A strange mix of memoir (first 20%) and sociological/scientific observations of the behavior of a group of chimpanzees over a series of years, this was quite captivating once chimpanzees came onto the page. I've obviously heard of Goodall, but have never given her much thought. After one of the blogs I follow mentioned something about Jane Goodall's work and my increased interest in finding out more about the animals and plants we share a world with, I decided to pick this up.

Goodall's observations and descriptions of chimpanzees are wonderful - so full of humanity and with such detail about their social relationships and interactions. It felt almost sociological to me. I did not know that chimpanzees are our closest cousin until reading this book and I am fascinated by many of the similarities. At times, it felt like I was reading about a little village.

I love that chimpanzees were like the main characters in this story. I came to really root for and feel sad for (the polio epidemic was horrible) the various chimpanzee characters. I keep wishing there was a documentary so I could hear and see and picture the common behaviors, like the arrival displays, the submission, the parent-child bond, social grooming, etc.

A very lovely book.