Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creating Empathy for the Helpless and Unfortunate ..., June 19, 2008
Debbie Lee Wesselmann provides a spell binding novel which sheds light on the precarious plight of chimpanzees which are raised in captivity and after having served the purpose of humans their lives are left in limbo. In a world concerned with saving our planet by going green, decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from gas-guzzling automobiles to keep our air cleaner and prevent global warming from destroying everything - here is another cause which deserves our attention and support with economic resources. The book is written with sensitivity, compassion, and knowledge about the lives of chimpanzees in captivity. It is a superbly written highly original novel which combines adventure, romance, and human interest, maintaining the reader's attention from start to finish.
Essentially, the book is about the scientist, Dr. Dana Armstrong, Director of the South Carolina Primate Project and her attempts to keep afloat the sanctuary which serves as home to chimpanzees who have been discarded after being involuntary participants in scientific experiments at labs or residents at zoos which have closed. The major problem she is facing is how to convince the University president and a major donor that her facility is a safe place for the animals and is not a threat to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there was a break-in at the sanctuary and the animals were freed because someone obtained a key and simply opened up the cages, letting the animals roam about the offices, sanctuary and beyond, into the nearby family neighborhood.
Dana, Andy, the vet for the animals, Mary one of the research associates and graduate students helped round up the missing animals - all except one - the most dangerous, named Benji. Benji had been owned by a cruel animal trainer and had unpredicatable behavior as a result. Dana had to call the local sheriff to help find him and she had to admit Benji could be dangerous. Sadly, when Benji was found - he was dead, having been hit by a car. It caused Dana much grief because it reminded her of Annie, a chimp with whom she was raised as a child. The chimp came into their household as an experiment by her psychologist father, who wanted it treated as a family member. Annie was taken away after an unfortunate incident occurred to Dana. Annie was supposed to have gone to a lab for experiments but the trail as to what really happened to her led to a dead-end. No one knows whether Annie was alive or dead. No one knows what kind of experiments were performed on Annie. This incident haunted Dana ...
Unexpectedly, a free lance reporter Sam Wendt entered Dana's life. He threw her world upside down. Initially, he asked questions about the experiment led by her father, regarding teaching chimps the use of language. Later, after learning about the break-in and delving deeply into the politics of animal research and competition for funding, Sam became a willing accomplice in her quest to save the chimps and discover who was behind this disastrous event. The author deftly connects a haunting past event in Dana's life to her present predicament, where her qualifications to lead and direct this sanctuary are being seriously questioned. The reader will learn much about the sad circumstances which surround the lives of these most endearing animals, chimpanzees. Most readers will empathize with their condition and be hooked on this story where the goal is to keep this non-threatening primate sanctuary thriving and maintain the safety of its residents. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"We are not a zoo. Our sole reason for existing is to enrich stunted lives.", February 3, 2008
Debbie Lee Wesselmann's "Captivity" is an engrossing novel about a primatologist's crusade to rescue and nurture abused chimpanzees. Dr. Dana Armstrong is a brilliant scientist who has devoted her life to the South Carolina Primate Project sanctuary. This is a safe haven for captive chimpanzees that was conceived by Henry and Eileen Murray, a pair of wealthy philanthropists. Dana's mission is to take chimps "most damaged by human whim and to introduce them to the complexities of social groups...." Along with her colleague, Mary Nakagawa, and a corps of graduate students, Dana helps mentally and/or physically damaged chimpanzees by providing them with good food, giving them access to fresh air and exercise, and teaching them how to interact with other members of their species. Thanks to grants, congressional funding, and the financial support of generous donors, Dana has thus far been able to keep the sanctuary fiscally solvent.
Unfortunately, all that Dana has labored for is endangered when an intruder gains access to the sanctuary and releases the chimpanzees. Could this have been the act of misguided animal liberators or was the responsible party someone with a hidden agenda? No matter who freed the animals, the break-in creates a public relations nightmare for the SCPP. Questions are raised about Armstrong's competence and the threat that the chimpanzees might pose to the surrounding community.
Dana Armstrong did not stumble into the study of primates by accident. When she was a little girl, her father, Reginald Armstrong, brought a baby chimp named Annie into his home as part of an experiment. Armstrong was a psychology professor at the University of Oklahoma, who used his daughter, Dana and her younger brother, Zach, as participants in a study of the linguistic abilities of primates. The children became as attached to Annie as they would have been to a human sibling. When Annie was eventually sent away, Dana was regretful and sad but Zach was absolutely devastated. This traumatic experience marked both youngsters for life. While Dana went on to champion the welfare of primates with missionary zeal, Zach grew into an immature and irresponsible adult who experimented with drugs and got into trouble with the law. Over the years, he has taken advantage of his empathetic sister by dropping into her home unannounced whenever he needs something to eat and a place to stay.
