My Maasai Experience: Reflections

By:  Tracy Sillato

Genre: Travel Journal

Published: 2017

Told In: First Person

 “Movie” Rating: G

Compare to:

Bill Bryson’s African Diary, Bill Bryson

My Maasai Life, Robin Wiszowaty

Facing the Lion, Joseph Lekuton

In a nutshell:

The author relays what she has learned and experienced while spending several weeks in a small Kenyan village.

What you may enjoy:

If you’ve considered doing volunteer work, especially in Africa, this book would be very enlightening for you. Sillato touches on some of the basic struggles and challenges people in small Kenyan villages face, giving the reader a better perspective on the issues.

What you may NOT enjoy:

This book needs heavy editing. There are many grammatical errors and typos. In some instances the text is difficult to understand because of the errors. Tenses frequently change and some jargon goes unexplained. 

Warnings:

None

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The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

By: Diane Ackerman

Genre: Historical Non-Fiction

Pages: 384

Published: 2007

Told in: Third Person

Compare to:

The Kommandant’s Girl, Pam Jenoff

My Enemy’s Cradle, Sara Young

The Lost, Daniel Mendelsohn

In a nutshell:

Placed in Warsaw, Poland during WWII, this book follows the experiences of Jan and Antonina, the city’s old zookeepers, whose efforts during the war helped to save hundreds of lives.

What you may enjoy:

This book is both informative and inspiring. Ackerman is able to recount the history of Warsaw during WWII without being too graphic. This book covers facts and stories not only about the city and its people but about the animals that are native to Poland.

What you may NOT enjoy:

There are a lot of tangents that don’t pertain to the main focus of the book. While some of those tangents are interesting, they are also very distracting. Both the beginning and ending of the book are weak and long-winded, full of unnecessary details.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man and woman shot and killed; people burned in bomb raid (mentions smell of burnt flesh); plane shot down, plane shoots at crowd of people; soldiers shoot animals; planes shoot over zoo, killing animals (mildly graphic); dead horses in the street (mildly graphic); woman raped (mentioned); people threatened; people beaten; children casually shot; children shot in the head; man dies from internal bleeding; dog dies from rat poisoning; pigs and piglets killed; woman tortured; kids and adults killed in gas chambers; man shot and killed; man shot in the neck; people commit suicide; building burned down, killing people; people killed in explosions; woman threatened multiple times; boy threatened; hamster drinks alcohol and dies.

Sex and Nudity:

Discusses foreskin, circumcision, and “reskinning”.

Language and Profanity:

Bastard

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The Soul of an Octopus:

A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

By: Sy Montgomery

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 241

Published: 2015

Told in: First Person

Compare to:

The Social Lives of Dogs

       -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World

       -Michael Pollan

Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird

       -Tim Birkhead

In a nutshell:

Montgomery explores the physical and psychological world of the octopus primarily through her experiences with the New England aquarium. From her studies she shares what she has learned about marine life, octopus personalities, and their connection to mankind.

What you may enjoy:

This is a very casual non-fiction. The book is written chronologically, a story of the author’s increased exposure to octopuses. Not only does the book contain information about octopuses, but it shares tidbits of other marine life. It is informative without being monotonous.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The philosophy of the book is questionable and is often filled more with the author’s opinions than solid fact. If you’re looking for a solid science book, don’t look here. The book is more of Montgomery’s personal journal of her experiences, riddled with similes.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

2 octopuses eat each other, mentioned; octopuses die, mentioned; octopus swarmed by ants; 2 starfish eat octopus corpse; octopus bits a girl; woman electrocuted by an eel; girl drowns herself, mentioned; octopus suffocates another octopus, mentioned; octopus dries out and dies

Sex and Nudity:

Sexual reference; sexual similes; octopuses mate, described and mildly graphic; sea slugs sexual technique vividly described; describes male octopuses equivalent of ejaculation; woman mentions scraping her nipples

Language and Profanity:

B*tch, H*ll

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Dolphins become intoxicated from a toxic fish; fruit flies drink liquor after not being sexually sated 

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