Goodall with chimpanzees, Fossey mountain gorillas, and Galdikas orangutans. The book breaks easily into three sections, each following the course of a scientist and the creatures they studied (and lived with). The three women conducted “fearless” science in the pursuit of their subjects, sacrificing personal lives and comfort to follow their passion. I had heard of Goodall (still alive and active in her field and advocacy for primate studies) and Fossey (subject of the book and film “Gorillas in the Mist”), but didn’t know Galdikas at all. This book follows the lives of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas, three women whose lives and careers crossed the path of Louis Leakey, famed anthropologist, who aids them on their paths to being the preeminent researchers of primates–apes. He manages to blend the biographies of the scientists with their achievements, finding partners in illustrators who can bring life to both the human and the scientific parts of the equation. His books are mostly biographies of scientists: Feynman, Bohr, Turing, an anthology of female scientists also scientific advancements, like the Space Race and paleontology. I’ve become a fan of Jim Ottaviani’s non-fiction graphic novels over the last few years, and this is another in that same genre. “Primates” is a book I’ve seen on lists for more than a year now, but it’s taken me a while to get to. “Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas” Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks. ‘Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas’ Review

Primates by Jim Ottaviani