Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo Hardcover - 2010
by Vanessa Woods
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.
Summary
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.
Details
- Title Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
- Author Vanessa Woods
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition First Edition
- Pages 278
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Gotham Books, New York
- Date 2010-05-27
- Illustrated Yes
- ISBN 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Weight 0.99 lbs (0.45 kg)
- Dimensions 8.3 x 5.74 x 1.08 in (21.08 x 14.58 x 2.74 cm)
- Ages 18 to UP years
- Grade levels 13 - UP
- Library of Congress subjects Bonobo - Behavior - Congo (Democratic, Bonobo - Congo (Democratic Republic)
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2009040721
- Dewey Decimal Code B
Media reviews
More Copies for Sale
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Woods, Vanessa
- Used
- Very Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 3
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
$2.77$11.11 shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Vanessa Woods
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good - Cash
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bountiful, Utah, United States
- Item Price
-
$4.00$5.75 shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake : A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Woods, Vanessa
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.00FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake : A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Woods, Vanessa
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.70FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake : A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Vanessa Woods
- Used
- Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.75FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake : A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Vanessa Woods
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.75FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Woods, Vanessa
- Used
- Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.75FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Woods, Vanessa
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
New Castle, Colorado, United States
- Item Price
-
$7.55$5.50 shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Vanessa Woods
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used: Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$8.55FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo
by Woods, Vanessa
- New
- Hardcover
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781592405466 / 1592405460
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Kingwood, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$14.38FREE shipping to USA