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A review by lizabethstucker
Between Man and Beast: An Unlikely Explorer, the Evolution Debates, and the African Adventure That Took the Victorian World by Storm by Monte Reel
4.0
One of the biggest surprises upon joining GoodReads was the possibility of winning a chance to read a book before it is released to the public. I scrolled through a selection of books that, while probably decent enough reads, didn't catch my attention until I saw this one. It is about the search for the gorilla, a creature of myth and legend, and the man who found it, Paul Du Chaillu. It is also about the rivalries, jealousy and general nastiness of accredited scientists and naturalists toward a man who was essentially an amateur. A familiar story, but this one occurred in 1856.
This is essentially a who's who of scientists, including Charles Darwin among so many others. Du Chaillu's success in bringing a dead gorilla back from Gabon came just as Darwin's theories of evolution began to gain attention. The similarities between that animal and humans started a firestorm among scientists, both religious and non-religious.
I felt so much pity for Du Chaillu, a young man who just wanted to reinvent himself, preferably as an American. His true parentage, class, and background all were fodder for the yellow journalists of the time, aided and abetted by the men who he most wanted to be respected by. Sadly he is largely unknown today, so it is wonderful that Reel brings his story to the f
forefront of scientific history again. A man of his time and upbringing, Du Chaillu was remarkable in that he began to question much of the practices and beliefs of the time, including slavery and the natives he met and worked with during his travels.
I would seriously recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in any of the men behind some of the most important, even controversial, discoveries.
This is essentially a who's who of scientists, including Charles Darwin among so many others. Du Chaillu's success in bringing a dead gorilla back from Gabon came just as Darwin's theories of evolution began to gain attention. The similarities between that animal and humans started a firestorm among scientists, both religious and non-religious.
I felt so much pity for Du Chaillu, a young man who just wanted to reinvent himself, preferably as an American. His true parentage, class, and background all were fodder for the yellow journalists of the time, aided and abetted by the men who he most wanted to be respected by. Sadly he is largely unknown today, so it is wonderful that Reel brings his story to the f
forefront of scientific history again. A man of his time and upbringing, Du Chaillu was remarkable in that he began to question much of the practices and beliefs of the time, including slavery and the natives he met and worked with during his travels.
I would seriously recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in any of the men behind some of the most important, even controversial, discoveries.