Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo [Paperback]

Birute M. F. Galdikas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

From the first, it was an adventure. In 1971, at age twenty-five, Galdikas left the placid world of American academia for the remote jungles of Indonesian Borneo. Living with her husband in a primitive camp, she became surrogate mother to a "family" of ex-captive orangutans - and gradually adjusted to the blood-sucking leeches, swarms of carnivorous insects, and constant humidity that rotted her belongings in the first year. Her first son spent the early years of his life at Camp Leakey with adopted orangutans as his only playmates. The wild orangutans Galdikas studied and the ex-captives she rehabilitated became an extended family of characters no less vivid than her human companions. Throatpouch, a huge and irritable grouch, fought off rivals for the right to claim adolescent Priscilla as his mate. Handsome Cara at first tried to rid the forest of its human intruder by hurling dead branches at Galdikas from the canopy above. Little Sugito, rescued from a cramped cage and returned to the jungle claimed Galdikas as his mother and clung to her fiercely, night and day, for months. A groundbreaking chronicler of the orangutans' life cycle, Galdikas also describes the threats that increasingly menace them: the battles with poachers and loggers, the illicit trade in infant orangutans, the frustrations of official bureaucracy. Her story is a rare combination of personal epiphany, crucial scientific discovery, and international impact - a life of human and environmental challenge. Reflections of Eden is the third act of a drama that has captivated the world: the story of a pioneering primatologist, a world leader in conservation, and a remarkable woman.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Primatologist Galdikas's memoir of her years spent conducting the first extended study of the life of orangutans in the wild.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Until now, fans of primatologist Galdikas had to make do with brief accounts of her life and work in books such as Evelyn Gallardo's Among the Orangutans (Chronicle, 1993) and Sy Montgomery's Walking with the Great Apes (LJ 2/1/91). Galdikas, along with Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, was recruited by Louis Leaky to conduct long-term field studies of the great apes, in her case orangutans. While not as famous (or notorious) as her colleagues, Galdikas has been a phenomenal success in both her scientific studies and the conservation of orangutans. She also became immersed in Indonesian culture, marrying and raising children with a native Bornean. This book is a wonderful account of both her scientific work and personal experiences with a harsh environment, the loss of beloved orangutans, and the end of her first marriage to Canadian Rod Brindamour. Her humanity, courage, and dedication shine on every page. Highly recommended for all libraries, this book will inspire young scientists and enthrall anyone interested in orangutans and the rigors of modern field research.
--Beth Clewis, Prince William P.L., Va.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316301868
• ISBN-13: 978-0316301862
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Apes & Monkeys

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lifestory of an American woman dedicated to Orang Oetans, November 24, 1999

By 

Erik Scheffers - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo (Paperback)

Unlike the two other primate researchers Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey I had never heard of Galdikas when I found this book a few days ago in the bookshop. Galdikas describes in this book more than 20 years of her life with the Orang Oetans in a nature reserve in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The story is an very enyoable read and tells a lot about the way Orang Oetans live. Instead of viewing all Orang Oetans as similar she describes a lot of different individuals. She's not only studying the Orang Oetans but also tries to free captivated Orang Oetans and tries to relocate them in the reserve. The story is very well written and also very well translated in Dutch. I'm looking forward to read the books by Fossey and Goodall.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a Fascinating woman and a Fascinating book, January 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo (Paperback)

Louis Leaky hand-picked three women to conduct studies of primates in their natural habitats. Jane Goodall was sent to study chimps in Gombe, Dianne Fossy: Gorillas in Zaire, and finally Birute Galdikas was sent to Borneo to study orangutans. Having read the work of all three remarkable women, Reflections of Eden stands out as one of the more well-written and engrossing books. Whether or not you are interested in primates, I would recommend this book as a story of one woman's determination and personal development in the face of daunting challenges.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leakey's third "angel", May 6, 2002

By 

"michaeleve" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo (Paperback)

The other two "angels" on their mission of Great Ape rescue were of course Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey who studied respectively Chimpanzee's and Mountain Gorillas.(Fossey we know died for her cause). Birute Galdikas started later than the others (1971) and her Great Ape - Orangutans - were also less known and in some respects, less regarded than the others.

Does Galdikas' work in Borneo and her story in REFLECTIONS OF EDEN remedy this oversight? Only somewhat as this book is as much an autobiography as it is a natural history of the "men of the forest". Galdikas' affection for her mentor Louis Leakey is obvious as is her fondness for her fellow primatologists. "Dian, Jane Goodall, and I were family. Louis Leakey had recognized us as kindred souls and become our spiritual father." This connectedness she felt extended to the mystical. When Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 Galdikas tells us "even before I learned of her death, I knew Dian would be killed, I knew this was her destiny."

It should not be a surprise to read here that a scientist that feels this way will express a high degree of passion about her subjects. All three of these primatologists at different times have talked about "my apes" and this attachment is certainly reciprocated by the Orangutans. Galdikas tells about Sugito an orphaned young male "who selected me as his one and only, his mother". Orangs are the most arboreal and reclusive of the Great Apes and this naturally provides a challenge to studying them. Galdikas has nevertheless learned more about their social behavior than any other researcher. She mixes these insights in with her own life in the jungle at "Camp Leakey" and with life in Indonesia as a whole. In this context Galdikas even recognizes that for a Third World country like Indonesia, conserving and rehabilitating the Orangutans is yet just another priority that they must effectively juggle with. With this book she continues to encourage both them and us to care.