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Vanessa Woods

Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo Hardcover – May 27, 2010

by Vanessa Woods (Author)

4.6 196 ratings

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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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Print length

278 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Gotham
Publication date

May 27, 2010
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

5.76 x 1.09 x 8.54 inches
ISBN-10

1592405460
ISBN-13

978-1592405466
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Lowest Pricein this set of productsThis item:
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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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gotham; First Edition (May 27, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1592405460
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1592405466
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.76 x 1.09 x 8.54 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #183 in Biology of Apes & Monkeys
- #44,254 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 196 ratings

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Vanessa Woods
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Vanessa Woods is the Director of the Duke Puppy Kindergarten and an award winning author and journalist. Her memoir Bonobo Handshake (June 2010), won the Thomas Lowell award for non-fiction, and her children’s book It’s True! Space turns you into spaghetti won the acclaimed book award from The Royal Society in 2007.
Woods has written for various publications including the Wall Street Journal, BBC Wildlife, New Scientist, and the New York Times. In 2003, she won the Australasian Science award for journalism.
Hare and Woods are married and live in North Carolina. Their book The Genius of Dogs, was a New York Times Bestseller. Their upcoming book Survival of the Friendliest will be released summer of 2020.
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

196 global ratings

5 star		76%
4 star		14%
3 star		5%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Sheril Kirshenbaum

Bonobo Handshake: A Review

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 24, 2010

Verified Purchase

I begin with a full disclosure: Vanessa Woods is one of my very best friends. I love spending time with her because she's insightful, outrageous, brilliant, and funny. And I can sincerely say I love her new memoir, Bonobo Handshake for the very same reasons. But most of all, I'm recommending this book because it's so important.

At the start of Bonobo Handshake, we're introduced to Vanessa as she sets off rather haphazardly on an adventure to Africa with her new husband, Duke anthropologist Brian Hare. By the end, she-and we-are not the same. Woven in between is a beautiful and complex narrative about people and other primates that slowly unravels what's really at stake.

There were times I laughed out loud reading about the challenges of working with a species that-yes-famously approaches sex as easily as humans would a handshake. But there is a lot more to bonobos than their sexual behavior. Just as Jane Goodall documented the unforgettable antics of chimpanzees like Flossie and David Greybeard, Vanessa brings us into the world of `Empress' Mimi, mischievous and lovable Malou, and my favorite bonobo of all, sweet little Lodja. It's easy to fall in love with all of them as you're both charmed and heartbroken along the way.

That's only one part of a very complex story. Bonobo Handshake also exposes a very tragic side of Congo. Throughout the book, Vanessa shares devastating personal accounts of war, murder, rape, and torture. She gives voice to people who are often forgotten and need desperately to be heard. You also realize how they are connected to all of us through our politics, as well as the limited resources that power our technologies. In other words, we are part of the story.

I could go on and on about why I feel this memoir is so powerful and how it finally brought Congo to life for me in a way that all of the detached TV news stories over the years could never do. Or about how I'm inspired by heroes like Claudine Andre, who sacrifice so much to make the world a better place. Or about how incredibly well Bonobo Handshake succeeds in covering such a heavy topic, while providing reasons for hope. And of course, how much I admire Vanessa for her courage, independence, and compassion. I could do all of those things, but I'd still have much more to say...

Instead, I'll keep it simple: I love this book. Go read it.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Idarah

You'll go APE over this book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

"If I have learned one thing from Congo, it is this: If there are those you love, whoever or wherever they are, hold them. Find them and hold them as tightly as you can. Resist their squirming and impatience and uncomfortable laughter and just feel their hearts throbbing against yours and give thanks that for this moment, for this one precious moment, they are here.They are with you. And they know they are utterly, completely, entirely ... Loved." – Vanessa Woods

I go bananas for apes, so it's no surprise that I fell in love with this book! Woods stumbles into the world of Bonobos accidently when she meets her husband, Brian. Bonobos live in the the shadow of their close cousins, the chimpanzees, and can only be found in the jungles of Congo. Their peaceful and accepting way of life is worthy of emmulation, especially in a country where violence, war and death are a way of life.
"LOLA YA BONOBO is the only bonobo sanctuary in the world. More than sixty orphans live in a seventy-five-acre forest just outside of Kinshasa...All ape sanctuaries, including Lola, exist because of the bushmeat trade. In many African countries, where livestock is scarce and expensive, the easiest way to get protein is to shoot it."

While Woods assists her husband with his psychology study and tests of the Bonobos at LOLA, she finds herself immersed in the stories of the sanctuary staff, the adult Bonobos, and the orphans that keep streaming in after being rescued from wildlife traders. It's a heartbreaking read at times, but I loved how Woods made the story as light-hearted as she could. She invites the reader into her marriage and heart, and I am so grateful for the awareness that this book raises about the plight of this loving primate. I feel motivated to get my ape on once again. I'll have to scour my shelves for another book about apes because their world is one I love to lose myself in!

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Top reviews from other countries

Robert John

Great partnership

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

She is an expressive writer with a Aussie bent for being forthright.
He is clearly a top class researcher.
Together the reader gets an excellent book telling of the remarkable people who provide for this amazing primate.
If Douglas Adams were writing Hitch-hikers Guide today he might well say ‘So long, and thanks for all the Granny Smiths’. And the Bonobos would set off for a happier place.

Nicola A

Highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 4, 2010

Verified Purchase

I agree with all the other reviews so far that have all given this book 5 out of 5. Where do I start - brilliantly written in a way that lets you really engage with the author, you learn about a species most people have never heard of - bonobos and about the conflicts in the DRC both now and in the past. I couldn't put this book down and enjoyed every minute of it - it was so interesting hearing stories from some of the people she worked with that had seen first hand the war in Congo, it is scary what is happening out there. I loved reading about Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary (the only Bonobo Sanctuary with the aim to release them back into the wild) and all the different orphans and their different personalities. Vanessa explains the real deal of life at the sancuary, the hard work, danger but why it is all so worth it. She has now set up a website to help the sanctuary raise funds and donations. Anyone with a love of animals or an open mind - read it!

3 people found this helpful

Kristian

Fantastic read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

Like a novel, written with style. A great, personal, true adventure story chronicling the DR Congo's traumatic war as well as the amazing Bonobo, and Lola y Bonobo.

Mrs barbara Fordham

Not got for a child

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very disappointed, not about bonobos did not appreciate the bad language.. I would not give it to a child..

Mrs. J. M. Dalby

Two Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

in good condition as stated and came in allotted time. the story does not explain itself very well.

See all reviews

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