Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo [Hardcover]

Vanessa Woods (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 27, 2010

A young woman follows her fiancé to war-torn Congo to study extremely endangered bonobo apes-who teach her a new truth about love and belonging.

In 2005, Vanessa Woods accepted a marriage proposal from a man she barely knew and agreed to join him on a research trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country reeling from a brutal decade-long war that had claimed the lives of millions. Settling in at a bonobo sanctuary in Congo's capital, Vanessa and her fiancé entered the world of a rare ape with whom we share 98.7 percent of our DNA. She soon discovered that many of the inhabitants of the sanctuary-ape and human alike-are refugees from unspeakable violence, yet bonobos live in a peaceful society in which females are in charge, war is nonexistent, and sex is as common and friendly as a handshake.

A fascinating memoir of hope and adventure, Bonobo Handshake traces Vanessa's self-discovery as she finds herself falling deeply in love with her husband, the apes, and her new surroundings while probing life's greatest question: What ultimately makes us human? Courageous and extraordinary, this true story of revelation and transformation in a fragile corner of Africa is about looking past the differences between animals and ourselves, and finding in them the same extraordinary courage and will to survive. For Vanessa, it is about finding her own path as a writer and scientist, falling in love, and finding a home.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Devoted to learning more about bonobos, a smaller, more peaceable species of primate than chimpanzees, and lesser known, Australian journalist Woods and her fiancé, scientist Brian Hare, conducted research in the bonobos' only known habitat—civil war–torn Congo. Woods's plainspoken, unadorned account traces the couple's work at Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary, located outside Kinshasa in the 75-acre forested grounds of what was once Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's weekend retreat. The sanctuary, founded in 1994 and run by French activist Claudine André, served as an orphanage for baby bonobos, left for dead after their parents had been hunted for bush meat; the sanctuary healed and nurtured them (assigning each a human caretaker called a mama), with the aim of reintroducing the animals to the wild. Hare had only previously conducted research on the more warlike, male-dominated chimpanzee, and needed Woods because she spoke French and won the animals' trust; through their daily work, the couple witnessed with astonishment how the matriarchal bonobo society cooperated nicely using frequent sex, and could even inspire human behavior. When Woods describes her daily interaction with the bonobos, her account takes on a warm charm. Woods's personable, accessible work about bonobos elucidates the marvelous intelligence and tolerance of this gentle cousin to humans. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Woods was an Australian primate lover, flitting from job to job while she tried to decide what to do with her life. Brian Hare was a newly minted American PhD. They met at a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda, fell in love, and a year later were on a plane to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had suffered a decade-long war, fought over its vast resources of diamonds, gold, cobalt, and other minerals, and in which more than five million died. The human suffering had fostered a rise in the bush-meat trade, and one of the prime targets was bonobos, the “other” chimpanzee. The story of Woods’ and Hare’s research at the only bonobo sanctuary in the world mixes the intimacy of memoir with the science of behavioral research. As Woods comes to know her new husband, she also begins to know the resident bonobos. Bonobos share, use sex to settle arguments, and possess almost 99 percent of our DNA. This mostly joyous book is not afraid to talk about the terrible recent history of the Congo, but ultimately it comes down on the side of hope—for the Congo and the bonobos. --Nancy Bent

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; First Edition edition (May 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592405460
• ISBN-13: 978-1592405466
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #695,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Apes & Monkeys

More About the Author

Vanessa Woods is a New York Times Bestselling author, researcher and journalist.

She is the author of the New York Times Bestseller The Genius of Dogs (Dutton 2013), and Bonobo Handshake (Gotham 2010), which won the Thomas Lowell Award for non fiction.

In 2007, Vanessa's children's book, It's True: Space Turns you into Spaghetti, won the Acclaimed Book award from the Royal Society. In 2005, Vanessa won the Australasian Science award for journalism.

Vanessa's other titles include Headstarts: 100 tips for raising clever, confident, creative kids (2011), It's Every Monkey for Themselves (2007), It's True: pirates ate rats (2007), and It's True: there are bugs in your bed (2004).

Her books have been published in 12 languages.

Vanessa has written hundreds of popular science articles and has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, National Geographic, New Scientist and BBC Wildlife.

Currently a Research Scientist at Duke University, since 2005, Vanessa has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo studying bonobos, and the People's Republic of Congo studying chimpanzees. Vanessa is interested in comparing the cognition of bonobos and chimpanzees, and learning what bonobos can tell us about becoming a more peaceful species.

Vanessa is also the co-founder of www.dognition.com, a website that involves the community in citizen science by evaluating and comparing the cognition of dogs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous - interesting and engaging May 31, 2010

By Texas_reader

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is fabulous! I got it last week and couldn't put it down - the first page grabbed me and the subsequent ones kept hold of me until I reached the back cover.

Bonobo Handshake is a wonderful mix of story-telling, science, and history melded together to become an engaging memoir. A lot of non-fiction falls into the "dry" category for me, but this book was anything but stodgy. I was able to learn while being entertained - literally laughing and tearing up at different parts of the story - about not only bonobos and chimps but also the DR of Congo, which had previously only existed for me via bloody images on the news.

While I'd hesitate in recommending it to my friend's kids (they're pretty young - I'm not sure I'd be up for explaining the "handshake" to them), I'd DEFINITELY add this to any of my friend's reading lists. FABULOUS!

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A shocking and heart-wrenching book May 27, 2010

By Jacqueline Leong

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This rare ability to combine three strong writing themes - politics, science and raw personal history - has never been so beautifully exhibited as in this memoir. The book leaves a reader breathless, with so much to absorb, so much to learn, so much to lament. It is a courageous book that gives us hope, hope that non-violence in the word 'humanity' is there for us to achieve.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for writing this book! June 2, 2010

By Margaret L. Spilker

Format:Hardcover

Dear Vanessa Woods, I've never written to an author before, but I just HAD to when I finished your book, The Bonobo Handshake. Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this book! I read a lot of nonfiction, and have long held a fascination for bonobos. This book was a perfect read for a lay person like myself and I learned so incredibly much from it. There aren't many books out there about bonobos, but the way you combine their story with your personal story, and with the huge story that is Congo in Africa is just so impressive and informative. I will now be on the lookout for anything else you write as I do for my favorite authors that include Carl Safina, Rick Bass, Sy Montgomery, Doug Chadwick, Bernd Heinrich, etc.

I will share this book and its story with everyone and look forward to seeing you and your husband's name in print again and will do my best to support the bonobos. Best of luck with all the great work you and everyone in the book are doing!!
Sincerely,
Margaret