2 stars
I really respect Jane Goodall and the work that she does, however to me this book was sadly lacking. Well-intentioned with an important call to action, by the end it felt poorly-researched, oversimplified, and very one-sided. I don’t necessarily disagree with what Goodall is saying in this book. Much of the content is very important, however for me the execution was disappointing.
This reads more like a memoir with interesting information, but not much scientific backing. I realize it is simplified for the general public, but at times it comes off as not well researched. There is some blatant overgeneralization and misinformation, especially regarding GMOs. Because of this, it is difficult to view it as an authoritative source on the information presented.
Reading this 15 years after it was published, it’s difficult to really assess the claims Goodall makes. One thing that really bugged me is that it is poorly cited. There is no reference list or footnotes/endnotes saying where the information came from. At times, the text will provide a statement regarding its source (usually another book or a news story), but most of the information is not cited. This makes it difficult to assess whether it is a reliable source and if it still holds up 15 years later.
Also, much of the information seems to come from secondary sources. When discussing various research studies, a news source is often mentioned (when cited at all) rather than the actual study. Again, this makes it difficult to determine its authority and relevance, especially without knowledge of the news source’s understanding of the research itself or if it has a biased leaning. This book presents facts without allowing the reader to assess the claims themselves. In that way, it didn’t feel like a very scientific read. There is often not enough information to find the original source (“A study in Canada showed…”) so the reader is expected to go along with whatever information is presented without thought.
Much of what is said in the book is very general without going deeply into any one topic. This is because it tries to tackle way too much information. From factory farming and GMOs to water shortages and vegetarian diets, there is just too much covered with none of it being done especially well.
I’m hesitant to recommend this even as a beginner overview to environmental and animal rights topics. It does a good job of getting the reader to start thinking about food and where it actually comes from. It is very general and approachable, however there is some misinformation included and it does not promote thinking for oneself by providing a list of references. It gives information and expects the reader to go along with it without critical thought.
In general, I agree with the message of the book, but there are certainly better researched books that back up their claims with citations and discuss the issues more deeply. Interesting to learn about Goodall’s experiences regarding food and water topics, but this book is not written in a thorough or scientific way.