There are, however, signs of progress that give hope: Nadler’s work on protecting langurs, for example, has expanded greatly since Drollette’s previous visit.īesides trying to uncover the effects of Agent Orange and other chemicals dumped on Vietnam during the war, the author exposes the massive illegal marketing of wild animal parts much in demand for use in Asian medicines. He finds that Vietnam’s once-hidden animal life is now vulnerable to exploitation, and their numbers are dwindling. The author first visited Vietnam in 1998, an experience that he briefly covers in the first part, but his return more than a decade later provides the book’s core.
A prologue sets the scene, describing the rare mammals recently found in Vietnam and raising questions for which Drollette seeks answers: How did they survive there? What will happen to them under such present stresses as economic progress, population growth, deforestation and poaching? His primary focus is the Endangered Primate Rescue Center, run by Tilo Nadler, a German zoologist, and his Vietnamese wife. He interviewed wildlife biologists currently working there, quotes earlier researchers and delves into the history and present conditions of the former war-torn country. chronicles his experiences in Vietnam, describing not a mineral gold rush, but a biological one. As lyrical as it is haunting, this mesmerizing, not-to-be-missed debut memoir is also a loving evocation of a misunderstood land and people. These skills would eventually help him support his starving, demoralized family and secretly provide work to young Kabuli women who suffered under the misogynist regime of the Taliban. Along the way, Omar met, and fell in love with, an older deaf-mute Turkmen girl who taught him how to weave carpets. Their dangerous journey took them through central and northern Afghanistan, where they camped in caves located inside a giant statue of the Buddha and joined nomad relatives on their overland treks. As the ring of terror tightened around the fort, the family fled Kabul.
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