The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China's Most Exotic Animal
by Vicki Croke
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vicki CrokeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-06-13
ISBN: 0375759700
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Reviews of The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China's Most Exotic Animal
Book Review: ------Amazing adventure story------
Summary: 5 Stars
Although, a little slow to start, this book took off and became a fascinating read. It's the true story of Ruth Harkness, a sophisticated New York dress designer. Ruth's husband, Bill was from a wealthy family which enabled him to live the life of an adventurer. His desire was to bring a giant panda back from China. He ventured out early in their marriage and headed for China. Unfortunately, Bill became ill on his trip and died in China. This story is how Ruth adopted Bill's dream and had her own expeditions to China in search of the illusive panda.
When Ruth took on her on first adventure, she initially received very little support from the big game hunters of that time period. Many of those men had been friends of her husband, but it was unheard of for a woman to make such a difficult journey. Of course, Ruth persevered and came back with a Su Lin, a baby panda. Ruth Harness was a smart and fascinating woman! The love and care that she gave Su Lin is what kept the panda alive.
The search for the pandas was in many ways horrible because they were difficult to locate and capture. It wasn`t uncommon for a hunter to just shoot one and bring back it's hide for a natural history museum. The habits and life of the panda were unknown and many of those beautiful animals died shortly after they were captured. This was due to the fact that the conditions with which they were kept and the food they were given to eat wasn't acceptable to their bodies. Also, the competition to bring a panda out of China was so great, that many of the "so-called" experts were just hunters who wanted fame and fortune and had no concern at all for the wildlife that they sought. Unfortunately, many pandas died in their cages before ever leaving China.
Besides the basic story, the author gives us some history of China, its people and terrain. On many levels, this is an unforgettable story.
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