Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey Dr. Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Gorillas in the Mist
Book Review: AN INCREDIBLE STORY OF AN ASTOUNDING WOMAN!
Summary: 5 Stars
The legendary story of Dian Fossey and her "Gorillas in the Mist" is, by now, well known around the world. One cannot help but read this book and be left feeling an enormous sadness for the few remaining mountain gorillas left in the world. Pouchers have all but eliminated this rare and precious species. Dian's work and memory will forever live on in the hearts of those who appreciate her determination, strength and dauntless courage in fighting for what she wholeheartedly believed in - the protection of the mountain gorillas.Fossey gave her life in speaking out for her beliefs; she was murdered, most likely by poachers, in 1985. Since then, she has proven to be both an inspiration and hero in the eyes of animal rights' activists and those who truly believe in fighting for what they believe in. The book is an extremely emotional, often turbulent, book to read especially when encountering the peaceful, loving, family-oriented nature of the gorilla and the horrendous, barbaric actions of the poachers, but it is also a compelling book lovers of the animal kingdom will not want to miss. This book is highly recommended and worth a five star plus.
Book Review: Beautiful and utterly captivating
Summary: 5 Stars
"Gorillas In The Mist" is more than just a scientific journal, it is a window into the world of nature itself. Dian Fossey paints a clear picture of her beloved mountain gorillas and brings forth her passion, through words, to save them from extinction. She went against the odds and changed the way we think about gorillas. She is a heroine in my eyes.
And to the reviewer who stated that Dian Fossey went against the laws of science by touching and becoming emotionally invovled with the gorillas, the only way that you're ever going to actually be able to really get to know something or someone is to become emotionally invovled. That's just common sense to figure that out. With that said, Gorillas In the Mist is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Book Review: Chronology askew,but leaves reader mystified
Summary: 4 Stars
Dian Fossey,author of Gorillas in the Mist uses this book to talk about her experiences researching gorillas in the wild. Starting in the year 1963 and ending in the year 1983, Fossey gives us an intimate look into her life and interactions with the mountain gorillas.The book begins by telling the story of her first experience in Africa. The reader walks away from the first chapter of the book keenly aware that this is not an average woman writing of her weekend stay with gorillas in a zoo. Here is a headstrong woman willing to go to any lengths to travel to Africa to see the majestic gorillas, a physically capable woman handling the challenging terrain of the mountains undeterred even after breaking her ankle along the treacherous path to see the gorillas.
After her first African encounter Fossey cannot wait to come back and research the gorillas for an extended period of time. She leaves the United States in 1966 and travels to the Congo to study. However,this turns into an abbreviated stay because of the wars going on in that country. She moves camp to Rwanda,where she establishes a permanent home at the Karisoke Research Centre. Her study of gorillas starts here, and she quickly finds that living in the Parc National des Volcans will be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging for her.
I was certainly ready to start reading about experiences with gorillas by the time that Fossey had gotten settled. The research at this point moves very quickly. Groups of gorillas are numbered and individuals are named. At times it became difficult to keep up with all hte names and numbers given to the gorillas; Fossey, however, does a wonderful job of keeping the reader informed of which group and which individual she is talking about.
Involved in the book is information about Fossey's life with other researchers. I was eager to read about how she overcame the language barrier between herself and the Rwandese. It was also interesting to read about thier initial trials and errors with food and locals that were recruited to help track the gorillas.
This book informs about the poaching problemin Africa. She lets the reader know that she is doing everything she can to thwart the poachers efforts at capturing the gorillas; that without support this species will be literally hunted to death. Sometimes her behavior was rash. She wrote about how she retaliated against poachers and their families. In one instance she stole a herd from a local Rwandan until she obtained information about the poachers she was looking for. Some of her tactics in stopping poaching were less than diplomatic,to put it diplomatically, she could have handled many situations differently. Clearly, however her aggression toward poachers came out of her love for gorillas.
I enjoyed reading about the entire life cycle of an individual gorilla from birth until they were sexually mature. I felt more connected with the gorillas because of this and it made me want to turn the page to find out what would happen to my favorite gorillas next. It was also fascinating to read about gorilla interactions. In many wats they are similar to humans in that the infants need a significant amount of love and support and as they grow older they fall into the typical male and female roles. The males would try to imitate their fathers whom they would eventually succeed; and the females would become very interested in infants born into the group, often playing with and grooming the new additions.
After reading several pages I was hooked and found every detail fascinating. My only criticism is that sometimes the order of events is skewed. Fossey would tell an entire story about a gorilla, then go on to talk about a time before this story unfolded. It seemed sometimes that she was putting the proverbial "cart before the horse." This made the story line at times hard to follow. Despite this stylistic shortcoming Gorrilas in the Mist is a moving story about Dian Fossey and her life with the African mountain gorillas. She was passionate about her work and her passion vividly comes through in every page.
Book Review: Chronology in the Mist
Summary: 4 Stars
The Gorillas are anywhere but in the mist in this scientific journal, about the only thing that is in the mist is the chronology of events. Fossey jumps from group to group in this book, so a gorilla who may die in the first few chapters dominates the last few, this can become confusing. The scientific/eduactional value of this book may be a little thin, especially if you have an interest in human/primate relations or physical anthropology in general. Fossey makes very few observations which could be seen as enlightening, although we do get a glimpse of a strong mammalian intelligence among this "king" of the primates.
Fosseys main focus seems to be on conservation, which is very strong in its argument, using layers upon layers of examples from the story of her experience. The environmental/humanitarian aspects of this book are arguably the strongest of her arguments and writing, unfortunately the gorillas themselves being second.
If you are looking for a biographical story of Fosseys experience in Africa, you WILL NOT like this book. The book and the movie are totally seperate entities, the only simularity they have is the area they take place in, this is not a story! You will read about none of Fosseys political power or heretical poacher patrolling (albeit her antics were justified, and somewhat entertaining in the movie).
A good read, yet definitely sluggish at times.
Book Review: Courage-love-passion
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely love this book. I have learned so much about apes, their natural habitat and lifestyle. I have learned what passion really is, and the courage it takes to do what we love. Esp. when it means offering our very lives... May we each learn to submit our wills to a higher calling.