Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey
by Georgianne Nienaber
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Book Summary Information
Author: Georgianne NienaberEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-02-21
ISBN: 059537669X
Number of pages: 278
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Book Reviews of Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey
Book Review: Written with a passion inspired by Dian Fossey
Summary: 5 Stars
As a fellow Minnesota writer, I have greatly enjoyed Georgianne Nienaber's riveting account of Dian Fossey's life and African-style review of her life and work. "Gorilla Dreams" has allowed me to see into the heart and soul of this great advocate and active conservationist, to share her struggles on a personal level, to review mistakes and angry moments and reasons for different reactions to things others so easily looked away and pretended to ignore.
Stale biographies often simply give us the benchmarks of a person's achievements, or list the academic successes and failures, never really exploring why the person did what they did, how they felt, or if they were particularly passionate and what drove such passions. While I've not yet read the biographies or watched the motion picture or even read "Gorillas in the Mist," by Ms. Fossey, herself, Georgianne Nienaber's deeply moving account of Fossey's life makes me want to do so, just to see what everyone else said about her battle to stop poaching and the dangerous effects (such as spreading the ebola virus) caused by tourism and too much interaction with the mountain gorilla clans.
As other reviewers have noted, Georgianne Nienaber's book develops along the path of discussions with her favorite mountain gorilla, Digit. My favorite passage from the book, showing the keen insights Dian Fossey developed in her work, seen from this post-life perspective, is at the end of chapter three - which really touched my heart. I can think of no better way of describing this passage than simply sharing it with others who might consider reading this wonderful, gripping biographical novel.
I encourage you to take the time to read this one-of-a-kind jewel of American literature which I feel represents the best writing by a current Minnesota novelist. I believe that Georgianne Nienaber was greatly impassioned by Dian Fossey's writings, struggles and sacrifices -- and that it takes such passion to understand Dian Fossey's passion and why saving the mountain gorilla meant so much to Dian and now also Georgianne.
Here is my favorite passage from "Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey," beginning with Dian speaking to Digit:
"Oh, Digit, can you ever forgive me?"
"There is no need for the gorillas to forgive, Dian. We accept our existence without questioning."
"But he [Mweza] suffered too much!"
"He was cared for with loving tenderness when his mother carried him across the chasm to this side. The gorillas who had gone before protected Mweza. He tried to rally to make you feel better but was willing and eager to join the others. It was time for him to leave you."
"Describe for me how the gorillas view death."
"You had no time to observe, because you were always directing your staff to remove the bodies for your research."
This was certainly true. Whether a gorilla had been killed by the poachers, or had died in its sleep in its nights nest, we would always remove the body and carry it back to camp on a leaf-strewn litter for a complete necropsy.
"I have seen members of your group come back repeatedly to sniff the location or nest where a group member died. Is this your form of grieving, Digit?"
"Dear Nyiramacyibili [translated: `the woman who lives alone on the mountain']. We have wanted to show you. You have not observed the most surprising part. Why would we grieve? Things unfold as they should as far as the gorillas are concerned. We sing [47] over the body."
Digit took my hand and lifted me with strength and grace, indicating that I should climb upon his back. Together we bounded through the forest, across the grasslands and back to Karisoke. Along the way, he thrilled me with great leaps through the branches of the Hagenia trees, which were dripping with moss, vines, and succulents.
As we approached the camp at dusk, an astonishing whisper drifted across the treetops and remained suspended in the mist-laden air. The whisper swelled into an opus of harmonic purity that seemed to flow from the gates of heaven itself. I had be willing for so long to give hell its due, but the sound I heard could only have come from the throats of celestial beings. The resonance was so pure in its quality, that I held my hands over my ears, unable to assimilate the holiness of it all. I buried my face in Digit's fur, afraid to look.
Unexpectedly, the arms of the great silverback, Uncle Bert, tenderly pried me from my sanctuary. Bert carried me in his arms as a parent would carry an infant to the source of the sounds.
I opened my eyes to see all of the residents of the gorilla graveyard harmonizing over the grave of Dr. Dian Fossey.
[47] is a source reference to "Gorillas in the Mist," Appendix B, p. 256
Summary of Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey
Imagine that murdered primatologist Dr. Dian Fossey of Gorillas in the Mist fame were alive today and able to reflect upon her death as well as her legacy. This is the impetus behind author Georgianne Nienaber?s compelling work, Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey. At the beginning of Gorilla Dreams, Fossey attends her own funeral and watches her murdered gorillas interacting with the graveside bystanders. She establishes a new relationship with the slain gorilla Digit, who acts as her guide after death as she carefully reviews her life, its challenges, successes, hardships, and the ultimate closure of her murder. Although Fossey?s death is officially unsolved, recently released documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, as well as testimony from the International War Crimes Tribunal proceedings, offer new suspects, motives, and opportunities. Every fact about Fossey?s life is meticulously annotated. However, the setting of her conversations with the murdered gorillas is obviously fictional, yet steeped in African tradition. Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey is a biographical interpretation of the famed primatologist?s life that honors the African belief that the dead live on in spiritual form.Scientists Books
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