-
“[A] groundbreaking biography.”
— Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review
-
“[A] tale of scientific
buccaneering…Intriguing…Rattles along with fine, wacky momentum.”
— New York Times Book Review
-
“A supremely entertaining,
enlightening, and memorable read.”
— Nature
-
“Engrossing....Addresses big
topics—evolution, abolition—but they remain in service of the narrative,
providing context for colorful conflict.”
— Wall Street Journal
-
“Using extensive historical
research, Reel brings alive this expedition and a later one and describes what
happened between the two journeys.”
— Washington Post
-
“You’d half expect a Bela Lugosi mad scientist or a Johnny
Weissmuller Tarzan to pop up in this Victorian-era drama, which travels from
the London of Darwin to unexplored Africa to Civil War-ravaged America.”
— New York Post
-
“A lively and intriguing biography
of the restless adventurer who first sees, studies, and takes specimens of gorillas....thoroughly
engrossing.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune
-
“Gripping....Intellectually
satisfying....Exciting.”
— Salon
-
“Monte Reel’s Between
Man and Beast contains all the elements of an enthralling adventure story.
But it is more than just a riveting tale; it is also a brilliant exploration of
ideas that illuminate the very nature of humankind.”
— David Grann, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Monte Reel is a wonderful writer, and he makes an expert
guide to Paul du Chaillu’s groundbreaking travels in the wilds of Africa and
his equally treacherous journey through the scientific salons of nineteenth
century London.”
— Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Reel tells du Chaillu’s story—a fascinating, wide-ranging
tale that involves everyone from Charles Darwin to Thomas Huxley to even
Abraham Lincoln—with a vividness that brings long forgotten events to startling
life.”
— Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author
-
“A page-turner filled with surprising details, connections, and insights.”
— John Vaillant, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Part swashbuckling jungle story, part gas-lit Victorian
time capsule, Monte Reel’s visceral, captivating book restores a forgotten hero
to his rightful place in history.”
— Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Monte Reel’s Between
Man and Beast is a provocative, entertaining, and original adventure
narrative.”
— Laurence Bergreen, New York Times bestselling author
-
“A robust intellectual history…In Reel’s hands, du Chaillu’s
adventures in Africa, including his discovery of Pygmies and his part in a
smallpox epidemic, were no less harrowing than his interactions with many of
the world’s leading scientists and explorers.”
— Publishers Weekly
-
“Adventure, history, nature, big ideas—what more could you
want?”
— Library Journal
-
“Fascinating…A lively footnote to the debate between science
and religion and the exploration of the African jungle in the Victorian era.”
— Kirkus Reviews