Among the Great Apes: Adventures on the Trail of Our Closest Relatives Book

I really wanted to like this book. Paul Raffaele does the sort of things that make for good reading: set off into the jungles to see his subjects firsthand. But this wasn't good reading. It's not a well-told story; too much of Raffaele gets in the way. I wanted to read more about what he learned about the great apes, and less about his exploits and cleverness in dealing with the natives. What information on the apes there is is completely unoriginal.

I think it's a well-intentioned book. Raffaele does end his book with a call to protect the apes. But the preceding material does nothing to inspire any enthusiasm for the cause. It's boring, and it had no excuse to be; the material is there. Raffaele just wastes it.