Publisher's Weekly Review
Patience, compassion, presence, and gratitude are the values championed by Crocker, a family physician, in this eloquent and appreciative memoir of his time as a student of Jane Goddall at Gombe, Tanzania, in 1973. Crocker begins his narrative with his experiences living in rugged forest conditions while following several mother-infant chimpanzee pairs, particularly matriarch Fifi and her playful son Freud. The too-short second part relates how understanding chimp behavior models helps Crocker's work as a family doctor, providing him with an orientation toward promoting strong parent-child attachment and insight as to how difficult behaviors, such as those associated with ADHD, could have been adaptive to human ancestors. Crocker closes by chronicling his return in 2009, accompanied by his 19-year-old son, to a more commercialized Gombe. They observe Freud as an elder and visit the home village of Hamisi, who had served as Crocker's field guide. Crocker thoughtfully muses on parenting, nostalgia, and lifelong friendship; he shows how the connection he made with primates affected him and taught him how to bring wise and loving care to his young patients. Crocker's book is emotionally stirring without being overly sentimental, and is as much about human experience as it is about comparative ethology. Color photos. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
After college graduation, most students head off for more education or new careers; Crocker went to Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park to study chimpanzees with Jane Goodall. Interested in child development, he contemplated a career as a pediatrician, so being assigned to follow several families of chimps fit right into his goals. As Crocker also assisted in Gombe's medical clinic, he made his first connections between what he experienced with human patients and chimpanzee mothering. Fifi, a daughter of one of Goodall's most famous chimps, taught him the most, owing to her calm and patience with her offspring. This human-chimp connection continued with medical school and his family practice, as Fifi's lessons helped Crocker minister to human mothers. Anecdotes from his practice demonstrate the close relationship between the two species and how mothering is universal. In the final section, Crocker writes of his return to Gombe with his son and of reconnecting with his past. A gentle and thoughtful look at our bond with nature, especially with our closest relatives.--Bent, Nancy Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In this autobiographical account, Seattle-based family physician Crocker fondly recalls his experiences as one of several student research assistants working under legendary primatologist Jane Goodall. In 1974, as a 22-year-old Stanford undergraduate, Crocker traveled to Gombe National Park in Tanzania to assist in observing the Kasekela chimpanzee community. Students were paired with local Tanzanian field guides and assigned to follow specific chimps. Crocker was especially impressed by chimp mother Fifi's nurturing behavior toward her young son Freud. The author recounts how this formative experience shaped his perspective on the world and his approach to medicine. The lessons he gleaned from watching Fifi as a parent, and the insight he gained into human evolution have influenced his treatment of ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Thirty-five years later, Crocker returned to Gombe with his teenage son to revisit the place that has meant so much to him. Fast-moving and readable, the narrative provides engaging anecdotal examples from both chimps and human patients. VERDICT A sympathetic personal journey that explores the many profound similarities between humans and the creatures with whom we share 96 percent of our DNA, this book will make a great addition to public and college libraries alike.-Lindsay Morton, P.L. of Science, San Francisco © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.