I bought this for $1.00 at a book stall on Church Street Mall in Parramatta one morning before work. I thought that it might be interesting because I had heard of Dian Fossey and remember watching Gorillas in the Mist as a child (although I can't remember the movie itself).This book is a biography of Dian Fossey, from her childhood until her gruesome murder at Karisoke Research Centre in the Virunga mountains in Rwanda. The author has had access to all of Dian Fossey's papers, including her personal diary, and much of the story of Dian's life is told through extracts from her personal diary and letters that she has both written and received. This was interesting, because it gave me as the reader an insight into what Dian actually felt about the occurrences that the author of the biography was explaining.
It was a good read, and I feel like I have learnt a lot about the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, and on a bigger scale, the lengths some people will go to protect what needs protecting. Dian Fossey was a fierce woman who was not afraid of using violence and other scare tactics to protect her mountain gorillas from poachers and tourism. I am glad that there are people like Dian Fossey out there, people with enough passion and courage to act as the protectors of those that cannot protect themselves.
I'm glad I read the book, although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to be honest. To truly enjoy the book, I think you would need to have a genuine interest in Dian Fossey or mountain gorillas. It definitely wasn't attention grabbing.
Star Rating
4 / 8
Alright, but I wouldn't recommend it.
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