person but in an attempt to broaden my reading I picked this up from the library. I really enjoyed the writing style and reading about the chimpanzees and their group was so interesting. I liked that this book wasn't just a big dump of information and facts but that it had personality and heart.

Incredible!

I had very high hopes for this book, as Jane Goodall has always been my heroine. It did not disappoint. It was the right mix of scientific ethnography and memoir. I really felt like Jane's chimps were mine.

Through her dedication and impeccable documentation of the chimpanzees in the Gombe region, Goodall showed not only the science and behaviour of our fellow apes, but also their stories and growth. I am particularly impressed by Goodall's tenacity and patience in the unforgiving jungle environment. Reading the book feels like listening to a close friend retelling stories from a family trip. The stories are touching and I feel like I now also have a relationship with Flo, Fifi, David Graybeard, Mike, and Goodall's whole extended family, human or chimps.

This book falls chronologically before Through a Window and describes the author's experiences in Gombe studying chimpanzees. This book is very informative, and the life histories of the various chimps are fascinating. I read this book after Through a Window and was still able to piece together the story in reverse, but it probably would have been easier to have read this book first.

A classic of animal studies, Goodall brings the chimpanzees she describes to life. It was very cool to read about the first discovery of non-human tool making and to see the photos included in this edition.

Incredible!

I loved her insight into how human chimpanzees really are. A very inspiring narrative that I would absolutely recommend.