Through a Window - by Jane Goodall (Paperback)

About the Book

Through a Window is the dramatic saga of thirty years in the life of an intimately intertwined community -- one that reads like a novel, but it is one of the most important scientific works ever published.

Book Synopsis

The renowned British primatologist continues the "engrossing account" of her time among the chimpanzees of Gombe, Tanzania (Publishers Weekly).

In her classic, In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall wrote of her first ten years at Gombe. In Through a Window she continues the story, painting a more complete and vivid portrait of our closest relatives.

On the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe is a community where the principal residents are chimpanzees. Through Goodall's eyes we watch young Figan's relentless rise to power and old Mike's crushing defeat. We learn how one mother rears her children to succeed and another dooms hers to failure. We witness horrifying murders, touching moments of affection, joyous births, and wrenching deaths.

As Goodall compellingly tells the story of this intimately intertwined community, we are shown human emotions stripped to their essence. In the mirror of chimpanzee life, we see ourselves reflected.

"A humbling and exalting book . . . Ranks with the great scientific achievements of the twentieth century."--Washington Post

"[An] absolutely smashing account . . . Thrilling, affectionate, intelligent--a classic."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Review Quotes

"Both humbling and an exalting book, the result of thirty years of voyeurism that ranks with the great scientific achievements of the twentieth century." The Washington Post

"Jane Goodall's work with chimpanzees represents one of the Western world's great scientific achievements." -- Stephen Jay Gould

About the Author

Jane Goodall continues to study and write about primate behavior. She has founded the Gombe Stream Research Center in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, and the Jane Goodall Institute for Wild Life Research, Education and Conservation, to provide ongoing support for field research on wild chimpanzees. Dr. Goodall's scores of honors include the Medal of Tanzania, the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal, the Kyoto Prize, the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, and the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence. In 2002 she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. She is the author of several books, including two autobiographies in letters, Africa in My Blood and Beyond Innocence. Today Dr. Goodall spends much of her time lecturing, sharing her message of hope for the future and encouraging young people to make a difference in their world.