BOOK REVIEW--"APE HOUSE" by Sara Gruen

Reviewed by Bill Breakstone, October 9, 2010

There are four species of great apes in the world: all belonging to the taxonomic family Homindae: chimpanzees; bonobos; orangutans and gorillas. A fifth member of the species is the human being. These apes are our closest wild relatives. According to The Great Ape Trust, a scientific facility located in Des Moines, Iowa “all members of this family of apes share possibly more than 97% of their DNA with humans. The great apes have all been documented using tools, and communicating with amazing complexity. The great apes are found primarily in Central Africa with the exception of orangutans, which are native to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Asia. All of the great apes face serious threats and are all endangered, some critically endangered. Habit loss, climate change, infectious disease and illegal hunting for both meat and the live pet trade have combined to push these species to the brink of extinction. If we don’t act soon, we will lose our closest relatives forever.”

“If you know what a bonobo is, or can tell them apart from a chimpanzee, then you are one of a few very special people. . . . . . Chimpanzees and bonobos look very similar. But if you look closely, you’ll see that bonobos are a little smaller, with pink lips, black faces, and a very attractive hairstyle with long black hair neatly parted in the middle. The first two toes of bononbos have a little bit of webbing. While chimpanzees have low, loud voices, bonobos are very high pitched. Also, bonobo mothers have breasts that look a lot like humans.

But when you get to know bonobos, you’ll see they couldn’t be more different [than chimpanzees]. Like humans, chimpanzees have war. The males are in charge, and they can occasionally be very violent. Sometimes, they even kill each other. Bonobos do not kill each other. The females are in charge of the group and they seem to keep everyone’s temper under control with sexual activity. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or if you’re male or female—if you’re a bonobo, sex plays a big part in living together peacefully.”

Sara Gruen, author of the best-selling novel “Water for Elephants,” has written a fascinating thriller, Ape House, based upon the sub-species of great apes named bonobos. A group of eight of these apes is being studied in a facility at the University of Kansas. The conditions there are the best man can provide, and the care given them is thorough and loving. The focus of the study is the ape’s cognitive communication skills. Though their vocal chords do not allow the apes to use the human language, they actually do speak and interact, not only with each other, but humans as well.

Into this scene come other humans set on exploiting the animals for profit. The apes are kidnapped and moved to another, far less kind environment, where they become subjects for mass entertainment. A scientist from the Kansas facility and a journalist for a national magazine come to the rescue of the brood in a year-long effort to return them to a suitable scientific facility for care and further study. Sara Gruen weaves an exciting tale filled with great character development and scientific knowledge. The book is a real page turner if ever there was one. It is based on fact, and is well-documented in an interesting postlogue. The reader will cheer the rescuers on and be fascinated with the abilities of the apes. All in all, a most enjoyable read.