Captivity
by Debbie Lee Wesselmann
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Book Summary Information
Author: Debbie Lee WesselmannEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-15
ISBN: 0895873532
Number of pages: 293
Publisher: John F Blair Pub
Book Reviews of Captivity
Book Review: "Only if we understand can we care...
Summary: 5 Stars
Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved."
(Jane Goodall)
Dana and Annie were childhood buddies. They shared their daily lives playing, teasing, learning to communicate and, for a while, growing up together. Zack, Dana's younger brother often participated in the games and, in some way, competed with Dana for Annie's attention. The development of the youngsters was part of a research project, studied and captured on film. One day, however, this playful life ended and Annie was taken away after seriously biting Dana's hand. The hand never fully recovered, nor did Dana or Zack - from the loss of Annie. Annie was a chimpanzee. From a brief note on an actual case, Debbie Lee Wessselmann has imagined the captivating and touching story of Dana Armstrong, a primatologist who maintained since childhood days her dedication, love actually, for chimpanzees.
Dana is the director of a sanctuary for chimps, rescued over the years from various science laboratories, and resettled here after the inhumane treatment of primates was abandoned following increasing public condemnation. In the protective reserve in South Carolina Armstrong, assisted by her number two - Mary - and students and interns, has created an environment for the animals that aims to be as close to their natural habitat as possible. They live in groups, each led by an alpha male, in large enclosures, where they can roam and interact as they would in Africa. New arrivals, often physically and psychologically scarred, are first kept apart and slowly familiarized with life among other chimps. Wesselmann skilfully depicts the important trust-building interaction between humans and animals. Dana's experience with and fond memories of Annie have influenced her scientific approach, emphasizing discrete observation with minimal human interference as soon as the chimps can fend for themselves. Yet, on an emotional level, this approach brings challenges for Dana. While using her unique familiarity and communication skills with the animals, she needs to encourage their independence from human "handlers". For these and other reasons, the sanctuary and Dana have enemies: animal rights activists, colleagues with competing approaches in the University to which the sanctuary is attached, and local people who have little knowledge of what is going on behind the high fences. One morning Dana finds the doors of the holding cages and the fences open, papers and files in her office in disarray and chimpanzees roaming in the woods and areas nearby... Capturing all the animals is only the first challenge. Finding the culprit, attempting to reassure her superiors, funders, activists, and to educate the general public is quite another. In the midst of this crisis, her brother reappears in her life and demands attention. The crises multiply ... requiring cool heads. Is Dana too emotionally involved to take the tough decisions that are expected from her?
Wesselmann's ability to create realistic and lively characters, demonstrated already in her earlier novel "Trutor & the Balloonist", gives this story depth and complexity. Numerous twists and turns keep the reader intrigued as the critical events unfold. The human interest story is enriched by the perceptive portrayal of the chimps, each memorable in his or her individuality. The team's and, in particular, Dana's non-verbal communication with them, is beautifully captured, illustrating the author's in-depth research into primate behaviour and human-animal interaction. Through the author's sensitive narrative, the reader is closely following the heroine's emotional turmoil as well as her efforts to maintain the calm needed as she interact with animals, colleagues, competitor's and a curious journalist. It is one of those books one doesn't want to end when it does. This reader, for one, hopes that the protagonist, and the author, have their wish fulfilled and visit chimpanzees in their natural African habitat. [Friederike Knabe]
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