Dian Fossey lived with the mountain gorillas of Africa for 18 years. She studied these gentle giants while battling poachers, poor health, and hostile governments. A book and movie made her remarkable story popular 20 years ago, but in this book, for the first time, readers can delve into Dian’s personal letters to family and friends while she lived in Africa. The author’s narrative ties together the letters. The result is an inspiring, though at times disturbing, account of scientific field work.

The book was inviting to look through because of the large colour photos of the gorillas and the African landscape. Nearly every page had a colour photo.

The topic of this woman’s life in the wilds was very interesting, especially since I have an interest in primates of all kinds. Something that I learned while reading the book was how much politics was an obstacle to studying the gorillas.

The most favourable thing about the book would be the amazing pictures. The least favourable thing is that the book is not particularly user-friendly for young people, because of how advanced the text was. As well, the letters sometimes broke the flow of the written biography. However, they also added a personal element to the book, and occasional humour.

If I were to change the book at all, I would have included a map of Dian’s camp, the surrounding areas, and the gorilla territories. My overall impression is that this is a book that I will always keep in my collection — like a treasure. I give this book a score of 8.5 out of 10.

(Originally published in the March/April 2006 issue of YES Mag.)