An absolutely remarkable book on the chimp communities in Gombe.
At times I was laughing, at others I was crying.
Goodall reports the good and the bad, the horrific and the uplifting. Every page was captivating and it was such an easy read, though not necessarily emotionally.
I was particularly attached to the chimp family of Flo, Fifi, Faben, Figan and Flint, and the plight of some of the chimps who were orphaned, struck by flu or polio.
Jane Goodall is an amazing person who has shed so much light on chimp behaviour and I am now a huge fan of hers after reading this as my first introduction to her and her work.
I can’t wait to read more of her writings and a quaint myself more with the chimpanzee!

Jane Goodall reminds me of my maternal grandmother. It's probably not fair to make that connection, but every time I see her, I can't help but see my Grandma Doris. And me, I'm the chimpanzees that she treats with a bewildered tenderness.

In that, reading this book almost felt familial, which I wouldn't have expected. The stories of the chimps feel intimate and relatable and the study of them in their natural habitat fascinated me. It can get a bit dry, as it is a book exclusively of observations from an interested (and interesting) shadow. But if you appreciate chimpanzees, or seeing what aspects of our understanding of humanity really are unique to us, then I think you'd enjoy it

I picked this up again now because I recently attended a lecture by Goodall. This book is part personal memoir and part collection of observations of chimpanzees. It’s a fascinating read, even 50 years after its original publication. Goodall’s enthusiasm is infectious. She is a remarkable and inspiring person.

I have had the great pleasure of seeing Jane Goodall speak in person and I'm overwhelmed by this tiny woman who is also a powerhouse in helping us understand the world of chimpanzees. Her writing is quite and spare but she still paints a vivid picture of life in the Gombe Preserve.

I was enthralled by the drama of the Gombe chimps: Flo's large and loving family, Fifi's antics, David Greybeard's easygoing trust, political power struggles and the friendships and alliances. I loved the anecdotes, like when two chimps discovered that the banana stash had reappeared they started screaming and hugging each other instead of rushing over to eat right away. Stories of how different mothers raised their children were so interesting.

I was left thinking about how hard and cruel life is in chimp society. Violent outbursts are common, how scary and chaotic that must be for socially unaware children and infants. How the chimps treated the ones who had been paralyzed during the polio epidemic was most heartbreaking of all--but as I reflected on that I realized that I was less sad that the chimps don't appear to have the capacity for empathy, and more sad that humans, who do have a boundless capacity for empathy, so often act like chimps.

so interesting to learn about the scientists who changed common knowledge of animals from empathizing with them is ridiculous to so many non humans are intelligent and have feelings and tools
love how her conservation is all about empathy not only towards the environment, but to the native people's livelihood as well.