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Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man
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Plot Summary of Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man
"Today Jane Goodall is famous as the woman who in her twenties went on her own into the jungles of Africa to study chimpanzees. Since then, she's not only become a world-renowned scientist, an authority especially on the relationship between humans and apes, but a great champion of the rights of animals in general as well as chimps in particular.

Goodall's background is surprising. The daughter of a race car driver, she did well enough at school. Upon graduating from secondary school, she went to secretarial school and went to work for a time for a company that made film documentaries. When a friend invited her to come see her in Kenya, Goodall leapt at the chance. It was while there that she sought out anthropologist Louis Leakey, who hired her as his assistant. It was he who would suggest that she go out into the wilds to observe the chimps at Lake Tanganyika. She would make history when she did so, taking her mother along with her. An extremely intelligent woman capable of intense concentration for long periods of time, she devoted herself for months to simply observing the chimpanzees. Leakey was amazed by her discovery that they fashioned sticks into tools that they used to capture termites to eat. This would change Leakey's thinking about the relationship between apes and men and thus the entire world's thinking.

Over time, Goodall would have what seems like a myriad of romances and two marriages. This book covers her entire life in great detail, giving us insight both into her personal life and her growth as an academic and primatologist and finally spokesperson for environmental causes.   "

Ann Gaines, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Animal story? Yes
Kind of animal: - monkey
Outdoors story Yes
Exploring: - animal watching/hunting
Period of greatest activity? - 1950+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - scientist
Age: - 60's-90's
Biography of famous person? Yes
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - British
How sensitive is this person? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other people
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Africa Yes
Kind of Africa: - Black Africa
Jungles? Yes
Century: - 1980's-Present

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel? - challenged
Commentary on society? Yes
Writer's slant towards subject: - very favorable
Story of entire life, or part? - story of nearly entire life
Pictures/Illustrations? - A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog
Lot of titilating info about love life? Yes
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 26-50% of book
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Dale Peterson Resident Scholar Profiles

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Ann Gaines  

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