Through a Window
My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The renowned British primatologist continues the “engrossing account” of her time among the chimpanzees of Gombe, Tanzania (Publishers Weekly).
In her classic, In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall wrote of her first ten years at Gombe. In Through a Window she continues the story, painting a more complete and vivid portrait of our closest relatives.
On the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe is a community where the principal residents are chimpanzees. Through Goodall’s eyes we watch young Figan’s relentless rise to power and old Mike’s crushing defeat. We learn how one mother rears her children to succeed and another dooms hers to failure. We witness horrifying murders, touching moments of affection, joyous births, and wrenching deaths.
As Goodall compellingly tells the story of this intimately intertwined community, we are shown human emotions stripped to their essence. In the mirror of chimpanzee life, we see ourselves reflected.
“A humbling and exalting book . . . Ranks with the great scientific achievements of the twentieth century.” —The Washington Post
“[An] absolutely smashing account . . . Thrilling, affectionate, intelligent—a classic.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Living alongside chimpanzees for decades might sound wild, but as famed anthropologist Jane Goodall shows in this autobiography, it was her purpose in life. In Through a Window, Dr. Goodall recounts her many years spent observing chimps in the forests of Gombe, Tanzania, recounting not just what she learned about them, but also what she learns from their behavior. Goodall does a formidable job distilling the emotions and social dynamics of the chimpanzees into compelling narratives of power struggles and family dramas. She shows rather than tells by painting a portrait of chimp society, from heartwarming moments like adult chimps adopting orphans to disturbing ones like a chimpanzee turning aggressive when Goodall refuses to play with him. There’s no need to be scientifically minded to get into Through a Window—anyone with even a casual interest in nature will be enraptured by this account of Goodall’s fascinating life among primates.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Her first 10 years at Gombe (Tanzania) on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika produced the classic In the Shadow of Man. A fitting successor to that work, Goodall's newest continues the saga of the chimpanzee families with an engrossing account of animal behavior. She examines the mother-child relationship, noting that young males must sever the ties in order to learn male responsibiities (patrolling, repelling intruders, searching for food). There are profiles of special individuals: Goblin, who was determined to rise to the top and stay there; Jomeo, without social ambition; Gigi, a sterile female; Melissa, mother of successful offspring. Other stories of the chimpanzees include a brutal war between troops; a gruesome affair of cannibalism; incidents of injury, death and grief. The reader gets promptly involved with the characters--they have distinct personalities. In the final chapters, Goodall turns to the plight of wild chimpanzees today (loss of habitat) and the appalling living conditions of those in captivity (including laboratory animals). An important book for students of behavior. Photos.