Wesselmann has created a cast of beautifully defined characters: Dana is a strong and confident woman who, since her divorce six years ago, has been obsessed with her job. Since she never allows herself to get involved with anyone romantically, she sometimes feels lonely when she comes home to an empty house. Mary shares Dana's dedication to the chimps' welfare, but she is also concerned with the needs of her husband and her desire to have a child. Samuel Wendt is a freelance journalist who has been interviewing the families that were involved in the chimpanzee language studies of the sixties and seventies. Initially, Dana is deeply distrustful of Wendt's motives. However, as she gets to know him better, she gradually begins to open up to him. Zach is a drifter, an impulsive and immature man/child who acts first and thinks later, much to Dana's consternation. The villain of the piece is a former colleague of Reginald Armstrong named Dick Lamier, who is out to destroy Dana and take over the SCPP.
"Captivity" is about making tough choices, taking responsibility for one's actions, the dark undercurrents that characterize dysfunctional families, and the importance of having the courage to stand up for one's beliefs. Wesselmann skillfully presents chimpanzees not just as intelligent creatures who are capable of meaningful communication, but also as fun-loving and emotional beings who are able to give and receive love. The author drives home the idea that chimpanzees are more similar to humans than most of us realize. In addition, she compassionately addresses the plight of chimpanzees who were born in captivity and managed to survive mistreatment and experimentation. "Captivity" is a literate and meticulously researched work of fiction that is both enlightening and richly entertaining.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To Enhance the Human Condition, February 1, 2008
"For the most part, nonhuman primates are research subjects because they are so similar to humans, and the principal reason for this similarity is simple: humans *are* primates. Current ideas are that the first primates appeared more than 60 million years ago. In contrast, the common ancestor of humans and African apes lived only about 5-8 million years ago; so, for more than 50 million years, humans and the African apes have shared primate ancestry. Shared ancestry is a major reason why human and nonhuman primates have many characteristics in common -- tool use, long-lasting social relationships, and complex communication systems. By learning about nonhuman primates we may come to learn more about ourselves." American Society of Primatologists
"Captivity is the state of being confined to a space from which it is difficult or impossible to escape" Wikipedia. Debbie Lee Wesselmann has written a provocative novel that begins to unlock the secrets of and enhance the human condition. By understanding the Chimpanzee, the nonhuman, of our own kind we are on the way to learning about ourselves. Why is it that we keep our beloved kind behind cages? What is it about our thinking and behavior that thinks keeping primates locked up is the safest aspect of our society?
Dana Armstrong is the Director of a Chimpanzee Sanctuary in South Carolina. She has a familial history of living with a chimp as a child. And just as suddenly as Annie was brought into her life, Annie was removed. Dana has searched her entire life for Annie and in doing so found her avocation as a primatologist. She is teaching rescued chimps to live with one another and is able to study their behaviors. At some point someone has sabotaged her sanctuary and has released the chimps. This is not only dangerous for the chimps but for the society. Some of the chimps carry diseases from their medical captivity. Dana must find the perpetrator and fight to keep her sanctuary open. The mystery deepens once we begin to delve into Dana's life, and the people she loves, lives and works with are opened for inspection. Dana Armstrong and her story are but just an acorn in the deep forest of the primate world. Debbie Wesselmann has opened a page for us to peer into and learn about the wonder of primates.
Monkeys, chimps and apes are not meant to be pets. They are intelligent, autonomous, thinking, feeling beings that do not belong in cages and strongly resist captivity. There are many primate sanctuaries in the United States and one of their goals is to promote research and understanding of primates. The New England Primate Sanctuary in Winthrop, Ma tells us that "There are few data available regarding the number of captive primates in the US. Here's what we do know about the numbers imported into the US annually: 164,138¹ primates were imported into the United States between 1995 and 2005. The most common destination is research. This statistic reflects imports only and does not represent the numbers bred in the US for research, trade, zoo exhibits and entertainment." The delicate balance of nature depends upon the survival of diverse plants and animals. We are part of this natural cycle, and it is up to us to assist the delicate balance. Annie, the beloved chimp of Dana and her Sanctuary friend's, Benji, Kitabu, Barfu, Lesbina and Sifongo, are a sign of our humanity and how we treat our own.
Kudos to Debbie Lee Wesselmann for this captivating novel. It was a novel difficult to put down, and at the same time so stimulating I had to know more. I have become a member of the New England Sanctuary and hope to visit my friends soon. Wesselmann's love of the written word is very evident in her savvy and precise writing. I was struck that Debbie Wesselmann wants to leave us all with an intelligent insight into the world of our nonhuman counterparts.
Highly Recommended. prisrob 02-01-08
Biography - Wesselmann, Debbie Lee (1959-): An article from: Contemporary Authors
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