A review by arnizach
Between Man and Beast: An Unlikely Explorer, the Evolution Debates, and the African Adventure That Took the Victorian World by Storm by Monte Reel

5.0

A compulsive read! Reel masterfully weaves together a very complete portrait of both a deeply sympathetic and intriguing man, but also of a time that is no longer: Where there still were places on this Earth genuinely mysterious and unknown, where men could forge for themselves mythic legacies of bravery and discovery. Paul du Chaillu was such a man. Coming from humble beginnings, he was a genuinely self-made man - a remarkable feat in his time, characterised as it was by overt class and race snobbery, du Chaillu accomplished this through a staggering amount of inner strength and force of character. Following his story I found myself growing truly fond of the man and I was rooting for him throughout his remarkable journey(s). The story centres around the beast, the gorilla, but is ultimately about humanity - at its best and at its worst.

In other words, a really, really, really good book.