Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would be Human by Elizabeth Hess (#16, Nonfiction)

Dear Ms. Elizabeth Hess,

You are not a good writer. You don't know how to tell a story. Maybe you should have spent more time learning how to write nonfiction than getting the life story of 100's of characters you felt the need to jam down your readers' throats in 300 pages. You are probably a very nice person who likes animals and advocates for animal rights, but maybe you should focus on stopping animal testing rather than writing about Nim and his extended family (or writing about anything for that matter).

Sincerely,

Someone who now fears reading nonfiction

Okay, so, maybe a little harsh, but THIS BOOK WAS SO BAD ! ! ! ! ! Don't get me wrong, it's a VERY interesting story, she just destroyed it in translation. It was excruciating trying to get through this SHORT book. I heart animals, but I don't think I would have ever read this book on my own--it was picked for a book club I attend. I kept plodding through, trying to understand why I disliked it so much--generally I really enjoy nonfiction. After some consultation with my "professional writer contact", I was informed that all books, and EVEN NONFICTION, need DIALOGUE. When an author just goes on and on telling the history of events, it gets BORING and REPETITIVE. And for some, makes them want to bang their head against metro poles.

The book rekindled my dislike for zoos, animal testing and the domestication of wild animals. In book club we had many a discussion about the catch-22 of animal testing--who else would we test drugs on to make sure products are safe for humans? HUMANS?!? I don't know, it's hard--are we talking about some Revelon Eyeliner or antibiotics? And what about zoos? Some people argue that without zoos children wouldn't get to see exotic animals, and therefore never develop a desire to protect or study them. I say F*%$ that. Those animals don't belong in cages. In what world does it make sense for a polar bear to be in Florida? Habitats for injured animals and those unable to be released into the wild--Yes, we should have those, but I could care less if snotty nosed little kids can't go to the zoo.

How about we put people in cages and see how they feel.