Short Synopsis
A young woman follows her fiancé to war-torn Congo to study extremely endangered bonobo apes—who teach her a new truth about love and belonging.

Full Synopsis
In 2005, Vanessa Woods accepted a marriage proposal from a man she barely knew and agreed to join him on a research trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country reeling from a brutal decade-long war that had claimed the lives of millions. Settling in at a bonobo sanctuary in Congo's capital, Vanessa and her fiancé entered the world of a rare ape with whom we share 98.7 percent of our DNA. She soon discovered that many of the inhabitants of the sanctuary—ape and human alike—are refugees from unspeakable violence, yet bonobos live in a peaceful society in which females are in charge, war is nonexistent, and sex is as common and friendly as a handshake.

A fascinating memoir of hope and adventure, Bonobo Handshake traces Woods's self-discovery as she finds herself falling deeply in love with her husband, the apes, and her new surroundings while probing life's greatest question: What ultimately makes us human? Courageous and extraordinary, this true story of revelation and transformation in a fragile corner of Africa is about looking past the differences between animals and ourselves, and finding in them the same extraordinary courage and will to survive. For Vanessa, it is about finding her own path as a writer and scientist, falling in love, and finding a home.

"Eyre transforms herself into the writer.... Woods's humorous stories, mixed with details of her scientific work, make for an audiobook that never becomes dull." ---AudioFile

"Don't think that this is just a book about apes. It's a love story, an adventure story, and a political education about a country that has seen more tragedy and inhumanity than you can imagine." ---Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost

"A beautifully written journey into the tangled jungle of the human mind, it also brings us movingly into...loving contact with our extraordinary cousins. This is a compelling story, told with striking honesty, humor, and intelligence." ---Alan Alda

"Gain insights into both the darkness and altruistic sides of our own emotions by getting to know chimpanzees and bonobos in an African sanctuary. This book is both shocking and hilarious." ---Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

"Eyre recreates the scenes like a visual artist, nuanced shifts in her voice as planned out as every stroke of a brush. It's easy to get lost in the story and hard to bring oneself back from this idyll." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Audio Review

Publishers Weekly Audio