Names like Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey are widely known but, even after reading countless books about animal behavior, I had hardly heard anything about the locals who get involved in such hard work. Stany Nyandwi, a Burundi national, has devoted his life to rehabilitating and saving chimps. I’ve always admired westerners who forgo all comforts to live in a jungle for years, but I’d never thought about the implications for African people. Nyandwi had to leave his family behind in a war-thorn country, to save the lives of our closest relatives. Now, I always say how man is my least favorite ape and I don’t really care about their stories, but Nyandwi’s life is so remarkable, that I was just as engrossed by his story as by the chimps’. Goodall herself has done a great job of stressing how vital it is to take humans into consideration when working toward conservancy, but Nyandwi drives it home. He himself has known real need and hunger, so how can someone judge poachers when they live in such misery. I’m making this book sound depressing, but it isn’t because it’s also full of fun and funny anecdotes. Stany tells stories about his friends. Remember that time when Max, or Charlie did this or that? Since Max and Charlie are chimps, I’m all in. I also liked how he’s frank about his beliefs. This may turn some readers off, but it only added another layer of humanity for me. Dion Graham does a great job narrating the audiobook, keeping a local accent and really recreating the most difficult parts. I hope everyone reads the last part, which gives information as to how to help, not only financially but by making small daily changes that can make a difference for chimps and all wildlife.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#OrangeSky Audio!

This is a moving, engaging memoir of a talented and dedicated man working in chimpanzee conservation in his native Africa. This has largely been in efforts promoted by Jane Goodall -- who wrote the foreword here and gave the author the "Chimpanzee Whisperer" appellation -- such as Chimpanzee Trust and the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.. Nyandwi's skills in interacting with the chimps in his care and conflict resolution between primates of both species (human and chimp) would be enough for a good book. While developing those skills beginning with only an elementary education, Nyandwi suffered injustice and tragic loss in the Hutu vs. Tutsi civil war and genocide. Forced to flee with chimps and enduring long separation from his family, Nyandwi grew and developed in conditions that to someone from the First World will read as poverty.