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Dr. Sapolsky with one of his favorite baboons
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Easily, one of the best books I have
ever read so far.
Dr.Sapolsky is a
great writer, in addition to being an extraordinary primatologist and
scientist. His book A
Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life among the Baboons is a class act and should be read
by any nature or animal lover.
Even though Dr.Sapolsky has been a big
fan of Mountain Gorillas since his childhood, his academic pursuits forced him
to choose a different species as the subject of his studies.
The book chronicles not only his work
on baboons, but also his cultural experiences in Africa. He has a sharp sense
of humor and is quite liberal in using it while writing this book. The
resulting work is one of the funniest books I have ever read. And to top it,
one will never find this book in the humor section of any bookstore (online or
otherwise).
Click on the link below to buy the book:
Dr. Sapolsky has been spending few months every year (for the past 3 decades) with a group of wild baboons in Africa study the sources of stress among the baboons. He discovered that baboons suffer similar psychological and social tumult created by their own species, very similar to humans.
Dr. Sapolsky has been spending few months every year (for the past 3 decades) with a group of wild baboons in Africa study the sources of stress among the baboons. He discovered that baboons suffer similar psychological and social tumult created by their own species, very similar to humans.
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| A baboon's canines are bigger than those of a lion! |
But baboons are not the only ones to
receive Sapolsky's attention. His assistants, Richard
and Samwelly are only a few of the humans Dr.
Sapolsky dwells on in great detail in this book.
There are numerous occasions on which
the author comes close to getting killed, in his scientific pursuits. He hikes
rides on Lorries, vans, jeeps among other types of land transportation and
these journeys are some of the most amusing accounts of road trips put on
paper. His descriptions of the various scams perpetrated by the corrupt
officials on unsuspecting foreigners/tourists are by themselves worth the price
of the book.
Finally, the book details the lives of
the baboons as only the author can. As one of the world’s foremost authorities
on baboons, Dr. Sapolsky’s book is an eye-opener for anyone who has not had the
chance to appreciate the complex yet emotionally rich lives of these primates.
Some of Dr. Sapolsky’s favorite baboons include Saul, Joshua and Benjamin. The final scene in the book is that of Dr. Sapolsky, his wife and Joshua eating cookies and enjoying the beauty of nature. Truly a fitting end to a timeless masterpiece from a peerless writer.
Dr.Sapolsky and his work is also
featured in the National Geographic Documentary Stress - Portrait of a Killer.
Click here to visit the official website for
the documentary.
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