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Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds
 
 
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Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds [Paperback]

Joy Adamson (Author), George Page (Introduction)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Book Description

There have been many accounts of the return to the wild of tame animals, but since its original publication in 1960, when the New York Times hailed it as a "fascinating and remarkable book," Born Free has stood alone in its power to move us.

Joy Adamson's story of a lion cub in transition between the captivity in which she is raised and the fearsome wild to which she is returned captures the abilities of both humans and animals to cross the seemingly unbridgeable gap between their radically different worlds. Especially now, at a time when the sanctity of the wild and its inhabitants is increasingly threatened by human development and natural disaster, Adamson's remarkable tale is an idyll, and a model, to return to again and again.

Illustrated with the same beautiful, evocative photographs that first enchanted the world forty years ago and updated with a new introduction by George Page, former host and executive editor of the PBS series Nature and author of Inside the Animal Mind, this anniversary edition introduces to a new generation one of the most heartwarming associations between man and animal.

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Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds + Born Free + Nature: Elsa's Legacy: The Born Free Story
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First published in 1960 and closely followed by a hit movie of the same name, Joy Adamson's now classic memoir Born Free continues to introduce countless young people to the wildlife of Africa. Adamson recounts her adventures as the surrogate mother of an orphaned lion cub named Elsa (with parenting duties shared by her husband George and by a delightfully imperturbable rock hyrax named Pati), whom she raised as a welcome member of her human and animal family while painstakingly teaching Elsa the skills she would need to survive in the wild. Her teaching, against all odds, was effective: three years later, the Adamsons took Elsa to a place near that of her birth and set her loose, hoping that she would find her "real pride" among other lions of the Kenya grasslands--as she soon did.

Long targeted to preteen readers, Born Free is in fact a sophisticated work of environmental consciousness-raising, for Joy Adamson believed that any relationship between humans and wild animals had to be conditioned by an attitude "of absolute equality quite different from that between a dog and his master." Although Elsa's story had an ultimately tragic ending--the young lioness died of disease and, in separate incidents, Joy and George Adamson were both murdered--Joy Adamson's book continues to instruct and entertain readers of all ages. --Gregory McNamee

Review

"Moving and incredible, [with] some of the most extraordinary photographs ever seen."
--The New York Times

"Elsa and the Adamsons are ideal figures in a peaceable kingdom."
--The New Yorker

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Pantheon; Anniversary edition (May 16, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375714383
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375714382
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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 (16)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Born Free - Well worth reading!, January 26, 2001
This review is from: Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds (Paperback)
When I was a child, Born Free had been recently published and made into a movie. I must have read the book twenty times, and it has had a lifelong impact on me.

Joy Adamson captures not only Elsa's story, but the Adamson's love of Africa, the people,the animals, the land itself. Through Born Free I learned of the complex personalities and emotions that animals have, just as we do. I learned that there are many ways to live your life - a job, a family and a suburb are not the only options.

Through the difficulty the Adamson's had in finding a suitable wild home for Elsa, that I learned that the world is under tremendous pressure from human expansion, and became conscious of our responsiblity to ensure survival for creatures who cannot speak to defend themselves against our incursions.

Born Free is sometimes treated as a children's book - as though that were some reflection of diminished quality. But the ideas and values I absorbed as a girl from Joy and George Adamson, from Elsa and her cubs, were complex and important -- they have been with me my whole life.

And I would bet that dozens of notable careers in wildlife preservation, ecological studies, veterinary medicine and zoology, were inspired by a visit to the movies one afternoon to see the story of Elsa, or by a dogeared library copy of Born Free with it's bright yellow jacket.

This is a wonderful, captivating book, which can be read for simple enjoyment. But I also hope that it touches people as deeply it touched me, and engenders some interest and concern -- if not active help -- for the tremendous difficulties the people and wildlife of Africa are facing today.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars THE CLASSIC TRUE LIFE ADVENTURE, May 4, 2006
By 
This review is from: Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds (Paperback)
Animals have always been a favorite topic of mine, but as a young person who just happened to find a copy of this book some 39 years ago, with the cover torn off, I consider it one of the great discoveries of my life. It was summertime, and I was headed to the 7th grade. I wasn't much of a reader until that momentous day. The story of Elsa and the Adamsons totally transported me to another place, and many wondrous adventures in Africa. Due much to this book, I now am a voracious reader. The story is heartwarming, and is the reason I insisted my 7th grade son read it for his current book report.

Whether you're 9 or 99, Elsa's antics and her loving bond with Joy and George will capture your heart. I guarantee it. And with Africa's Lion population dwindling to probably less than 30,000 today, I can't think of a more timely book, in honour of conserving their remaining habitat. Especially when one considers that Africa had over 100,000 Lions when I first read it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for all ages!, July 22, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds (Paperback)
This is a wonderful story that crosses all generations. It is a story of triumph and discovery of a species. I would recommend everyone read all of her animal story books. She has contributed a great deal to knowledge of these animals and conservation of wildlife.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
FOR many years my home has been in the Northern Frontier Province of Kenya, that vast stretch of semiarid thornbush, covering some hundred and twenty thousand square miles, which extends from Mount Kenya to the Abyssinian border. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wild lioness, rubbing her head, thorn fence, gun bearer
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Land Rover, Lake Rudolf, Game Scouts, North Horr, Uaso Nyiro River
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