Jane Goodall : the Woman Who Redefined Man

Library Journal: Jane Goodall's discovery in 1960 that chimpanzees in the wild use crude tools meant that ability could no longer be considered a unique and defining characteristic of human beings. Today, as a writer and speaker, she is something akin to a cult icon. As her colleague and former collaborator (Visions of Caliban: On Chimpanzees and People), Peterson had access to a body of personal letters, conversations, and first-person accounts that enabled him to develop an empathy for his subject uncommon in scientific biographies. The picture of Goodall that emerges depicts her complexities she was a coquettish debutante who became a dedicated ethologist comfortable with living in the wilds; an intuitive and self-educated researcher who later matured into a major scientist and world authority on conservation. Peterson's book is divided into three sections: "The Naturalist," "The Scientist," and "The Activist." Goodall's career touches on many social and scientific flashpoints, and by rendering the complex totality of her personality, Peterson suggests the reasons for her popularity and enormous influence. Perhaps a bit overlong, perhaps a bit too adulatory (Goodall granted Peterson full access), nonetheless, this book captures the spirit of a remarkable woman in science; highly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/06; see the profile of Peterson in "Fall Editors' Picks," LJ 9/1/06, p. 34-39.] Gregg Sapp, SUNY at Albany Lib. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.