Peterson (English/Trufts), eloquent chronicler of nonhuman primates
(The Deluge and the Ark, 1989), combines forces with chimp expert
Goodall (Through a Window, 1990, etc.) to produce a
Baedeker-cum-Declaration of Independence for the chimpanzee. Two
unusual literary devices draw attention from the outset. One is
Peterson's decision to use Caliban, the subhuman, suprabestial
creature from The Tempest, as an archetype for the chimpanzee. This
conceit works splendidly: Caliban and chimp have in common a
tyrannical overlord (Prospero; all humans), a devastated
environment, and a disturbing combination of animal and human
traits. The other decision is to print Peterson's words in roman
typeface and Goodall's in italic. The two voices differ markedly.
Peterson - who contributes the bulk of the narrative - explores,
describes, confronts. He observes chimps frolic in the bush, and
crisscrosses Africa and America to track down chimp hunters,
owners, and protectors. He probes public understanding of apes,
pits it against current ethological knowledge, and challenges
animal trainers and laboratory scientists to change their ways
accordingly. Appalling tales of abuse come forth: chimps in chains,
or routinely beaten by their owners, or detoothed and fitted with
electric, shock devices before appearing on TV. Goodall, by
contrast, tends to mix memories of chimp study with emotional, even
maudlin, reactions to chimp mistreatment ("I am still haunted by
the memory of her eyes, and the eyes of the other chimpanzees I saw
that day"). She calls for a total ban on private ownership of
chimps, including their usa in medical research; both authors
emphasize the urgency of saving the dwindling African forests, the
chimp's natural habitat. A powerful indictment of human cruelty; a
convincing plea for animal fights - and altogether superior to the
run-of-the-mill nature books crowding the market. (Kirkus Reviews)
Using Shakespeare's play The Tempest and its characters Prospero
and Caliban as structural metaphors representing the master-slave
relationship between humans and chimpanzees, authors Dale Peterson
and Jane Goodall collaborate in this exploration of our interaction
with the species that shares more than 98 percent of our genetic
makeup. After introducing us to an animal that fashions and uses
tools, exploits forest medicines, transmits learned cultural
behaviors, and exhibits human-like emotions, Peterson and Goodall
present an illuminating, frequently startling study of the current
threats to wild chimpanzees' habitats and the many abuses that
chimps have endured and continue to face at the hands of humans.
They address conservation issues and ethical questions concerning
keeping chimpanzees in captivity, whether as pets or for
entertainment or research, and offer firsthand evidence of the
drastically declining numbers of chimpanzees in the wild.
Through their in-depth exploration of our relationship with
chimpanzees, Peterson and Goodall demonstrate our close ties to
these animals and also reveal how distant humans have become from
their own place in nature. Both an informative, entertaining
collection of stories about the authors' research experiences with
chimps and a poignant call for a change in our perceptions and
treatment of them, Visions of Caliban is a moving and important
work.
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