A Primate’s Memoir  – A Neuroscientist’s Unconventional Life Among the Baboons  review

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
Release date: 12-10-13

Unexpectedly brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Why I got this book and what it’s about

A friend recommended me this book, and said it was pretty funny. I got it on a whim.
The 1st chapter sounded a bit like that TV show Big Brother but with baboons, but then he started getting into the depth of the story, his life in Africa, the changes he saw and the cultural differences.
All of this is really interesting.

I’ve been to Africa twice, and had family that have lived there during the same time the author was there, and I can understand the surprises and cultural differences.

I think the reason why this book was so unexpected for me, and so enjoyable was because I really thought it was going to be all about Baboons, but instead it’s a mix of his research, his connection to the animals he’s researching and then his connection to the country that he’s living in and the adventures he has.  Moreover, it’s pretty funny throughout.

It took me a long time to realise that the primate he was talking about was actually him, not the baboons.

Narration

The narrator reads this with passion, to the point I had to check if it was actually the author reading it or not.
I’ve recommended this to my family who have lived in Africa, and to many others, it’s an insightful and amazing journey.

Notes taken throughout the book

Studies the impact of stress as a multiplier for disease in baboons.
Baboons have no real predators.
They have a few hours each day to be rotten towards each other they have the luxury of time.. therefore can get stressed.  The author gives the baboons old Jewish names.

Chapter 2 is about the shock of starting to live in Africa and the challenges he faces.
Wonders if everything is a scam. Realisations of getting to know how Kenya works.
Starts to see the mass corruption there.
“The desperation of being desperately poor”

The US embassy in Nairobi was useless for Americans unless you were a wealthy business man.(1979)  A bit like the Australian embassy in China now.

Haha he took to a life of crime. Petty stealing.
Him scamming scammers.
He had the ‘neck scam’. Getting free vegetables for the promise of buying more expensive weed.

Chapter 3 the revenge of the liberals.
Can’t dart someone if they know it’s coming, because that already increases stress.
Darting baboons in the back.

Chapter 4 the Maasai fundamentalist and him dabbling at a social worker.

He talks a lot in a humorous way about darting baboons. And how happy he seems to be in doing it and succeeding.

Chapter 5 weird kidnapping and holding.
Chapter 6
Cynical but realistic view on medicine in Kenya.

Displaced aggression.
Chapter 9
Says elephants make a huge amount of noise with their stomachs. Deep fantastical noise.
Makes you want to sleep. Although you can’t sleep because there are elephants.

Tells that he makes up answers to animal questions that tourists ask.
Explains about elephants eating the house and his bush buddy Samwelli repairing the house, only for the elephants to eat the house each night. And on and on.

“GNu dung” is a Palindrome.

Says hyenas were visible to see at night due to night vision goggles. In fact they are great pack hunters. Hunt at night, and have one if the highest success rates. Much higher than lions.
Discloses that there USA army were trying to create imperial walkers at some point. Chapter 11. Actually not. It’s actually a tank instead. Some gyroscopic contraption.

Chapter 12 he was there during the violence. Pan American flight with only 3 other people on the plane. Picked up by military escort.
Could hear gunfire on the street.

Chapter 14
Explains his boredom on a barge travelling up the Nike becoming dehydrated. Getting stupider. Crapping stories.
Explains that Sudan should be 2 countries even in early 1980s.

Chapter 17
Explains some classic East African scams.